If I have missed any grammar errors, please let me know! It's a very long story, and oftentimes, when I am typing for many hours on end I miss a few things here and there. I try to go back and check before I post, but editing is very time consuming and it is hard to catch it all without a beta reader.
Portside – Chapter Twenty-Seven
In the early morning hours aboard the royal airship.
The princess was at work learning to read and write in her handmaid's strange foreign written language.
Azula sat in a chair with her callous amber golden eyes carefully studying her notes on her handmaid's written language.
While Elle sat beside the princess with her faithful amber eyes quietly watching in amazement as the woman skillfully deciphered each letter.
Her function was to serve as her princess's guide and assist her on the matter when needed.
Yet thus far, the princess was taking to learning it quite well.
And given enough time.
She knew that her princess was fully capable of mastering the written English language.
After all, if anyone from the Fire Nation would be able to decipher it.
It was her Princess Azula.
Several hours later.
The small gathering of ships now sat before an isolated rural village.
Meanwhile the princess and her three companions were walking into the village.
The three women were watching their young companion happily skip beside the aloof princess while the ruthless woman stared down at her with mildly annoyed amber golden eyes.
The source of her aggravation was her servant's accursed music player.
It had only been two hours since she had given it to the girl and she was already regretting its repair!
The two noblewomen tried their best to stifle their chuckles over the princess's irritation while the muffled sound of strange music continued to resonate from the girl's headset.
"Elle!" Azula snapped for the second time with her amber golden eyes narrowing dangerously down at Elle's jubilant little face.
"Huh? I can't hear you Azula-sama. Did you say something?" Elle answered with a sunny smile before turning to glance up at Azula's violently scowling visage.
"I did! Two times over! Perhaps if you removed those wretched things from your ears, you would have heard me!" Azula barked with her arms crossed over her breasts while she glared at her chuckling childhood friends through the corner of her eye.
"Aww! Don't be so mean Azula! She's just enjoying herself." Ty Lee defended in a sisterly manner before patting Elle's shoulder while the smaller girl continued to bob to her music.
"It's too bad we don't have one of those. Then we could tune out Azula too." Mai commented alongside the amused Ty Lee while Azula turned to cast them a murderous glance.
"Yeah that sounds…a-absolutely terrible. We don't want to tune Azula out!" Ty Lee blurted out in a nervous gulp while the princess stared icily at them with blue fire burning from her fingertips.
"That's what I thought…servant! I am thirsty! Go purchase me a drink from that smoothie stand!" Azula ordered with a snap of her fingers while she glared over her shoulder at Ty Lee's giggling face.
Only to turn her eyes back to her little handmaid's back just as she began to realize what the other woman was laughing at.
"I see the crystal raindrops fall. And the beauty of it all is when the sun comes shining through. To make those rainbows in my mind when I think of you sometime. And I wanna spend some time with you." Elle sang to herself with a melodious hum while her princess quirked an amused brow above her.
"That's so cute Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a grin while Mai smirked in amusement before Azula turned to cast them a callous glare over her shoulder.
"Childish peasant." Azula snorted in a beyond pompous manner as she strode alongside her pretty little handmaid all the while trying to squash her affections for the girl.
All the while the princess glanced about with stony amber golden eyes before releasing a terrifying growl when she noticed that people were ogling them.
Her lips began to curve into a scowl while she stared sternly down at her oblivious pet while the petite girl continued to beam up at her.
The last thing she needs was for her soldiers to think that she was going soft!
That was when Azula was taken by surprise when Elle reached out to grasp her hand.
The two noblewomen continued to snicker while the princess stood glaring down at the smaller girl now holding her hand.
"Just the two of us! We can make it if we try. Just the two of us. Just the two of us! Just the two of us! Building castles in the sky. Just the two of us! You and I…n-no please don't take my music away!" Elle cried out in mid song with a pouty countenance just after her headphones were yanked off her ears.
Azula was staring down at her little handmaid with an unfathomably strict glare that was lessened only by the barest twinge of pink that now adorned her regal cheeks.
Then she forced herself to harden her gaze while her dominant eyes made her loyal servant begin to quiver under her glare.
"Make yourself useful peasant! Bring me a cherry smoothie now! If you aren't back within in five minutes then you are hereby banished from the Fire Nation!" Azula bellowed with her arms crossed over her chest while Elle shrunk under her domineering stare.
"Azula. That was mean." Ty Lee muttered in a scolding voice while she frowned alongside the scowling Mai.
"My princess wants a smoothie and I shall see it done!" Elle exclaimed with a bright smile while her princess gazed down in grudging approval.
"Good. Very good. Mai. Ty Lee. You both like cherry, right?" Azula pondered with a haughty tilt of her head.
"I hate raspberry." Mai replied while Ty Lee listened in humor beside her.
"Um…I prefer raspberry but I like cherry too." Ty Lee answered with a returning smile while the spoiled princess turned away.
"Make that three cherry smoothies." Azula instructed with a pompous smile while she observed her adorable handmaid dutifully recording the order on a notepad.
"Azula, what are you getting Elle?" Ty Lee demanded with her hands on her hips while she directed the other woman a pointed look.
The princess held a hand beneath her chin before turning to glance down at her handmaid's chipper smiling face.
She almost found herself stating that she would permit the girl a smoothie.
That was until she caught the sight of her soldiers striding down the ramps of the docked airships.
"That's a stupid question Ty Lee. I don't purchase treats for servants. Now get me my smoothie peasant or I will have you flogged!" Azula ordered with a cruel sneer before coldly thrusting a bag of gold in her little admirer's hands.
The two women stared at their leader's back with a spark of anger in their eyes.
Yet they were unsurprised to see that the princess's malicious words had no effect on their young friend's ever-present smile.
"Yes Azula-sama, as you command. May I please have my headphones back now?" Elle chirped with an unwavering smile before bending into a respectful bow while Azula regarded her with a callous stare.
"Whatever. Just take your silly toy and bring back my order already!" Azula snapped after rudely shoving the headset into Elle's arms while the girl beamed up at her.
"At once Mistress! I won't let you down!" Elle announced with a radiant visage before slipping her headphones over her ears.
And with that Elle waved over her shoulder at her stony companion before darting off.
The princess watched her little girlfriend scamper off with seemingly uncaring amber golden eyes ever aware that her two friends were still frowning at her.
All the while scrunching her nose up in a sliver of bewilderment when she heard the girl singing as she ran off.
"Just the two of us! We can make it if we try!" Elle hummed in a lovable voice before vanishing around a corner.
'Soft hearted peasant.' Azula thought with her fists on her hips before shaking her head with a prolonged sigh.
"That girl has the patience of a saint to put up with you." Mai commented at long last only for Azula to scowl over her shoulder.
"I have no idea what you are implying Mai. The girl is fortunate to even breath the same air as me much less find herself worthy of my time." Azula scoffed with a pompous huff while the other two stared at her with deadpan eyes.
"No seriously Azula. Elle is a really beautiful girl and talented too. She could go home and find just about any boy or girl that would jump at the chance to date her." Ty Lee retorted with her arms crossed while her angered friend turned to cast her a foul glare.
"Yeah. That won't call her peasant, servant or pet or make her perform an endless list of humiliating orders." Mai stated in a victorious voice while the princess's harsh eyes flickered between the two of them.
Like it or not they knew that Azula knows that they were not wrong.
For Elle to catch Azula's eye that was all the confirmation they needed to know that the princess held the girl in high regard.
She just wouldn't openly say as much in front of so many people.
"And she could make a good living on her artwork. She likely wouldn't need us to buy her goods anymore if that were the case!" Ty Lee concluded with a returning smile only to lose her confidence when the princess's glare became even more terrifying than usual.
