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Ascent – Chapter Thirty-Five
Elle sat in a cheerless silence with her head in her knees only for her amber eyes to immediately brighten upon seeing one of her big sisters approaching up ahead.
Ty Lee walked awkwardly on her good leg with her disconcerted eyes gazing at her feet.
It was only when she heard a familiar joyful cry that she glanced up while making her best effort to offer her little sister a reassuring smile.
Somehow even after just witnessing such a horrible sight.
Just being in Elle's presence was enough to ease her worries.
"Oneesan! You're back!" Elle cried out happily with Nako gazing at her oddly while Ty Lee made her way over.
"Yep! I told you I would be back before you knew it!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a hand on her hip just as she came to a stop above seated girl.
"Are you alright? You look sad." Elle questioned with a look of concern in her eyes while Ty Lee gazed down at her in surprise.
"I…am fine Elle. It's just been a stressful day. That's all. But thank you for asking." Ty Lee sighed before plopping down on her bottom beside her adopted sister.
"Would a hug help?" Elle pondered adorably with a finger on her lip only to find herself being pulled into a strong bear hug just as soon as she voiced those words.
"It would." Ty Lee answered gently with her arms wrapping around Elle's smaller frame while the handmaid pressed her cheek into her chest once more.
Elle smiled bashfully with her arm wrapping around the older girl's bicep while soldiers continued to move what was left of the supplies into small portable crates.
And somehow Ty Lee managed to smile once more.
She couldn't remove the image of what she saw from her mind.
But thanks to Elle she was able to slowly calm her nerves.
And that was enough for her.
"You didn't vomit…I guess I just have a weak stomach. I've never been able to stomach the sight of blood. Much less…that." Nako commented with a sigh while Ty Lee turned to gaze at her in understanding.
"When you spend enough time around Azula. You get used to the sight of violence." Ty Lee stated only to flinch post haste when the other woman seemed to adopt a fearful look of her friend once more.
"Ah…well I can only hope I can manage to stay on good terms with Her Highness." Nako trailed off with a nervous expression while she gazed out into the distance.
"Try not to worry too much about it. Azula seems to have taken a liking to you. She wouldn't have asked for your name if she didn't." Ty Lee advised with what she hoped was a reassuring expression while Nako brightened after hearing those words.
"That is good to know…I need my pay for my hometown." Nako spoke in a softer voice while the other woman gazed at her with a sympathetic look in her eyes.
Ty Lee turned away with a frown on her lips while recalling the woman that begged Azula for coin in that harbor village.
It was becoming evident that there were food shortages in the poorer parts of the Fire Nation and it didn't appear as if Ozai was doing much to resolve it.
Perhaps…there was a way she can persuade Azula to put more consideration into her people's plight?
One can only hope.
Moments later she was torn from her thoughts when Elle's head jerked up in excitement when she noticed three people approaching through the gathering of the princess's forces.
Mai walked in the front with an even downer countenance than usual before gazing over at Elle when the girl called out to her.
"Mai! You're back!" Elle shouted with a bright smile before Ty Lee patted her back while they watched Mai stride over in their direction.
"Yes, Elle. I'm back." Mai greeted with a sliver of affection in her voice before seating herself beside the smiling girl.
And then the noblewoman lowered her hand into the beaming girl's hair before ruffling it once more while Elle blushed beneath her palm.
It was an action that had Nako staring at the three in fascination while Ty Lee continued to hug the younger girl.
There was no doubt in her mind that this girl was most certainly no ordinary handmaid!
In all her life she has never seen a handmaid receive such tender attention from the very nobility that she serves!
That was when she turned her head to notice the captain and the princess making their way through the crowd.
All men and women dropped what they were doing to bow on all fours before Azula while she strode past them with a foul tempered scowl on her regal lips.
As soon as Elle laid eyes on Azula she was already springing to her feet only to find Mai gently pulling her down.
"Not now Elle. Azula isn't in a good mood right now." Mai instructed with her hand gripping the back of the girl's shirt while Elle sank down into a saddened pout.
"O-okay." Elle mumbled in a bummed voice only for Mai to sigh while she patted her head once more.
Ty Lee sat with an arm around Elle's shoulder before turning to gaze in her leader's direction.
It was evident why it was a bad idea to approach Azula right now.
As of this moment the princess's attention was focused on Zoi alone.
The captain stumbled forward while she gazed on with her golden eyes widening in a haunting display of unusual emotion.
"You! Get me a drink!" Zoi barked with her hand pointing at a random soldier who fearfully sprung forward on command.
Azula released another frustrated groan before rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance once more.
Mere seconds later the man ran back over to the captain with a canteen of water only for it to be rudely swatted to the ground.
"Fuck your water! Bring me liquor!" Zoi demanded with her eyes narrowing in anger while the soldier nodded rapidly before dashing off once more.
