The floor of the Water Tribe hut was covered by tanned hides painted in schamanic signs. The walls were draped in the same kind of hides, along with crudely woven tapestries in shades of blue ornamented with white and various bright colours. At the far right was a wide cot or berth covered in thick plush pelts. Surrounding the walls were drums and bells and various utensils, all of which looked ancient and handmade. Coming to a halt at the dead centre of the room, Azula turned to the old woman. The alien environment caused her yellow eyes to flash and her hands to itch instinctively.
"Now what, Kanna?" She forced herself to use the old woman's name to show respect. Of course, she'd never heard Sokka refer to her by any other moniker than "Gran Gran".
The woman indicated the sealskin and polar leopard pelts. The wrinkled brown countenance regarded her without expression. "Welcome to my humble abode, Princess. Seat yourself. I'll get us both something to drink."
Crossing her legs, Azula sat down on the soft white pelt of some polar creature. The heat of the hut was unusual, oppressive even. Staring into the fireplace, she attempted to draw strength in order to counter her growing uncertainty.
I promised Sokka to accept her invitation. But this old bitch clearly hates Firebenders. There's an odd smell in the air. Is that incense?
"The smell of memories. Of times gone by."
The old Water Tribe woman neither gave the impression of frailty nor of old age. Rather, she was tall and wiry, and looked deceptively strong and able bodied. She wore a long simple sky blue dress with a knee length, sleeveless dark brown leather tunic edged in fur and belted tightly at the waist. Azula's keen eyes didn't miss the tools and weapons dangling from it. The woman's hair was an impressively thick and long mixture of salt and pepper, her skin a dusky wrinkled brown and her eyes a shockingly bright azure blue.
Fuck. I wish that she'd sit down. What if she tries to pull a dagger on me? I'd be a sitting duck. Except…
Azula twirled her hands, flexing her fingers lightly. Across from her, the central fire responded. Flickering, dancing in tune with her movements, the flames turned a perfect azure blue. The old woman started.
"Oh. That's impressive. He told me you could do that, but I said that seeing is believing."
"You're Water Tribe. Yet you need fire to survive." The words left her lips unintentionally.
The old woman approached her, a bone beaker in her hand.
"This is true, Princess. The Fire Nation's cost us dearly. Now, we need a tribute."
Even as she accepted the beaker, Azula's eyes widened in shock.
"You mean me?"
The weather-bitten lips curled slightly. She wouldn't have called it a smile.
"You may interpret that as you wish, Princess. My grandson's no prodigy, but he's always been the smartest member of our family. I've always known that his choice of a bride would be significant. Now, please finish your wine. It is of crucial importance to the ritual."
Azula's palms and fingers were itching. A surefire sign of danger, of her flames and lightning wanting to unleash. Then again, she'd rather die than be a coward. Tilting her head back decisively, she drained the contents of the bone cup in one long gulp.
Hm. Not bad. Kind of fruity, tangy, sweetish…
Frowning, she stared down at the empty beaker. "That didn't taste at all like rice wine. What's this?" She tensed as if to rise, yellow eyes huge and flashing sparks.
The old woman made an apologetic little gesture. "Oh, it's my special brand of wine. Sokka loves it particularly much. Don't be afraid, my lovely one. Fear isn't becoming in a Fire Nation Princess."
Her voice reverberated with an odd echo in Azula's mind. Rainbow coloured strings swirled briefly before her vision.
Oh no. Oh shit. She drugged me.
Fear rose like a dragon.
Voices were whispering and screeching in her ears. Horrible images flashed before her eyes. Images of impending annihilation, of being chained to a metal grate. Of only being able to keep herself together by breathing her blue fire. Of fighting to survive, the only way that she knew how.
Shocked, she strove to regulate her breathing. To empty her mind and push the images away.
This isn't real, Azula! It isn't real. It's all in your mind.
Soft flute music piped up in her ears. A beautiful tune. A friendly hand reached out to tug her away from the terror. Part of Azula panicked and fluttered like a sparrow.
Don't worry. You know how to ride this. You know what it felt like to split into a myriad parts, and you know whom to trust. Go with your gut. Don't listen to the voices. Walk right through it.
The old woman had her back turned to Azula as she examined the contents of an ancient looking wicker basket.
Where's that voice coming from?
Azula fell back on the pelts. The hut was expanding and contracting endlessly in her vision.
The old Water Tribe woman approached her, a lit stick of incense in her hands. Seeing the tears streaming down the pale smooth cheeks, she leaned in to wipe them off with a gnarled brown thumb.
There. That's good. Now, tell me where it hurts.
The trill of laughter climbed the hut walls and rebounded.
"Here, usually." Azula touched the area of her heart.
"Before, it used to hurt here." She reached up with both hands to indicate her temples. "But I learned to deal with it. It was a painful healing, but it worked."
The old woman was circling her, waving her incense sticks.
You had a breakdown. Momentarily, you were what people here would deem insane. In our practice, we say that the spirit is unable to conform to its own shape. Once the reconfiguring process is complete, you're back to functioning normally.
Blue. Red. Yellow. Green. Purple. Colours swirled and flashed in her mind. Wild entities were surrounding her, holding hands and chanting. Azula stared into the peak of the hut. Above, a single star had appeared to shine down on her, endlessly far away. It beckoned to her, calling her up and away.
Sometimes, I wish that I could go. Just leave. Is that wrong?
The Water Tribe shamaness stopped to kneel next to her. Waving the incense in one hand, she shook some kind of wooden instrument rhythmically with the other.
You can't leave this world yet, Azula! You can't escape into the spirit realm. There are tasks for you here. Don't leave them uncompleted.
The shamaness reached out to tap her forehead sharply.
The pure force of the blow hurled Azula back to face every single moment of her life at rapid speed. Unable to check herself, she raced back through the minds and fates of all her Fire Nation ancestors. Tumbling wildly through the dimensions, she sensed the visions racing through her bones.
The tiny ball that was Azula stopped twirling. She looked around herself in wonder. Oh, that place. She knew it at the core of her heart. Smiling, she fell back against the silky soft white pelts.
The entry of the hut burst open. It took the young man a few seconds to understand the gist of the scene before him. Striding angrily into the hut, he leaned down to grab and smell the bone beaker.
"Gran Gran! Did you serve Azula cactus juice? Why, what the fuck! I asked you to invite her over here so that the two of you could get acquainted! Not for you to pull some kind of weird tribe magic on her! I swear, I'll never let her visit you again."
He leaned down to lift his prostrate beloved in his arms, hugging her close to his heart. Tiny kisses rained down on her sweat soaked brow. The huge yellow eyes stared out into nothingness.
"Azula, please! Look at me! It's Sokka! Please look at me!"
The old Water Tribe shamaness nodded sagely.
"She passed the test, Sokka. She'll make you a good wife, but a troublesome one. The spirits say that she'll bear you at least six children. Watch out for her ambitious streak. Now, go. I'm an old woman and I need my rest."
"What!? You mean you did it to test her? Do you even realize the full extent of the damage that you could have done to her!? She may look strong, but…"
"Sokka? Azula's eyes focused on his face. It was like staring down into black holes. A long slender hand sneaked up to caress his cheek.
"Yes! Azula, are you all right? I mean, you probably need to drink lots of water. And some mango juice. Don't worry, my love! You'll be back to normal in… well, a few hours. Or tomorrow at the very least."
She clung to him with a brilliant smile. "Yes, Sokka! Please take me home! Is there a star at the peak of your hut ceiling as well?"