"True. But even if that were the situation then I would simply execute her date and bring her back to serve me once more." Azula remarked with a callously composed voice while she gazed at her stunned subordinates.
The two noblewomen stood speechless while they digested the princess's rather frightening announcement.
Knowing all too well that Azula was being monstrously serious.
"The girl belongs to me now. And that's all there is to it." Azula spoke in a possessive voice before examining her fingernails with a controlling smile on her lips.
The declaration hit both Mai and Ty Lee hard.
Ty Lee more so than Mai.
The two stood gazing at the princess with startled eyes uncertain of how to respond.
But before either one of them could offer a response Azula turned glance over her shoulder when she saw a familiar woman approaching in their direction.
Striding towards them was none other than Zoi.
"Greetings Princess. Am I intruding if I ask for a moment with you?" Zoi greeted in her usual undertone of sarcasm while she bent over in the customary bow.
Both Mai and Ty Lee would have liked to respond that she was.
But they were well aware that it was not their place to speak for Azula.
"Oh no. I was just tormenting my friends." Azula sighed with her palms on her hips before she turned to smile at her humiliated companions.
"Well then…I only ask for one minute of your time and then I will leave you to return to torturing your friends." Zoi stated with a playful smile while she arose from her bow before directing the two glaring women a taunting glance.
Mai in particular was casting Zoi a cold glare while Azula chuckled at their expense.
If there was one thing that she detested about this woman.
The more they learned about Zoi.
The more she and Ty Lee grew to dislike her.
Yet in turn Azula would like Zoi even more!
"How kind of you." Azula purred with her hands on her hips while Ty Lee grew increasingly uncomfortable under her smirking gaze.
"I came to inform you that I will be traveling ahead of you. I am going to perform a covert scouting of the terrain ahead. And in that regard your fleet will only serve to give us away." Zoi announced bluntly with a more businesslike demeanor while Azula surveyed her with mildly surprised amber golden eyes.
And yet she was impressed all the same.
That was what she was finding she liked about Zoi.
Say what you want about her personality but the woman was unbelievably thorough.
"I like the way you think soldier." Azula responded before blinking when she was handed a small paper.
"These are my coordinates. Contact me if you need me." Zoi explained with a gesture of her hand while the princess nodded curtly.
"Very well. Is that all?" Azula queried in a pleased voice before sliding the folded paper into her breast pocket.
"That is all. We will be leaving shortly after my crew concludes with their meal." Zoi answered as she gave her princess another bow before she arose to turn around.
"I see. Just remember to keep me posted." Azula commanded with her fingers curling around her toned biceps while she watched Zoi begin to walk away.
"Please don't. By all means the less we see and hear from you…the better." Mai commented with disdain while she watched Zoi pause in her step.
The princess spun around to glare at her friend with her eyes narrowing dangerously over her friend openly contradicting her will.
But before she could mouth a venomous response Zoi turned to face Mai with her lips curving into a confident smile.
Ty Lee remained silent while she gazed between her two friends with nervous brown-gray eyes hoping that Azula would let the comment slide.
"It must be hard for you. You truly have my sympathies." Zoi spoke with her cold golden eyes remaining locked on the other noblewoman's glaring face.
The strange statement put Ty Lee on edge and even prompted Azula to quirk a brow while Mai stood narrowing her tawny eyes back at Zoi.
"Really? You don't have mine." Mai retorted with her lips pursing into a scowl.
"The leadership of the Saolin clan has always been weak. But none more so than under Governor Ukano. It must be such a burden to bear…being the daughter of such a spineless worm." Zoi taunted with a rising grin while she observed rage flash in Mai's usually calm eyes.
"You…watch what you say about my father Generalkiller." Mai nearly hissed while Ty Lee placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
Azula glanced up from her examining her finger nails with a mildly entertained countenance.
Zoi was not wrong about Ukano.
She hasn't forgotten his inept governance of Omashu.
But it wouldn't do to allow Mai to come to blows with Zoi.
Despite Mai's occasional disrespect she was her friend after all.
"Or what? What are you going to do about it?" Zoi called out with her arms falling to her sides.
It was an obvious attempt to provoke the other woman into attacking her.
"I don't know Zoi. Maybe when Azula isn't around I'll cut your throat?" Mai snarled with a blade slipping out from beneath her robed sleeve while callous amber golden eyes observed the scene closely.
That was when Zoi released a belly shaking laugh while Ty Lee growled in her direction.
"You fight me? When the princess isn't around! Don't make me laugh. The outcome will be the same whether Her Highness is here or she isn't. The only difference is…there won't be anyone around to save your sorry ass." Zoi sneered with a hand over the hilt of her sword while Mai took an angered step forward.
"Mai." Azula snapped with a strict voice while Mai took another furious step closer.
"You bastards from the Song clan have always been too full of yourselves. It would be sad if you don't come home from this war." Mai declared with her eyes gazing ahead dangerously while Zoi smirked back at her.
"Not as sad as your sex life." Zoi answered to the surprise of even her princess while the other woman gazed at her with her tawny eyes now agape in pure rage.
The taunt had just the desired effect that she intended.
Mai took off running towards the smirking soldier with two knives between her knuckles.
Only for the sound of a frigid voice to snap her out of her rage.
"Enough! Or I will kill the both of you!" Azula bellowed with her cruel eyes glaring stonily at the two women paused a mere foot apart.
Zoi still stood with a hand over her blade while she gazed back at the still livid Mai standing right before her.
Ty Lee herself had begun to run forward only to shakily stop when she heard Azula's order.
"Understood Your Highness. I defer to your power." Zoi replied before straightening with a relaxed countenance while Azula glanced at her in approval over her words.
"Just get going already. I have a smoothie order to tend to." Azula snorted with a moody scowl on her regal lips while she glared ahead at the departing soldier.
"Of course. Enjoy your smoothie." Zoi remarked before locking eyes with Mai one final time before swiftly turning to walk away.
Mai said nothing further in response while she gazed after the other woman's back with an uncharacteristic expression of anger in her usually stoic eyes.
Even Ty Lee's hand on her shoulder still very little to calm her furious mood.
"Don't listen to her Mai. She's just a bitch." Ty Lee soothed while her gloomy friend scoffed angrily.
"That's putting it mildly." Mai grumbled before turning to find herself face to face with the frigid princess.
"The next time you question my will before my soldiers will be the most painful day of your life." Azula stated in a merciless voice that sent shivers down the spines of both of her subordinate's.
"C-chill out Azula. Mai didn't mean it like that." Ty Lee stammered while Azula icy gaze swept over the two of them.
"I am not interested in excuses Ty Lee! And if you two would cease provoking Zoi then this mission will proceed more smoothly." Azula barked in a tyrannical manner while Mai too flinched under her gaze.
"Got it Azula." Mai agreed with a frown while Azula finally turned away with her arms folded over her bust.
"Good. Now let us go find the tiger monkey. It wouldn't do well to leave that one alone for too long." Azula grumbled with a possessive frown before stomping off in the direction of the smoothie shop.
The two noblewomen followed after their leader while Ty Lee sighed before running a hand through her hair.
All the while never bothering to comment on how Azula was behaving like a worried mother.
About one minute later…
"Thank you!" Elle exclaimed with a beaming countenance while a worker handed her order of four smoothies.
The employee was a young woman who couldn't help but swallow uneasily as she gazed down at the order before raising her eyes upward.
"Yeah sure. Just be sure to convey to Her Highness that I made it exactly as she ordered." Tia requested in a fearful voice as she gave a bow while the strange girl smiled radiantly back at her.
"No worries! I am positive that Her Highness will be pleased." Elle chirped as she attempted to return the bow with the drinks balanced against her chest.
"One can only hope." Tia replied while she watched the chipper girl struggle to hold all four drinks.
In that moment the princess and her team were approaching from around the corner.