Only to return moments later with a flask in hand that the woman greedily grasped onto while Azula glared at her back in disapproval.
And then the subordinate resumed walking away from the crowd while her princess continued to follow her with her strict eyes still observing her captain's every move.
"You've had more than enough to drink Zoi." Azula declared in a rigid voice that left no room for argument while the other woman began to tip the flask back.
"How many of our loyal people did you suffocate by hand?" Zoi inquired in a troubled voice while Azula folded her arms over her breasts sighing all the while.
"None. But I do recall offering to send others in your place…and you insisted on doing every single one." Azula remarked before walking up behind her subordinate while Zoi stared down at the flask of liquor.
"It is a leader's duty to take responsibility. We owe it to our people to treat them with decency. And that means we don't send brutish assassins to send them off." Zoi muttered with her golden eyes shimmering in a strange show of emotion.
The princess's amber golden eyes stared back at her subordinate in genuine bafflement to hear her most talented killer continue to speak such emotional words.
"Decency. I suppose that would be why you insisted that I personally told every one of them that they did well." Azula spoke with her brows furrowing curiously while she studied her soldier's face.
"Yes. It comforted them to hear that their Crown Princess spoke words of approval in their passing moments. Whether you did or did not mean it doesn't matter. All that matters…is that you made them feel at peace." Zoi explained with her eyes gazing up into the shining sun.
The princess's callous amber golden eyes briefly flashed with an unknown emotion while she gazed at her captain's turned back.
Before today she never considered such a thing.
How strange that it would be her most ruthless soldier that would try to convince her of the value in such a sentimental act.
"That is enough Zoi. You are without a doubt my most valuable soldier…I can't have you too drunk to climb." Azula sighed before reaching down to confiscate the flask only to be surprised when Zoi willingly handed it over.
"Seventeen people…there was even one that I had met before." Zoi announced with her golden eyes turning to meet her princess's stoic gaze.
Suffice to say the more Azula got to know Zoi.
The more she found herself increasingly taken aback by her strange subordinate.
"Their names will be engraved among the fallen and I will see to it that their families receive payment. Now I need you to get your head together Zoi. You're no use to me otherwise." Azula informed in a strict voice with her hands on her hips while the other woman nodded in understanding.
"Yes, my princess." Zoi agreed before she bowed at the waist while Azula stared down at her in approval.
"Good Zoi. Very good. Now I want you to begin organizing my people to ascend the cliff range." Azula ordered with a stern countenance before turning her amber golden eyes to gaze up at the rock wall that stretched high into the sky above.
The captain stood up from her bow before following her princess's line of sight while they stood staring up at the towering cliff.
They both knew all too well that it was no simple matter bringing the injured up such a strenuous climb.
Which was not to mention the portion of their forces that were non-fighters incapable of performing such a terrifying ascent.
"We can use my gear to make the climb proceed more efficiently." Zoi announced before holding up her utility gun while her princess turned to gaze upon it intently.
"That is an impressive little device Zoi. I'll give you that much. I had never seen such a tool until you used it in battle." Azula commented with a hand on her hip while Zoi offered her a twinge of a prideful smile.
"I had it custom made for my squad. As you might have noticed…I value speed and mobility over the protection offered by traditional heavy armor. Would you like for me to have one crafted for you…upon our return?" Zoi questioned with a hopeful look in her eyes while Azula quirked her brows curiously.
"I suppose I would." Azula stated with her fists on her hips while her lips began to curl into a small smile once more.
"Consider it done. Back to the matter at hand. I only have twenty to go around. I suggest we climb up in shifts. And then perhaps one…or two of the Dai Li will deliver the tools back down for the others to follow suit." Zoi explained with her smile giving way to a bothered frown while her princess listened attentively.
"Fine. The Dai Li may well be able to make the climb without it anyhow." Azula answered with her amber golden eyes still gazing up the looming cliff range.
"Though the matter of the injured and all others who can't climb will be a bit of an issue…we'll have to carry them up." Zoi advised in a businesslike voice while Azula peered back at her with increased annoyance in her amber golden eyes.
"I have half a mind to leave them here with canned fish and water, and return for them within in a few days after backup arrives." Azula spoke with her lips pursing into a cold scowl only for her ire to rise when Zoi gazed at her in disapproval.
"That isn't an option Princess. You can't do that. If you leave them here and they are eaten by wild beasts as a result. Word will spread that Princess Azula leaves her injured to the wolves. And then should you find yourself in another bind your soldiers will desert you out of fear that you do the same to them. You have no choice but carry them up." Zoi insisted in a quieter voice that only her princess heard while amber golden eyes glared back at her.
If there was one thing Azula hated it was being told by one of her subordinate's what she could and could not do.
And yet once more the damnable woman had a point.
It hasn't escaped her notice that most of the time Zoi gave highly useful advice.
That was unless she was having one of her little murderous fits of rage.