Only for Azula callous eyes to narrow in annoyance when she overheard what her chipper handmaid was saying.
"Oh, she's not that bad! Really! The princess is actually quite nice!" Elle cried out with a beaming smile while the worker stared back at her blankly.
Azula paused in her step with an inferno already ablaze in her amber golden eyes before turning to glare at the giggling Ty Lee.
Mai too stood with a trace of amusement in her tawny eyes while the princess growled in their direction.
"Well what do you know Azula. You're nice." Ty Lee spoke with a grin while Azula's cold gaze continued to burn through her skull.
"Shut up Ty Lee." Azula scoffed with a disgusted scowl before stomping around the bend to retrieve her handmaid.
"And you said that you're her royal servant, right?" Tia pondered while she observed the young girl turn to walk away.
"Yep! That's me! A lot of people seem to think that she's difficult to work for but once you get her flow down its smooth sailing after that. We're even best buddies now!" Elle blurted carelessly while the worker gazed at her in a deadpan silence.
Just as soon as those words floated into Azula's ears her two companions watched in amusement when she stiffened with evident embarrassment on her hardened visage.
The princess ignored the sounds of Mai snorting down a chuckle before storming into the waiting area of the shop.
That was when the poor clerk's relaxed expression turned into one of fright.
All the while Ty Lee continued to giggle in increased amusement.
"Well, I better get going have a nice…Princess!" Elle exclaimed innocently when she bumped into the woman's upper belly while Azula glared down at her with terrifying amber golden eyes.
"H-hello Your Highness!" Tia greeted after dropping down to prostrate herself on the ground only for Azula to disregard her as if she were a fly.
"What are you doing peasant!" Azula hissed in a livid voice with Ty Lee smiling behind her while she loomed over her happy little girlfriend.
"Telling the world how wonderful you are! Eep!" Elle squeaked like a little puppy when the much taller woman grasped ahold of the collar of her shirt.
"You are being punished! Ten floggings for you! And ten more on top of that if you drop my drink!" Azula bellowed with her hand mercilessly grasping ahold of her pouting pet before dragging the girl along while the two noblewomen sighed once more.
All while the horrified clerk watched the young girl get dragged away with clear sympathy in her eyes.
"Have a good day!" Elle called out with the smoothies shaking in her arms while her backpack bounced over her shoulders.
"She's not really getting flogged! It's pinker than it looks!" Ty Lee assured with a grin while she waved over her shoulder at the bewildered worker while Azula glared at her through the corner of her eye.
As she stomped along with the girl being dragged after her like a disciplined puppy.
"I missed you so much Azula-sama! It's not the same without you." Elle announced with her feet being drug through the dirt while her big sisters gazed at her oddly as they followed alongside them.
"Elle…you've only been away from Azula for five minutes." Ty Lee commented while the princess's red lips began to curve upward in approval.
"Five minutes is too long! It felt more like five hours…" Elle whined with her worshipful eyes peering up at her mistress's tall back.
"Shouldn't you let the girl up now?" Mai sighed while the spoiled woman turned to peer down at her beaming companion.
"I suppose I could permit it. But if I catch you spreading such distasteful rumors ever again…" Azula trailed off in an incredibly strict voice before yanking her pretty handmaid to her feet while strictly narrowing her gaze down at her little servant.
"Distasteful rumors Azula? All she did was say that you are nice!" Ty Lee stated with her arms folded over her bust while the spoiled woman glared at her through the corner of her eye.
"I don't do nice. Cruelty is what I do best." Azula boasted while scanning her finger nails with a smug smile on her lips while Ty Lee sighed.
"Understood Azula-sama! Would you like your smoothie now?" Elle chirped in her usual courteous fashion while the princess tilted her head with a returning smirk.
"As a matter of fact. I would." Azula purred with a pompous smile before grasping her smoothie from the girl's hands.
"Can we go sit by the water?" Elle requested sweetly with a gentle countenance while Azula lazily shrugged her shoulders.
"You have been on good behavior. So, I will allow it." Azula responded with a sigh while her childhood friends nearly rolled their eyes.
"Here is yours oneesan." Elle spoke before handing the surprised Ty Lee a raspberry smoothie.
"Huh? Raspberry? That's so sweet of you Elle. You actually get people what they want!" Ty Lee yelled out with a cheerful grin while the princess turned to stare icily down at Elle's bashful countenance.
"I ordered you to get Ty Lee cherry. Not raspberry." Azula remarked in a supremely entitled voice while the woman in question turned to cast her a dry glance.
"But she wanted raspberry! And here is blueberry for you oneesan." Elle quipped before reaching up to hand Mai her drink while the noblewoman gazed down at her with a softened demeanor.
"I didn't tell you that I liked blueberry." Mai muttered before reaching down to grasp the smoothie.
"No. But I've seen you eating blueberry more than any other fruit. Is…. this what you wanted?" Elle answered before chewing on her lip only for the older girl to kindly pat her shoulder.
"It's perfect. Thanks Elle." Mai assured with a small smile forming upon her stoic lips.
"Mai was also supposed to get cherry." Azula complained with an arrogant snort before turning to peer down at her handmaid's still beaming face.
This time the other two women did roll their eyes at their beyond conceited companion.
"But what sort of little sister would I be if I didn't get my oneesans what they wanted?" Elle queried before tilting her head to gaze up at her two big sisters appreciate faces.
"Aww! She's so lovable!" Ty Lee cooed before pinching the blushing girl's cheek while Azula snidely rolled her eyes.
"And she isn't an ass like Azula." Mai spoke with her hand still on the smaller girl's shoulder while Elle turned red under their combined attentions.
Those words earned her a particularly nasty stare from the spoiled princess in question but she ignored it all the same.
"I'll pretend that I didn't hear that." Azula scoffed just as they began walking through the street towards a waterfront view.
The other three began to follow their leader while the petite blonde continued to gaze at the gloomy noblewoman with a concerned look in her eyes.
"Are…you alright Mai?" Elle pondered to the surprise of all three women while Mai stared down at her with taken aback tawny eyes.
"I am. Why did you ask?" Mai replied in a still softened voice while the younger girl peered up at her worriedly.
"You look angry. Your face looks different than usual…f-forgive me if I am prying." Elle spoke with a slight stammer only for Mai to touch her shoulder once more.
All the while Azula observed with a callous countenance and Ty Lee smiled down at their younger companion.
There was no doubt that they were all fond of Elle in some manner or another.
And they all saw her as a member of the group.
Even Azula.
"No. It's fine." Mai insisted with a twinge of sisterly affection in her voice before blinking in surprise when Elle latched onto her midsection.
It was in that moment that cold amber golden eyes flickered with a possessive spark while the princess folded her arms with a greedy frown on her regal lips.
"I…just wanted to make sure. If you ever need a hug, I'm here for you." Elle informed with her tender eyes peering up into the dark-haired girl's thawing tawny eyes.
"Thank you…little sister." Mai breathed before returning the embrace while the petite girl smiled adorably against her upper belly.
"I-I am just trying to be the best little sister that I can be for you oneesan." Elle stuttered shyly before blushing cutely when Mai patted her back while the woman chuckled fondly above her.
"You're the best little sister that we could ask for." Mai declared before gently disconnecting from the brief hug with her lips curving into a smile while Ty Lee nodded in agreement.
"That's right! The best!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a grin before stopping to pat Elle's shoulder while the young girl turned pink under their mixed affections.
"I am so g-glad that you both think so." Elle stammered while both girls stared down at her with fondness in their eyes.
"Servant! I demand that you return to my side at once!" Azula boomed with her boot slamming against the ground while she huffed in a supremely pompous manner.
The two noblewomen gazed at their leader in exasperation before shaking their heads when their young friend scampered off towards the spoiled woman's side.