"I will overlook your attempt to give me an order if only because you make a good point. So be it. You and I, as well as my handmaid, Mai and Ty Lee will go up first along with some others. And then I will send soldiers and the Dai Li back down to gather what's left." Azula remarked with her fists balling up on her hips while Zoi listened intently.
Only for her eyes to narrow in irritation when the other woman slapped her back as if she was nothing but a casual street peasant.
"Handmaid? Don't you mean girlfriend?" Zoi taunted in a playful fashion while Azula stiffened with her amber golden eyes trembling in fury.
"You clearly drank too much. She is a servant and nothing more." Azula snarled with a puff of fire escaping her regal lips while she turned to glare at Zoi's unconvinced face.
"Really? Do all of your handmaids snuggle up at the foot of your throne? Or for that matter. Do you threaten crucifixion if a flame so much as grazes just any handmaid's cheek?" Zoi asked with a tilt of her head while the princess continued to burn a hole through her skull.
"You had best watch your mouth Zoi or you will soon be wishing you died in that minefield. The girl is my pet. It is a pet's place to sit at their master's feet." Azula retorted in a dominant growl while the other woman's lips quirked into a small smirk of defiance.
"Just a pet huh? How interesting. Because there is a rumor spreading around the camp that she is your lover." Zoi continued to pester with her hand on her princess's shoulder pad while she sensed the powerful woman's muscles begin to tense up in her rage.
Azula's amber golden eyes glared ahead while she furiously snorted out blue flames through her nostrils.
'I never should have said those words aloud. I knew it was a foolish thing to do the moment I said it…and yet somehow it felt…right. But all it does is put her in danger…if father finds out before I am ready…" The princess thought with her face contorting into a terrifying glower while she clenched a fist at her hip.
"Continue to push me Zoi. And I will have you and everyone else on this island other than Mai and Ty Lee put to the sword." Azula declared in a monstrously protective voice with her piercing eyes gazing back into Zoi's faintly taken aback eyes.
For the briefest of moments, she even felt something akin to fear.
The captain stared back into her leader's merciless eyes with a gleam of acceptance in her golden eyes.
There was no doubt about it.
The princess was the only person capable of inflicting even a small margin of fear into her veins.
'But…that's why I follow her isn't it…because her power demands respect.' Zoi thought before nodding her head resolutely while her princess's frigid eyes still glared at her face.
"So, what the girl said was true after all…you two are dating." Zoi quipped with returning sass while Azula amber golden eyes grew wide in unadulterated wrath.
"What!" Azula barked with fire spewing from her nostrils once more while she leaned down into the other woman's almost relaxed face.
"Before our battle with the Avatar began, I overheard her muttering to herself about how she was Princess Azula's girl. She even blushed like a little school girl and touched her cheek at the slightest mention of being yours." Zoi teased with a sliver of smugness lacing her voice while her princess's breath continued to brush against her cheek.
"Whatever you think you may or may not have heard…you'll keep to yourself. Is that understood soldier?" Azula hissed before placing a palm of her own on Zoi's shoulder while she began crushing it beneath her strong fist.
"Understood Your Highness. I yield to you." Zoi assured with the smallest measure of discomfort in her voice while Azula stared back at her with domineering amber golden eyes.
"Now that is what I like to hear Zoi. You had best be sure to remember that." Azula spoke in a beyond imposing voice with her fist squeezing her captain's injured shoulder while the other woman rapidly nodded in understanding.
"Of course, Princess. And if you want any tips on what to do with that little lover of yours you just let me-" Zoi answered only to be silenced by a brutal punch to her jaw that sent her soaring to the ground on her ass.
Team Azula and Nako flinched in unison after watching Azula ruthlessly deck Zoi in the jaw.
They didn't know what Zoi said to Azula to make her so furious but whatever it was it wasn't good.
Azula now glowered down at Zoi with her amber golden eyes agape in unimaginable rage while flames continued to exhale from her regal lips.
Only for her hands to burst aflame before she followed it up with a savage kick to the stomach that sent the now quietly chuckling soldier rolling in the dirt.
"Shut your mouth you fool!" Azula bellowed with a twinge of pink in her furious cheeks while she loomed over her still amused subordinate.
Zoi wiped off her bloody lip before slowly pushing herself to her feet all the while her princess continued to stare down at her with narrowed amber golden eyes.
Azula released a huff with her hands on her hips before turning away only for her wretched subordinate to speak once more.
"Seriously. It may not look like it but I've actually been on a few dates." Zoi commented with a nod of her head only for a booted foot to connect with her cheek once more.
"Get the gear ready for the first climb or you will wish you had died in the minefield!" Azula commanded over her shoulder with her foul tempered eyes glaring ahead at her rightfully intimidated people.
"Maybe I should go over and do something to calm the princess down. I don't usually see her so stressed out that she is striking people at random. She doesn't ever do that to me." Elle remarked with a finger below her lip while both noblewomen gazed down at her protectively.
Neither one voicing that they would never allow Azula to abuse her.
'Kid. If Azula even so much as struck you once I would take you far, far away from her.' Mai thought with a spark of anger in her eyes while she watched Azula stomp over in their direction.
"We are going to climb up the cliff in shifts of twenty. After we reach the top, the Dai Li will climb back down with our gear and we will repeat the procedure until everyone reaches the top." Azula announced to their surprise with her hands on her shapely hips before coming to a stop before her subordinates.
"That sounds like a good plan Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed in an approving voice while Azula just glanced down at her through the corner of her eye.
She had been worried that Azula would leave the injured to fend for themselves. Once more she couldn't help but wonder if her friend was slowly changing for the better.
"Of course, it is Ty Lee. All of my plans are flawless." Azula boasted with a haughty huff while she scanned her fingernails only for her two-childhood friends to roll their eyes.
Both wisely chose to refrain from commenting that wasn't the case with her most recent scheme.
"That's funny. I could have sworn that I was the one who laid out the finer details of the plan." Zoi stated wryly just as she wiped her face off while the others winced when her princess cast her a dark glare.
But before Azula could dish out any further punishment on Zoi the other woman was saved by the sound of excited clapping that resonated into the air.
"You go Azula-sama! You dominate that cliff!" Elle cried out with her fist pumping in the air while her big sisters gazed on in amusement alongside her.
"Hm. And so, I shall. I will show this cliff no mercy!" Azula spoke with a cold smile on her regal lips before sagely nodding down at her little handmaid's lovely face.
"You should really stop encouraging her Elle." Ty Lee sighed in a sisterly voice while the petite blonde continued to peer at her spoiled friend in admiration.
Lucky for them Azula was snapped out of her conceited musings by her new pilot raising a hand before she then gave her a bow of respect.
"What is it, Nako?" Azula questioned with just a sliver less sternness than normal while Nako gazed up at her from where she knelt on the ground.
"Is…there anything I can do to be of use Your Highness?" Nako requested with a hopeful countenance while Azula smiled down at her in approval.
"Are you capable enough to climb on your own or must you be carried like the rest of…my feebler people." Azula inquired with an arrogant smirk while the two noblewomen just stared at her in disapproval.
"Feebler people Azula? That's not very nice. She's done a good job so far. You can at least treat her with dignity." Ty Lee scolded with a frown while Azula ignored her concerns in favor of staring down at the sweating Nako.
"I…think I can…manage…hopefully." Nako answered in a beyond nervous voice only for the princess to sigh in annoyance above her.
"Right…Zoi you may divvy up the gear now." Azula called out with a wave of her hand while Zoi approached from behind her with bag of gear in hand.
"Of course. Princess. You get yours first." Zoi commented with her words earning her a pleased glance from Azula and a roll of Mai's eyes.
"As it should be." Azula scoffed with her arrogant eyes peering down at her young girlfriend's face while her handmaid adorably averted her eyes from her stare.
"I hope you have a good…good climb Ty Lee." Zoi offered before dropping the tool before Ty Lee's feet while the other woman warily narrowed her eyes.
"Sure, you do." Ty Lee muttered while the ruthless soldier stepped past her.
Azula sighed under her breath once more while gazing down at Ty Lee when her friend held out the gun for inspect.
"You'll…check it for me won't you Azula?" Ty Lee asked in a fearful voice only for a relieved smile to appear on her lips when Azula removed it from her hands.
"I trust this equipment that you are giving my subordinates are untampered?" Azula pondered with a slight edge to her voice while the captain gazed back at her coolly.
"Why would I tamper with them? That would put my own soldiers at risk if the equipment malfunctions on their turn. I wouldn't put the injured at risk to cause them harm. What sort of person do you take me for?" Zoi complained with a hand on her hip while Azula and the others gazed at her in deadpan.
"You are concerned with the crippled falling to their death as a result of it?" Azula almost chuckled only for her two-childhood friends to glare up at her.
"I would have thought that you would understand my position on the injured by now after…that." Zoi grumbled with slight offense in her voice while the princess's laughter gave way to a heavy sigh.
"Right Zoi…right." Azula replied before dropping the tool back into Ty Lee's open hand.
With even as cruel as she was.
Even she knew that it was going too far to openly mock seventeen of her people that just lost their lives in service for her.
However, Zoi's solemn reflections vanished as soon as she gazed back into Mai's still distrusting eyes.
Although if one looked closely, Mai's eyes were slightly less hateful of the other woman after seeing Zoi's respectful behavior for their dying.
"For you…friend. Rest easy knowing that I've got your back…just like you had mine." Zoi informed with a vindictive sneer while Mai scowled up at her.
"Whatever Zoi. I still don't regret it. The only remorse I have is for the dead and dying." Mai retorted with her words causing Zoi to halt in her step while Azula spun around to glare down at her.