"Y-yes Azula-sama! Your loyal girl comes when you call her!" Elle cried out with a fretful countenance before scurrying over while Azula peered down at her in smug approval.
"Azula please don't make the poor girl spill her drink!" Ty Lee shouted while the conceited princess coldly stared down at the smaller girl almost stumbling with her drink in hand.
"Watch your step Tiger Monkey." Azula snorted before swiftly catching her pet by her shirt while her little girlfriend trembled adorably under her domineering gaze.
"Arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama…" Elle trailed off with heated cheeks while she listened to her mistress release an arrogant snort over her.
"You will attend to my needs. Not Mai's or Ty Lee's. Is that understood girl?" Azula announced with a haughty huff while she leveled her pretty handmaid with a beyond strict stare.
"Your loyal royal servant understands Azula-sama!" Elle cried out with her smoothie in hand while Azula smirked down at her.
"Hm. Good girl. Now come." Azula purred with a pompous snap of her fingers before striding ahead of the love-struck girl padding after her footsteps like a spellbound puppy.
"A-as you say Princess. Always as you say." Elle spoke with a lovable stutter before she gulped when her tall mistress began to sway her shapely hips before her inexperienced gaze.
"A-Azula please remember that Elle is only thirteen." Ty Lee pleaded with sisterly worry in her protective eyes only to blush when she watched the adorable girl sneak a timid glance of Azula's full hips.
And then the poor girl gazed away as if afraid that she would be scolded for gazing at the older girl's body.
"She's my pet Ty Lee. Not your pet. I will do as I please. Is something wrong Elle?" Azula spoke in a silken voice before glancing over her shoulder at the bashful girl averting her eyes from her swaying hips.
Ty Lee just sighed before taking a drink of her smoothie while the teenage girl turned even redder under the princess's stern stare.
"N-no Princess." Elle squeaked in a manner that Azula had found herself coming to adore while she smiled down at her.
"Well try to keep up then." Azula remarked with commanding wag of her fingertip while Elle padded alongside her.
"Yes Azula-sama. Oh yeah! Here's your coin purse back!" Elle chirped in her usual faithful voice before holding her hand out with the coin purse before the princess's stony gaze.
Azula eyed her young girlfriend with callous amber golden eyes before lazily shrugging her shoulders.
"You can keep it." Azula answered with an indifferent countenance before taking a satisfied drink of her smoothie.
The other two girls gazed at the princess with slight surprise in their eyes while the small blonde rushed after their leader.
"B-but it's yours Azula-sama. I don't need it. Because I have you to take care of me." Elle protested in a heartfelt voice while Azula gazed down at her with seemingly unmoved amber golden eyes.
Yet although Azula did not show it.
Deep down inside of her frozen heart she couldn't deny that those loyal words were strangely rewarding.
"I said keep it! Are you defying me servant!" Azula bellowed with sadistic delight in her voice before rounding on the intimidated girl.
Poor Elle began to blush even deeper while Azula towered over her with her callous amber golden eyes making her young heart begin to beat even faster than before.
"Azula…" Ty Lee sighed before shaking her head over the princess's strange obsession with dominating the girl.
"N-no. I would never defy you, Princess." Elle assured with a bashful stammer while the princess remained stooped over her.
"Then keep it." Azula snorted before standing tall once more while she observed Elle shyly drop the pouch in her robe pockets.
"If you say so Azula-sama then it must be so." Elle mumbled just as she resumed her walk beside Azula while strict amber golden eyes watched her take a small drink of her smoothie.
"Is that cherry?" Azula questioned with an amused curve of her lips while the others turned to her pretty handmaid's blushing face.
"That's so! If Her Highness drinks cherry. I drink cherry." Elle piped in a tone of childish pride while she swelled under her princess's pleased gaze.
"That's my favorite handmaid. Such an obedient girl." Azula purred before planting her palm on the girl's dainty shoulder while Elle beamed up at her.
"I am so happy that I am your favorite Azula-sama. I will always do as you say. I-I hope you know that." Elle admitted with a timid flush before turning even redder when Azula began to pull her along once more.
"I am well aware servant. Now come along now little handmaid. You are walking too slowly." Azula commanded in a possessive voice with her fingernails tugging at her handmaid's neckline while she pulled her pet alongside her.
The other two women stared at Azula oddly while she strictly drug Elle after her which left the poor girl comically trying to walk despite being pulled like a puppy on a leash.
The princess's behavior was baffling to say the least.
Azula was flat out cruel to Elle in the eyes of the high-ranking Fire Nation officials.
But when it was just the four of them and perhaps a few local peasants the princess's behavior would take a one eighty.
And then the princess would show a fondness to the girl that they have never seen Azula show anyone else for as long as they've known her.
"T-that's my best buddy! She's quick to take charge of my life!" Elle cheered with a sunny smile before her feet slid through the street seemingly completely unbothered by the humiliating treatment.
The two noblewomen stared in humor over how the girl gazed up the princess with an adorably enthusiastic grin clearly overjoyed to have the sadistic woman as her 'best buddy'.
"Uh yeah that's Azula for you little sister." Ty Lee commented with a giggle while Azula continued to force Elle to remain within arm's reach.
"Humph. It is clear that this one thrives under my rule." Azula spoke with a beyond pompous smirk before taking a drink of her smoothie while she pulled her little girlfriend towards the waterfront.
"Azula. I have a question for you." Mai stated in her usual calm voice while Azula walked with Elle at her side before turning to cast her a stony glance.
"Is this more complaining about Zoi?" Azula scoffed with a haughty voice while the other woman gazed ahead.
"Why are you so quick to trust her?" Mai inquired with a faint frown while the princess released an annoyed snort.
"More complaining I see. I do not trust her. I do not trust anyone. Trust is for fools." Azula scoffed before gulping down her mouthful of her cold beverage.
"W-what about me Azula-sama? You trust me, right?" Elle stuttered with Azula towering over her while the beautiful woman glanced down at her.
"I suppose I do." Azula grumbled with her vice grip still ushering the girl along while her little handmaid smiled in relief.
"Zoi is famous for murdering her commanding officer, General Shoren during the counterassault of the Earth Kingdom ten years ago led by warrior Earth King Jaran. That's as low as anyone could possibly go." Mai grunted with a returning gleam of anger in her tawny eyes while Ty Lee quietly walked between them.
"General Shoren was a traitor to the Fire Nation. All reports indicate that he was intent on surrendering his post to Earth King Jaran. For that reason. It was a legal act in the eyes of the Fire Lord." Azula retorted with a callous stare while she met her friend's scowling gaze.
"The reports released by the Song clan. The reports that her mother surely altered." Mai insisted before turning to her leader's uncaring countenance.
"I have heard enough of this dribble. Truthfully, I couldn't care less what her reasons were for killing General Shoren. I have called upon her because she is one of the greatest warriors of all the Fire Nation. I can count on her to get the job done. And that is all that matters." Azula explained with a haughty sneer while the young girl padded along following her footfalls.
"One can only hope that you won't find yourself lamenting those words with a blade in your back." Mai replied with Ty Lee flinching alongside her while Azula icy amber golden eyes began to glare through her skull.
They were both well aware that Azula was an abnormally paranoid person.
And Ty Lee couldn't help but shudder over how scary it was to provoke Azula into even further paranoia.
"She would be a fool to try. She wouldn't survive if she did. And that is all there is to it. And the topic is now closed." Azula concluded with a moody scowl on her graceful lips while the other two girls nodded under her imposing stare.
And with that the princess released her loyal servant from her grip just as they neared a local peasant crowd.
The petite girl pouted up at her much taller mistress before scurrying after her.
All the while Mai just gazed at the princess's back before scoffing under her breath.