"Enough! There will be no more of this childishness Mai! If you and Ty Lee had refrained from provoking her from the first moment you met then maybe this mission would have proceeded more smoothly! And maybe the Avatar would be dead by now if you hadn't betrayed us." Azula snapped in a frigid voice with her words causing Mai to sink against the wall in submission.
Mai and Ty Lee both fell silent under Azula's terrifying glare with sweat dripping down their brows in a shared fear of the princess.
And Zoi as well.
Now was not a good time to test just how much protection their friendship with Azula granted them.
"And for you Nako. If you have any problems let me know. I'll assist you." Zoi offered to the surprise of the others while the younger woman nodded in appreciation.
"I…appreciate that, Captain Zoi." Nako mumbled with a nervous nod while Zoi nodded curtly before turning away.
The statement that Zoi was making was as clear as day.
Unlike Azula it was obvious that the captain went out of her way to look after her subordinates.
And like Azula, Zoi was quick to hold a grudge.
The only difference being that Zoi seemed to take her grudges even further than the princess herself.
"Think nothing of it. I am a generous person…to my allies. I look after my own. As long as they don't put a land mine on my back that is." Zoi spoke with her golden eyes narrowing into a cold stare at Mai only for the other woman to just gaze back at her quietly.
"What…about me? How do I get up? Do…I get one?" Elle queried innocently only for her sisters to just stare at her fondly before turning to gaze at Azula's scoffing face.
It was painfully obvious that Azula was going to carry Elle.
She was just too far too prideful to say so out loud.
"Oh no. Haven't you heard what day it is?" Zoi answered with a trace of playfulness returning to her voice while amber golden eyes burned through the back of her head.
And Elle tilted her head adorably before smiling brightly.
"No what is today? Is it a Fire Nation holiday?" Elle pondered sweetly while her big sisters turned to stare in amusement at the murderous glare the princess was now directed at the warrior.
"Zoi." Azula hissed only for the woman to boldly ignore her warnings.
"Today is Princess Azula's birthday." Zoi announced in a serious voice while Elle stared up at her with her amber eyes agape in a state of emotional shock.
Azula stiffened with annoyance in her eyes while she glared between her subordinate and her young girlfriend's now guilt-ridden face.
"I-it's Azula-sama's birthday?" Elle stammered with her shoulders slumping guiltily while her big sisters glared back at the nodding soldier.
"That's right. You're not going to let the princess climb alone on her birthday…are you?" Zoi pondered with a tilt of her head while the petite girl turned to peer back at the now sighing princess.
Zoi watched in concealed amusement when a blonde blur suddenly darted towards Azula while the princess stood with her fists on her hips staring back at her with glaring amber golden eyes.
"S-sumimasen Azula-sama! Sumimasen!" Elle cried out after coming to a stop before her older girlfriend while the princess rolled her eyes down at her.
All the while Nako sat marveling in silence with her brown eyes observing the two's interaction in amazement.
'I…can't believe it. How does this young girl win such a friendship with the Crown Princess?' Nako thought with her eyes widening in awe.
In all of her time that she has spent around the princess so far. She hasn't seen her treat anyone else like this.
Just…this young handmaid.
"What I am ever going to do with you girl?" Azula sighed with a shake of her head while Elle's hands grasped ahold of her armored belly.
"It isn't Azula's birthday Elle." Ty Lee informed with a frown on her lips while she glared back at the woman in question's stoic face.
"H-huh? It isn't? Then why did she say it was?" Elle questioned in a naïve voice while Azula released a haughty snort above her.
"Because she's a bitch." Mai stated with a snort of her own while Zoi began to walk off unaffected by the insult.
"You are far too gullible for your own good. I suppose I will just have to teach you how to see through lies as well." Azula remarked with a lazy shrug of her shoulders while her petite servant blushed in embarrassment.
"Sumimasen…" Elle repeated in an abashed voice while her caretaker clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"Silly girl. I would have told you long ago in advance if today was my birthday. Be assured that I will be expecting a great many tributes from you on my actual birthday. I have high standards and you had better not disappoint me!" Azula huffed with her fingers brushing through her ebony bangs while Elle rapidly nodded her little head in agreeance.
Once more the two adoptive sisters could only stare at their young friend in pity.
They had no doubt that poor Elle would find herself being worked to death on Azula's birthday.
Not that the princess didn't already do so on every other day.
"I won't let you down Azula-sama!" Elle exclaimed with a speedy nod while Azula now smirked down at her in approval.
"I know you won't Elle." Azula purred in a silken voice with her arms folded over her breasts while her petite companion smiled shyly up at her.
The young handmaid beamed up at her princess while she watched her friend turn away to gaze sternly at the captain approaching with climbing harnesses in hand and a motley of soldiers following after her.
"We are ready to begin when you give the order." Zoi announced in a return to her businesslike voice while Azula gazed back at her with strict amber golden eyes.