Azula was truly becoming full of herself if she thinks that she was impervious to a possible assassination attempt by Zoi.
"Well…we should probably follow them." Ty Lee suggested before slurping a drink of her smoothie.
"May as well. If only for Elle's sake." Mai muttered before resuming her walk with Ty Lee striding alongside her.
The princess strode through the town with a noticeably egotistical aura about her while the village people prostrated themselves on the ground as she walked by.
Her amber golden eyes glanced around in unconcealed arrogance making it clear that she did not consider any other peasants her girlfriends equal.
Just because she has taken a liking to one peasant doesn't mean that she desires the company of other commoners.
Azula's nose wrinkled in disgust when she detected the hint of an unpleasant odor while she stared in revulsion at one particular prostrated man.
'Ugh! Do these people even bath! I expected this of Earth Kingdom peasants but not citizens of the Fire Nation!' Azula thought with her lips creasing into a displeased frown while her cold eyes glanced about.
And that was when her amber golden eyes narrowed in repugnance when she caught the less than pleasant turn his head to sneak a glance at her girlfriend's tight backside.
Mai and Ty Lee were catching up while they too caught onto the man's ogling of their unaware young friend.
Had Azula not been with them either one of them would have voiced rebuke against a man openly gawking at their adopted little sister.
But judging by the furious look on Azula's face their input was unneeded.
Ty Lee couldn't resist flinching when she watched Azula turn to regard the man with an absolutely rotten glare.
It was a stare so cold that the poor townspeople couldn't help shivering in fear as they kowtowed with their faces kissing the ground.
"Filthy peasant! Remove your filthy eyes from her right this instant or I will remove them from your sockets for you!" Azula bellowed with a truly intimidating stare that had the man cowering on the ground in terror while her petite handmaid peered up at her back with emotive amber eyes.
"Azula-sama…" Elle trailed off with a bashful blush she stood meekly Azula's tall shadow while the ruthless woman leveled the terrified man with a merciless glare.
"Y-yes Your Highness! I-it won't happen again!" The man cried out as he sunk into the ground in a grovel while the princess's cold eyes glared back at him.
"Azula…" Ty Lee sighed yet again while she approached the unsocial woman from behind.
"Disgusting. These people need to learn how to bathe. My first act when I become Fire Lord will be distributing soap to these peasants." Azula snorted with her cruel eyes glaring about while her little girlfriend scampered alongside her.
The other two nobles gazed at their leader with exasperated eyes.
Never failing to miss how the poor townspeople gazed after Azula in terror that no subject should ever feel in the presence of their princess.
The townspeople's fear was so great that it was if they felt that the slightest provocation would provoke Azula into executing one of them at random.
And if you asked Ty Lee that was most definitely the case.
And Ty Lee was more than aware that these poor people feared her friend even more now as an adult than they did when Azula was a teenager.
And she knew very well that the scarring of those two girls was playing a significant factor in this newfound rise in fear.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama." Elle mumbled timidly while padded alongside her mistress while the powerful princess continued to glare at people left and right.
"You belong to me. Only I may look at you." Azula scoffed with a haughty huff while she folded her toned arms over her chest before fixing her adorable handmaid with a domineering stare.
"I-I am yours Princess." Elle agreed with an adorable stammer before sipping at her smoothie while she continued to shyly follow her princess.
"What are you gawking at peasant!" Azula shouted once more in a possessive hiss while the other two women sighed behind her.
"Azula you're scaring the townspeople." Ty Lee attempted to reason with a frown while her cruel friend released another snide scoff.
"It isn't my fault that some people don't know the meaning of respect." Azula remarked with a pompous scowl while her little handmaid pranced after her heels.
"My princess is so authoritative." Elle stated with a gleeful smile while her princess smirked alongside her amused big sisters.
"She certainly is little sister." Ty Lee agreed with a sigh while Elle walked between her and Azula.
"When I told the lady at the smoothie shop that the princess wanted to place an order for smoothies. She started to tremble in fear because she was afraid that Azula-sama would imprison her if she made a mistake." Elle announced with an unwavering smile while both noblewomen turned to stare pointedly at Azula now smiling pridefully.
"That's what I mean Azula! You scare people so terribly that the poor girl was afraid that you would send her to Boiling Rock over a smoothie!" Ty Lee exclaimed while the spoiled princess scanned her finger nails in a supremely smug fashion.
"The girl was right to be wary. This smoothie is subpar." Azula complained with a huff while her friends barring her girlfriend stared at her in disbelief.
"I think she did a good job. You're just a stuck-up prude." Mai commented with a frown while Ty Lee nodded in agreement.
"Yeah! I like it." Ty Lee quipped before taking a slurp with a joyful grin while Azula rolled her arrogant amber golden eyes.
"Why does that not surprise me. You two have always had unrefined tastes." Azula retorted with a conceited countenance while Elle took a joyful sip of her drink.
"I like what Azula-sama likes!" Elle cheered with her little fist pumping in the air while the princess surveyed her with an approving stare.
The princess couldn't help but smirk down at her petite companion.
What wasn't there to like about having such a devoted follower all to herself?
Her little servant would praise anything that she did.
No matter what that may be.
The group continued to made their way through the city street while the townspeople gave the ruthless princess a wide berth.
That was until one desperate person dared to get in her way.
The powerful princess came to a displeased stop to find herself glaring down at a disheveled peasant woman in a deep kowtow pleading for her coin.
If there was one thing, she hated more than anything in this world.
Other than pits in her cherries.
It was beggars!
"Move aside peasant." Azula ordered in a tone that brook no room for argument while her childhood friends gazed down at the distraught woman in pity.
"F-forgive me for bothering you, Princess! It's just that the recent grain failure has taken a heavy toll on our crops and I can no longer count on my husband's aid because he was killed in the war. Could you please spare a coin for my daughter?" The frantic woman begged with her ashamed face pressing into the dirt while the woman's pointed boots consumed her line of vision.
It was a sorrowful plea that hit both Mai and Ty Lee hard.
Ty Lee was gazing down with her eyes misting up while Mai herself stared down in sadness.
The young girl too gazed down at the woman with her smile having given way to a solemn frown.
Yet the two noblewomen's sympathy turned into poorly concealed anger when they turned to take in the princess's callous expression.
Azula stare down at the woman with a stone-cold countenance that was rigid and seemingly devoid of any pity.
The only emotion her eyes revealed was that of great annoyance.
Her mind briefly mulled over the crop shortage as she committed the detail to memory.
And with that done she opened her mouth to reply.
"I will address the crop shortage. In the meantime. I suggest you contact a charity. I am not a charity. Now move." Azula spoke in a frigid voice that had the other two women gazing at her in protest while the humiliated woman nearly broke down at her feet.
The princess gazed down with an icy scowl on her lovely lips all the while sensing two angered gazes burning into the back of her head.
She turned her head to glare over her shoulder at her subordinates' disapproving faces.
It was times like these that Mai and Ty Lee wore away at her nerves!
"Yes…Princess." The beggar muttered while the ruthless woman gazed back at her before stepping around her.
But before Azula could bypass the woman she found herself surprised when a blonde blur impacted with her belly.
She turned her merciless gaze down to her young girlfriend with the back of her little head pushing against her chest.
The princess exhale through her nostrils like a wrathful dragon before leveling her pet with a terrifying glare that would have made anyone else reconsider intercepting her path.
Anyone but this tiger monkey!
"What the princess really means to say is of course she'll help you!" Elle chirped with a bright smile while Azula's glare increased by tenfold.
Mai and Ty Lee stood motionless while they gazed between their young friend hoping that Azula didn't punish her for this.
The poor woman gazed back up at the princess with hope in her eyes while the regal princess turned to glare down at her girlfriend in anger over being openly defied.