"Good. Let us get to it then. Ty Lee!" Azula called out before glancing in her friend's direction while the other woman stood up to meet her gaze.
"Yes Azula?" Ty Lee responded diligently only to find herself surprised when her friend's eyes glanced down at her broken ankle.
"Will you be able to make the climb on that foot?" Azula pondered in a stern voice while Ty Lee's face broke out into a moved smile.
"I think so…but I will need someone by me in case I lose my balance." Ty Lee admitted with a finger scratching her cheek.
"I'll climb beside you. If anything goes wrong. I'll be there." Mai offered without delay while Ty Lee turned to smile back at her in appreciation.
"Thanks Mai." Ty Lee spoke while Mai nodded with a small smile on her lips.
"Think nothing of it. That's what friends are for." Mai commented in a softer voice while Ty Lee placed a friendly hand on her shoulder with a revived grin on her lips.
"Yeah. It is." Ty Lee agreed while she watched the soldiers began to strap on harnesses over their waists.
"Listen well, all of you. This tool is not meant for long climbs such as this. It's primary use is to propel the body into the air to give us greater jumping heights and increased mobility." Zoi began in a grievous voice while even the princess listened curiously.
After a brief moment pause Zoi started to throw additional climbing gear to all of the people present.
Azula caught the harness with her regal lips gazing down at it in an almost bored fashion while her captain continued speaking.
"Fortunately for us, they were constructed with a retractable strap that is intended to be hooked into a climbing harness used for this very sort of occasion. Simply run the strap down the length of your arm and through the steel threads on your harness like so. This will give you additional leverage to decrease the likelihood of breaking your arm should you fall a good distance before catching yourself. Additionally, this will secure the line to you, and prevent you from dropping the tool when your hand gets sweaty." Zoi instructed just after tying off the utility guns retractable strap through the threads of her harness.
Her lieutenant Saro repeated the process while the others soldiers and the two noblewomen began making efforts to repeat the procedure.
"This is all rather self-explanatory Zoi." Azula remarked in her usual arrogant voice only for her captain shook her head in disagreement much to her amusement.
"No. To the contrary Princess. If could mean the difference between life and death. It is important to remember that not every firebender can propel themselves with a stream of flame. If they or a nonbender should fall without having someone to grab hold of them. They will die." Zoi insisted bluntly with her words causing Nako to gulp nervously.
"That's…reassuring to know." Nako muttered glumly with the strap tied tightly to her harness while she gazed up at the cliff in growing unease.
"And lastly, use these climbing spikes to secure yourself in between firings of your line." Zoi explained with a nod of her head while other soldiers began divvying out the climbing spikes.
"This…is going to be a long…long climb." Ty Lee said with her eyes peering high up at the seemingly endless cliff range.
"Yeah. It looked a lot smaller from aboard the airship." Mai agreed with her tawny eyes gazing up at the towering chasm.
And then she turned to glance over her shoulder with slight surprise in her eyes to see Azula preparing Elle for the coming ascent.
The princess had just finished wrapping a harness around her own waist before turning to stare down at the smaller girl's fearful face.
Only to sigh under her breath while rubbing at the bridge of her nose.
"Let me guess. You're afraid of heights, aren't you?" Azula questioned as if she thought the girl was nothing but a bother while Elle's shrunk under her strict gaze.
"Y-yes Princess..." Elle murmured in a timid voice while kicking at an imaginary pebble only to widen her eyes in surprise when a harness was slipped over her waistline.
The loyal servant peered up into callous amber golden eyes that glared down at her while the older girl began securing her harness.
The two noblewomen and everyone else present turned to gaze on in astonishment to see the princess so patiently assisting her young servant.
"I have no need for any of these tools. But if you are going to be my passenger then I suppose I will have to make an exception." Azula purred in an almost lazy fashion before pulling her gasping handmaid forward with a controlling hand.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu A-Azula-sama." Elle stuttered in an emotional voice as she stood frozen in shock while the woman began looping their harnesses together.
"You are a crucial war power. It would be a waste if something were to happen to you in this climb before, I have the chance to unravel the mystery behind your power." Azula spoke in a dismissive scoff before rolling her elegant eyes down at Elle while the petite girl smiled in understanding.
The two noblewomen shared a momentary glance while they silently sighed over their childhood friend's behavior.
Azula's seemingly endless excuses to publicly justify her affections for Elle were getting old.
"As you say Azula-sama…always as you say." Elle agreed with a bashful blush on her cheeks just before finding herself being pulled in the rope around her waistline.
Only to fall face first into her princess's armored bosom with her amber eyes agape in astonishment to see that she was now completely tethered to the princess's stomach.
"Just don't go thinking for a moment that I'm going soft on you servant! Is that understood girl!" Azula snarled with her amber golden eyes narrowing down at her pretty handmaid's nodding face while she held onto the girl's dainty shoulders.
"Wakarimashita…Azula-sama." Elle answered in a voice of boundless reverence while she pressed her face into the much taller woman's plated chest.
At this point each and every member of the princess's forces including Zoi couldn't help but stare at the two in disbelief.
It was clear as can be to all of them that Elle was greatly treasured by Azula and only woe would come to anyone foolish enough to hurt the younger girl.
That was when the princess's piercing eyes began flickering about causing people to rapidly turn away in fear of her infamous temper.
"Before we begin. I have something that I wish to say…to all of you." Azula began with a purposeful drawl to her voice while her childhood friends gazed back at her warily.
Not a single person dared so much as speak a single word when her callous eyes narrowed into a truly terrifying glare that send shivers down the spines of all.
A stare so imposing that it was felt by even the Dai Li and Zoi herself.
"Whatever you think you are seeing here…it isn't happening. For as long as we're on this island…anything that you might think see between me and this girl. You did not see." Azula hissed in a violent voice with her palms grasping her handmaid's shoulders while her ruthless eyes swept over every single person present.
Mai and Ty Lee exchanged a knowing glance while they shuddered in unison.
It was times like this that it seemed like Azula was even more frightening than before she met Elle!
It was mind boggling how Azula could be kinder and gentle to their young friend.
Yet behave even more monstrous now that she has someone, she feels compelled to protect!
"If anyone thinks otherwise…I will only say this. You would do well to stray from such dangerous thoughts. Because if I should see even a hint of intent to betray my secrets in a single one of you…" Azula trailed off in a menacing voice while Elle stared up at her with her little hands clutching against her armored breasts.
Pure silence reigned throughout the air while all eyes remained glued on their princess's supremely imposing countenance.
Elle peered up at her mistress in appreciation just before resting her head against the princess's golden plated bosom.
All the while Azula's hardened gaze never failed to pass over even one of the intimidated people under her command.
Just before her chilling voice spread throughout the heavy air once more.
"The moment my reinforcements arrive will I have each and every single one of you put to the sword. This island…will be your grave. For every last one of you!" Azula announced in a merciless voice that stunned all present while her heartless eyes glared about at countless paling faces.
The terrifying warning had an instantaneous effect on every person in the chasm.
Left and right soldiers and workers stood sweating in terror over the ominous declaration.
Ty Lee stood with sweat dripping down her terrified face while she gazed over her shoulder into Mai's likewise disturbed tawny eyes.
'By Agni Azula! For once in your life your people were starting to see you in a different light and then you go and threat mass execution when they've been nothing but loyal to you!' Ty Lee though with her unnerved eyes gazing about at the gathering of terrified people.
'Leave it to Azula to threaten to mass execution just because she doesn't want the world to know that she is dating her handmaid! The likelihood of being killed in our sleep just went up tenfold!' Mai thought with a scowl on her lips while she glared at the back of her leader's head.
The only one seemingly mostly undeterred was the captain herself who briefly turned to meet her princess's icy stare.
"I have no idea what you are talking about Princess. I didn't see anything." Zoi stated with a slight smile on her lips while Azula's eyes burned a hole through her skull.
"Good. See to it that it stays that way. Now then. Let us begin the ascent." Azula ordered almost casually before snaking an arm around Elle's tiny frame while her young girlfriend fearfully clung to her chest.
Mai and Ty Lee just stared at Azula in a speechless silence while they watched Zoi fire off her line into the rock high above.
Before propelling herself into the air with multiple soldiers following suit.
"Dai Li! I want ten of you to make the climb with us to carry the gear back down!" Azula called out in a frigid voice while her Dai Li nodded stoically.
And with that the hardened men of the Dai Li jumped into the air before earthbending the rock beneath their gauntlets while they began to slowly scale the cliff below Zoi and the other soldiers.
Nako stood trembling in renewed terror beside the two noblewomen while her legs began to feel like jelly.
"I-I should have listened to my mother. I…never should have joined the military. I should have just stuck to baking bread." Nako lamented with a nervous gulp while the two other women gazed at her in pity.
Only for the princess's glacial voice to cut through the air like a whip.
"Quit your cowering and start climbing Nako!" Azula barked with her lips pursed into a thin line while she glared at Nako's fearfully nodding face.
"Y-yes Your Highness! J-just please don't kill me! I…swear I'm loyal!" Nako cried out before firing her line into the cliffside above.
And just like that she reeled herself into the air before frightfully entrenching her boots into the rock while she began shakily climbing the mountainous chasm.
"You have some timing Azula. Terrifying your own people before they have to scale a mountain." Mai spoke with a sliver of disgust in her voice while Azula turned to glare at her as she launched herself into the air.
Ty Lee gazed up at the cliff with sweat dripping down her cheek before propelling herself after her close friend.
The two women landed with their feet buried in the rock before they soon found themselves climbing the seemingly endless cliff.