Only for her anger to fade away into astonishment when she watched her young companion reach into her own robes.
'Is she giving away her pay!' Azula thought with disbelief in her eyes while the two noblewomen also observed in shock when the girl bent over to place it in the beggar's stunned hands.
"Take this on behalf of Her Highness." Elle declared to the shock of her companion's while she gave the kneeling woman a warm smile.
And with that the entire town was staring on while the woman began to cry happily at the glowering princess's boots.
Cold amber golden eyes never once left her companion's beaming face when the girl bounced back to her feet.
"Thank you, Princess! I will never forget your generosity!" The woman called out while the princess gritted her teeth with her arms folding over her breasts.
"See to it that you don't. Now get out of my way!" Azula barked before she rudely pushed the joyful woman aside with her boot.
Mai snorted under her breath while gazing between the young girl and her selfish leader.
'You're thanking the wrong person. Azula wasn't going to give you a single coin.' Mai thought with her tawny eyes narrowing at the spoiled woman's robed back.
Ty Lee gazed at her young friend's back with a soft grin while she dropped what coins she had on her into the woman's hand.
"Here take this. I hope it helps." Ty Lee stated warmly before walking away while the still emotional woman rapidly nodded her head in appreciation.
The beggar shouted out her gratitude once more while two of four turned to wave at her as they walked away.
And with that Elle turned to smile up at her still scowling mistress while piercing amber golden eyes bore into her skull.
"Why did you do that? That was for you. It was your reward." Azula demanded with her eyes glaring down into Elle's bright amber eyes.
Suffice to say both Mai and Ty Lee were staring at their leader in disbelief Azula was angered over Elle giving money to one of her hungry fellow Fire Nationals.
"It is called kindness Azula." Mai stated only for the princess to stare icily over her shoulder.
"I wasn't asking you Mai." Azula snapped with irritation lacing her voice before turning back to meet the smaller girl's gaze.
"Because I have a wealthy girlfriend that will take care of everything that I could ever want! And she needed it more than me." Elle replied with an ever-present sunny countenance while Azula's cold eyes showed no indication just how much those words pleased her.
But even so…
Once more she detected the faintest hint of a lie underneath those words.
It would appear that the girl was taking after her in a sense.
"We both know that there is more to it than that. So why don't you tell us the other reason why you gave it away?" Azula snorted with her arms crossed over her womanly chest while she gazed down at the surprised girl through the corner of her eye.
"What do you mean Azula?" Ty Lee asked with residual anger towards her friend for being cruel to one of her own citizens.
"Neither of you have noticed? Well I can't say that surprises me. But I am not so easy to fool." Azula remarked with her stern gaze still staring down at the now quiet girl just as they approached the waterfront.
Now the two noblewomen were gazing at the girl in mutual confusion while the young blonde stared out into the vast oceanside harbor.
"Elaborate Azula." Mai stated in her usual monotone voice while Azula seated herself on a bench.
"Just because the girl's smiling doesn't mean that she's happy. Sometimes…there is more to her smile than meets the eye." Azula declared in a casual fashion to the complete bafflement of the other two women.
"Is that true Elle?" Ty Lee questioned in a concerned voice while she gazed at the shorter girl's back.
"Sort of." Elle admitted while her princess reclined against the bench.
It was a truly surprising statement that took the two noblewomen off guard.
Yet Azula wasn't nearly as confused as they were.
"I haven't said anything about it up until this point because I know that your loyalty to me is genuine. But watching you try to win the approval of every last peon in this nation grows tiring." Azula commented with her hand over her smoothie cup while her friends listened in rising concern.
"I am confused Azula." Ty Lee stated with a frown upon her lips while Elle stood silently gazing out over the sunlit waterway.
"You think yourself worthless. You hold little to no value over your own life. And so, you try to win the favor of everyone you meet. In the hopes that if something unforeseen were to happen to you…people will remember you fondly. Is that about, right?" Azula spoke with a tilt of her head while Elle's hands grasped at the straps of her backpack.
The princess's deduction was a truly striking one to Mai and Ty Lee.
So much so that they couldn't fight their sense of growing sisterly concern for the girl's wellbeing.
"Elle…" Ty Lee said softly with her eyes expression her worries for her adopted sister.
"Yes. Something like that." Elle answered meekly before jumping in a startled manner when Azula snapped her fingers before her eyes.
"I thought as much. Now listen well girl. I could care less if you feel the need to shower beggars with coin. But stop trying to gain the approval of everyone you meet. You don't need their approval. You have my approval…and that is all that matters." Azula commanded with her strict gaze staring up into emotional amber eyes.
The other two women couldn't help but turn to gaze at the princess in renewed shock to hear Azula vocalize such kind words.
"Yes…Azula-sama. Your approval is all that matters." Elle mumbled with a hand over her chest while the princess's beautiful lips curved into a captivating smirk.
And then the captivating woman wagged her finger in a come-hither motion that had her rushing forward without delay.
"It doesn't matter what the world thinks of you. Because you have a place beside us." Azula declared in a callous voice that contrasted her words while Elle fell back onto the seat beside her.
"That's right! You're one of us Elle!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a returning smile while Elle sat holding her drink with an adorable blush returning to her cheeks.
"Yeah, Azula would be intolerable without you." Mai agreed with a nod while Azula turned to cast her a brief passing glare.
"Yes…this is my home." Elle spoke with a moved emotion in her innocent eyes while Azula stared down at her with icy amber golden eyes.
"And one more thing. Stop being so ashamed of yourself. You're the girlfriend of the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation and that is most definitely something to be proud of. I expect you to carry yourself with pride. Is that understood girl?" Azula continued in a beyond strict voice while she glared down at her lovably red-faced pet.
Mai rolled her eyes over how Azula felt the need to structure the compliment around her gargantuan ego.
"It is Azula-sama!" Elle cheered with a revived smile while her mistress peered down at her with entrancingly stern amber golden eyes.
"That's my girl." Azula purred before inexplicably reaching over to pat the beaming girl's soft golden head.
Ty Lee couldn't resist the large smile that crept onto her lips while she watched the strange duo interact.
Azula may seem unable to show compassion to even her own people.
But somehow…time and time again Elle was able to break through Azula's frozen exterior.
"Oh, my princess right..." Elle murmured before laughing sweetly beneath the much taller woman's petting hand.
"Hm. Try not to fret so much Tiger Monkey. You've got the flawless Princess Azula as your mentor and that means that you are guaranteed to succeed." Azula sighed in a pompous manner with a conceited smile on her lips while her little girlfriend beamed up at her.
This time both women rolled their eyes over their leader's seemingly boundless ego.
"That's so! I can't go wrong with Her Highness as my instructor!" Elle chirped with a happier smile before taking a sip of her smoothie.
"So, uh Azula does that mean that she will be getting schooling lessons soon?" Ty Lee pondered with a curious grin while the princess took another gulp of her drink.
"When we return to the Capital, I have arranged an appropriate curriculum for her. In the meantime, I've been teaching the girl self-defense." Azula responded with a sanguine countenance that had both women shuddering over her announcement.
"S-self-defense? I was hoping that you were joking about teaching Elle how to fight." Ty Lee stammered with fear in her eyes while Azula rolled her elegant amber golden eyes in response.
"You should know by now Ty Lee that I do not joke. Servant, show your big sisters your terrifying fighting skills." Azula ordered with an unconcealed snort of amusement while she stared down at the jubilant girl puffing out her little chest in the hopes of pleasing her.
"Fighting skills Azula?" Mai repeated in a deadpan voice before watched with humored tawny eyes when Elle began swinging her fists in a comical attempt to impress Azula.
"Azula-sama says that I must be strong and merciless if I am attacked with my back against the wall." Elle boasted with her little fists swinging forward while Ty Lee gazed on comedically from across the other side of the table.
"Repeat the three rules of pain." Azula demanded with a merciless smile that had her subordinates shivering in fear.
"Please Azula. Please in the name of Agni don't corrupt her innocent mind." Ty Lee begged only for her words to fall on aloof ears.
"Strike boys in the genitals and girl's in their ladyhood!" Elle cheered with her big sisters staring on in amusement while the princess smirked maliciously.
"That's right my little pupil. And the second rule?" Azula purred with a violent grin lacing her lips while the young girl smiled up at her in admiration.
"Go for the eyes!" Elle cried out with her big sisters staring on in horror while Azula's lips curved into a truly malicious smirk.
"Azula!" Ty Lee scolded in an almost angered voice while she cast the other woman her best glare.
"Don't waste your breath, Ty Lee." Mai advised lazily while Ty Lee sank back in defeat.
"Yes! Use the environment to your advantage. Grab a stick or a rock, and just when they think your down gauge out an eye!" Azula instructed before thrusting her fingertip against Elle's brightly nodding face.
Mai and Ty Lee both sighed in unison while they watched the scene unfold.
It was obvious that Elle adored Azula so deeply that no matter how the princess behaved.
The young girl delighted in Azula's company all the same.
"Yes Princess. A stick and a rock." Elle answered with a shy smile adorning her lips while Azula smirked down at her in ever rising approval.
"This way they will be scarred for all time. They will be reminded of their defeat every time they look in the mirror! Never again to rise above their ashes of shame and humiliation!" Azula ranted with the flames of war burning in her amber golden eyes while her two-childhood friends gazed at her in a nervous silence.
"Uh Azula I think you might be going a little overboard here…" Ty Lee trailed off with awkward countenance before falling silent once more when it became evident that her friend wasn't listening.
Although it soon became clear just why Azula was ignoring her.
The sound of exuberant clapping rang out into the air while the two noblewomen stared on in humor at the sight of Elle cheerfully clapping while Azula's lips curved into an approving smirk.
"That's my princess! She's the best there is!" Elle cried out before grasping ahold of the princess's hand while cold amber golden eyes blinked down at her when she pumped their fists into the air.
"Humph! Of course, I am servant and don't you forget it!" Azula scoffed with a haughty sweep of her bangs from her eyes while she peered down at her beaming pet with a measure of fondness within her cold eyes.
It was just astonishing.
If anyone dared to hold the princess's hand they would surely be burned in retribution.
And yet to date Azula has not harmed a hair on Elle's golden head!
"I could never Mistress!" Elle exclaimed with joyous laughter before shyly attempting to scoot closer to the domineering woman.
"That's my favorite handmaid. Now tell me the third rule." Azula spoke with an alluring purr to her voice while she smiled down at her little girlfriend seated beside her.
"Palm strike to the cheek!" Elle answered with rising excitement before swinging her palm forward while the older girls observed in entertainment.
"That is correct. Just look at her. She'll be a warrior before you know it." Azula declared with a conceited smile while the other two women gazed at the young girl's face in disbelief.
"If you say so Azula." Ty Lee sighed with a sigh while Elle beamed up at her leader.
Although her friend may be obsessed with war and domination it was touching to see Azula express concern for Elle's wellbeing.
"Somehow I doubt that." Mai stated in her usual deadpan fashion.
"If there is anyone capable of shaping the tiger monkey into a merciless warrior it is me." Azula remarked with a sage nod while gazing down at her companion
"I am eager to learn all that I can under your tutelage Azula-sama!" Elle chirped with a sunny smile while Azula stared down at her with strict amber golden eyes.
"Then listen closely. I have another lesson for you to file down in that little head of yours." Azula remarked with her head tilting to gaze into her young companion's loyal amber eyes.
"I am all ears Azula-sama. I treasure your guidance more than anything in this world." Elle answered with a jubilant countenance while the princess's hardened amber golden eyes concealed just how much those words meant to her.
"Don't be so afraid to be yourself. Be proud of who you are." Azula declared to the shock of her childhood friends while Elle stared up at her with moved amber eyes.
"I-I must be proud of who I am." Elle stammered in an emotional voice while she peered up at her caretaker in appreciation.
"Good. Now that is what I like to hear." Azula commented with a pleased expression while she set her cold beverage down on the tabletop.
"From this moment forward I am unafraid and ready for anything that might come my way!" Elle cheered with a fist above her head while the three women observed her in amusement.
"Really? Anything?" Azula snorted with an aloof countenance while Elle puffed out her chest in a display of innocent pride.
"That's so Azula-sama. Anything…aah!" Elle shrieked without warning before straightening up in a panic when she felt something crawl down her neck.
"Cease this pathetic behavior at once!" Azula barked with annoyance flashing in her stern eyes while she stared down at her handmaid pitifully flailing about.
"B-but there's a spider on my neck! H-help me Azula-sama!" Elle whined like a terrified puppy with her big sisters observing in sympathy while Azula scowled down at her.
"Just get it off her neck Azula." Ty Lee advised in a sisterly voice while the princess released a scoff of contempt.
"Stay still Elle! I said stay still!" Azula bellowed with a sophisticated frown on her regal lips before restraining her panicking pet by the collar of her shirt.
"S-save me Azula-sama!" Elle stuttered just when her smoothie flew from her shaky hands while the much taller woman growled down at her.
Ty Lee couldn't help but manage a soft smile over hearing her young friend adorably plea for Azula to rescue her.
The girl was the only person who would even think of pleading for the princess's rescue.
"Foolish girl! Quit your squirming!" Azula snarled much like a fed-up mother while she forcibly restrained her whimpering handmaid by her dainty shoulders.
"P-please get it off me Mistress." Elle whimpered with a puppylike pout while her much taller mistress sat scowling above her.
The small handmaid continued to whine pitifully while the princess rolled her arrogant eyes down at her.
"Oh, stop your whining would you. I removed the damned thing." Azula snorted with another haughty roll of her eyes before withdrawing her fingers while the two noblewomen stared at them in amusement.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama." Elle spoke softly with a timid countenance while Azula released a dominant snort over her shoulder.
"Please. I am more than capable of protecting you from the deadliest of assassins. A spider…is nothing." Azula announced with the barest hints of fondness in her voice while she stared down at her clenched fingers before consuming the unfortunate spider in a burning blue flame.
Yet again Mai and Ty Lee were both astonished to hear the princess say those words.
While the princess's affections could be considered twisted.
There was no doubt that Azula truly cared for their young friend.
"M-my hero." Elle stammered out with a heartfelt expression while the princess gazed down at her with a charming smile curling onto her regal lips.
"Aww. You're her hero Azula." Ty Lee cooed in a warm voice while Azula still sat with a palm on the smaller girl's shoulder.
"Please! Tell me something that I don't know." Azula scoffed with a flip of her hair while she smirked down at her lovely little girlfriend.
"You've got a strange taste in heroes Elle." Mai stated with an undertone of curiosity in her voice while she gazed over at Elle smiling up at Azula like a school girl in love.
"You let the spider go. Right Azula-sama?" Elle inquired adorably with her big sisters gazing at her fondly while Azula scanned her fingernails in her usual pompous manner.
"Hm? Oh yes. I released it into the grass right down there." Azula commented with a lazy wave of her hand while gesturing to a patch of grass beside her pointed boots.
"If you say so Azula-sama. Then it must be so…n-no! My smoothie!" Elle cried out in a saddened voice just after finally noticing her beverage seeping into the sands below.
"You just now noticed? You spilled it when you were having your little fit." Azula informed with a scoff while she watched her little handmaid's shoulders slump in sorrow.
The other girls stared at their adopted sister with sympathetic gazes before sharing a look with one another.
"Oh…" Elle trailed off lamely with a pout while Azula gazed over her shoulder with a scowl on her lips.
"I can go get her another one." Ty Lee offered with a nod while the small blonde's spirits perked up after hearing those words.
"Yeah. Anyone but Azula. Workers run away when they see her coming up for a second visit." Mai snorted while the princess glared at her through the corner of her eye.
"That won't be necessary." Azula spoke in a casual manner before stunning her friends by lowering her drink before Elle's awed eyes.
"Y-you are going to share with me?" Elle requested in a moved voice while she peered up at the scoffing princess with love-struck amber eyes.
Mai and Ty Lee could only stare on speechless while Azula pushed the straw into Elle's baffled lips.
"What does it look like? In case you can't tell. I am rolling my eyes." Azula snorted before rolling her eyes down at her pet while the smaller girl began to shyly take a drink of the cherry smoothie.
"T-thank you Azula-sama." Elle murmured with a blush on her cheeks that mirrored the beverage.
Ty Lee giggled softly while she observed the touching interaction between the strange but adorable couple.
If Azula was willing to share a straw with Elle…that alone spoke volumes about her friends' affections for the girl.
"Normally I wouldn't share my drink with anyone…much less a peasant. But since you are my peasant…I know that your hygiene is up to my standards." Azula admitted with a haughty countenance before raising the drink away from Elle's beaming lips.
"I'm the princess's peasant!" Elle exclaimed with a childish puff of her chest while her smirking princess sipped on her drink above her.
The two noblewomen couldn't help but both gaze at their young friend in understanding.
Most others would perceive that as a snide insult.
And yet they were well aware that in Azula's eyes that was a major compliment.
"Servant move your head to the right." Azula ordered with a pompous smile before watching her pretty handmaid shift her head closer to her side.
"Yes Princess!" Elle chirped with an unwavering smile only for a robed elbow to compress her into the side of her older girlfriend's taut stomach.
"Now you stay right there Elle." Azula spoke before reclining on Elle's golden head while she gazed down at the smaller girl with a smug smirk.
"As you say Azula-sama. Always as you say." Elle answered sweetly before beaming even brighter when the cold drink was lowered before her eyes.
"Definitely my peasant." Azula stated with a small trace of fondness lacing her voice while the younger girl took a joyful sip of the smoothie.
"Aren't they cute together Mai?" Ty Lee asked quietly with a grin while the other woman sighed in response.
"Elle is cute. I won't comment on Azula." Mai responded dryly before setting her smoothie cup down.
"Azula-sama is more than cute! She is the most beautiful woman in all the worlds and she smells so good!" Elle cheered with a radiant countenance before she happily sniffed the underside of the princess's arm while the older girl stiffened in slight discomfort.
Only for the other two girls' now to snicker at Azula's expense while the ruthless woman cast them an icy glare through the corner of her eye.
"While your worship pleases me…I distinctly recall telling you to refrain from sniffing me in the presence of others." Azula remarked flatly while staring down at her small companion's beaming face beneath her relaxed elbow.
"But your scent is so lovely Azula-sama! I can't help myself!" Elle quipped with a sunny smile while she listened to her princess release an exasperated grunt above her.
"Elle." Azula stated in a tone of both fondness and annoyance while her adorable pet peered up at her.
"Yes Princess?" Elle answered in her usual dutiful fashion only for the princess to thrust the smoothie in her face once more.
"Just shut up and drink the smoothie." Azula commanded with a pompous roll of her eyes while she watched the girl take a gleeful sip of the offered beverage.
"Wakarimashita Azula-sama." Elle spoke serenely while she gazed up at the stern woman in admiration.
"Good girl." Azula sighed with a wave of her free hand while she lounged on top of her admirer's golden head.
The young girl just smiled brightly in response while the powerful woman stared down at her through the corner of her eye.
No more needed to be said between them.
And neither Mai nor Ty Lee said anything further that would ruin their moment.
The princess and the peasant were closer than words could ever convey.
They had each other and that was all that mattered.
AN:
An important piece of information that I need to mention is that in my story there was an Earth King before King Kuei that is now deceased, this is my original character the 51st Earth King Jaran who received his first mention in this chapter.
Now, I understand that after the revolt against the 46th Earth King, that Kyoshi introduced the Dai Li and saved the Earth King from being dethroned. Though, Kyoshi meant well, it was this action that ultimately led to nearly 200 years of corruption in Ba Sing Se.
In this universe, ten years before the current events, and four years before Aang awoke in the iceberg, a powerful earthbending prodigy arose from the ranks and inherited the title of Earth King.
For a period of time, Jaran was able to temporarily wrestle back control of Ba Sing Se from the Dai Li and begin attempting to fix the corruption that has plagued his country for centuries. He was in power as the ruling Earth King during Iroh's famous siege of Ba Sing Se.
His skill was so great that even Azulon and Ozai were wary of him. His earthbending was abnormally strong, and he is widely regarded as one of the strongest earthbenders to ever live.
Ultimately, Jaran died in battle in a counterattack against the Fire Nation.
After his death, Long Feng betrayed Jaran's direct heirs with the Dai Li to retake power from the Earth Kingdom Royal Family. Long Feng then arranged for their naïve and more controllable cousin Kuei to be take the throne as Earth King as his puppet.
This resulted in the naive Earth King Kuei that we know from canon and the Earth Monarch being reduced to a mere figurehead once more.
I just wanted to state that little bit of information, as it is important to understand when reading the story that there was an Earth King in this universe in the late Hundred Year War before King Kuei.
Much like the Mad King and Prince Rhaegar from a Song of Ice and Fire. We'll learn more about Jaran, who he was and his historical significance in the Avatar lore in a natural manner through other characters as the story progresses.
As for events that happened in this chapter. We saw the start of Mai and Zoi's feud. Mai despises Zoi for how she killed her commanding officer ten years prior, and for how savage she can get with the enemy. And in turn Zoi looks down on Mai for being an unmotivated fighter. People like Mai, who only act out of boredom which disgust Zoi.
It is important to note that despite Mai's incredible skill that Zoi is stronger, and thus that is why Azula feared the two coming to blows. Mai is a highly skilled combatant but her ability is hampered by the fact that she spends most of her time in luxury in the Capital with Azula. She only fights on very rare occasions. Zoi on the other hand, has been thrusting herself into life or death combat since she was nine.
Zoi is in essence a highly trained soldier who has fought many life or death battles. And Mai is a highly talented person that only sees combat every now and then.
Anyhow, Azula finds Zoi very useful because she can just sit back and wait while Zoi does much of the grunt work like searching for the enemy.
We also saw how Azula's kindness to Elle does not extend to even her own suffering people. Azula is not yet quite ready to show concern for even her own subjects. This is another flaw that she will have to work on as the story develops.
Azula will come to understand that she can't reasonably ask for her people to swear fealty to her when she doesn't really care if a poor family in a rural village suffer because of her father's increased wartime tax rate.
And we also saw how Elle contrasts Azula completely. She didn't even think to give away her sack of pay. Not just out of a desire to help though.
As Azula noted, Elle is trying to be the person that everyone likes, even if she will never see them again.
The scene where Azula orders Mai and Ty Lee cherry was inspired by a clip on YouTube by Grey DeLisle as Azula ordering pizza. Azula asks Mai and Ty Lee if they like mushrooms, and then she orders extra mushrooms when they tell her that they don't like mushrooms.
It totally seems like something Azula would do, ordering them cherry despite the two of them wanting otherwise.
And it was a nice, but meaningful way to show how Elle is paying close attention to Ty Lee and Mai's likes and dislikes.
And lastly, the song that Elle was singing is Just the Two of Us by Bill Withers. It is a beautiful classic.
Just one more chapter until the first battle begins!
Thank you for reading and as always reviews are appreciated!