Ty Lee released a slight pained grunt while she pulled her body up with her bad foot sliding across the sharp rocks.
"I'm right here Ty Lee." Mai informed in a softer voice while she gazed at Ty Lee through the corner of her eye.
"I know." Ty Lee answered in a strained voice while made her way up with her hands tightly gripping her rope.
And just behind them Nako was fearfully climbing after them with her face paling in terror the higher they got.
It was painfully obvious that the girl was scared of heights.
"This…is a really b-big cliff." Nako stammered with her sweaty hands tugging on her line while she took another step upward.
In the corner of her line of vision she saw Zoi climbing to her left as promised.
All around her were many soldiers scaling up it with their hands grasping at the rock while she continued to stare up at the mountain in rapidly rising fear.
The princess was the last to follow suit.
Azula briefly glanced down at Elle with cold amber golden eyes while her young girlfriend still fearfully held onto her armored chest.
"You stay right there and make no sudden movements." Azula commanded in a possessive voice with her fingers briefly brushing her little handmaid's blonde tresses from the girl's eyes.
"A-as Her Highness commands." Elle squeaked with her face buried in the now smiling princess's breasts while she felt a mighty arm wrap around her back.
"Such a good girl." Azula purred before jumping high into the air with a burst of blue fire propelling her body high into the air.
And then her line shot into the air before embedding itself into the looming mountain cliff side.
All the while holding her small girlfriend's delicate body against her chest with her boots pressing into the surface of the rock face.
"Azula-sama?" Elle asked meekly with her face buried in the other's breasts while Azula calmly scaled up her line of rope.
Her ears detected the sound of the regal woman sighing in the manner that she has come to adore while her girlfriend's arm never relented in her crushing grip.
"Yes Elle?" Azula pondered in an ever-attentive voice while she rapidly closed in on the young pilot and her childhood friends climbing above them.
"Do…do you think my art book survived the fire?" Elle requested only to blush when she heard the much taller woman snort above her.
"Of all of the things that you could be worried about…you are worried about painted tributes of my likeness?" Azula questioned with a pleased undertone to her voice only for Elle to release a yelp when she began to hike up an increasingly dangerous angle.
"W-well I was only asking because it was the only personal belonging that I l-left in the s-ship. A-and I don't know if I can recreate the same pieces without the originals…" Elle trailed off in a frightened voice with her feet continuing to hang in the air.
And then the princess's feet slid to the side while she released an annoyed grunt before making her way further up her rope.
In that very instance the young girl gazed over her girlfriend's shoulder only for her amber eyes to widen in terror when she noticed just how high up, they were.
"While it pleases me that I am truly your sole consuming thought. I need you to be silent for the time being…so I can concentrate." Azula ordered before she reached out to stab her spike through the rock.
And then her boots slid in the rock once more while Elle listened to the distinct sound of small rocks rolling down the slant of the cliff before plummeting over the edge.
The petite girl released a cry of surprise when she found her smaller body being squashed into the princess's magnificent black and gold-plated chest.
Azula momentarily glanced down at her handmaid being crushed beneath her upper body before raising her eyes upward while she hung carefully from her climbing spike.
Elle closed her eyes in fright when she listened to the sound of the line retracting back into its chamber.
And for the most fleeting of moments she realized that they were only hanging by the spike alone!
In the corner her vision she saw Nako shakily climbing a few paces to her left.
And to her right was both Mai and Ty Lee.
The two noblewomen turned to gaze at their leader in concern for their young companion's safety only to find themselves forced to return their focus to their own climb.
Azula held herself atop her admirer while she continued to listen to the younger girl's increasingly fearful cries.
Her lips pursed into a tight scowl when she began to realize that she could hear her girlfriend's heart beating in terror of the harrowing climb.
"I-I'm scared Azula-sama." Elle admitted in barely perceivable voice while she gazed up at their connected harnesses in fear that they would tear.
'If that happens…I will most certainly fall to my death!' Elle thought with her heart beating so rapidly that she began to gasp for air.
"Calm yourself Elle! I am not going to drop you!" Azula growled with an arm pulling Elle closer while the smaller girl released a muffled cry in her chest.
And then the princess glared up at the chasm with sweat staining her eyes before firing off her line high above her once more.
Azula began to pull herself up with an arm holding Elle's trembling body close while the younger girl's feet dangled in midair.
Ty Lee cried out in pain when her bad foot pressed down painfully into the cliff side while she continued scaling the terrifying peak.
Not a second later Ty Lee released a shout of surprise when she slipped backwards only to find herself balancing on her broken ankle.
Before she could even have a chance to fall Mai reached out to snatch a hold of her hand.
"Azula! This is dangerous!" Mai attempted to reason while she turned to Azula scaling a short distance above them.
"You think I don't know that! What other choice is there! There is no food at the bottom of that chasm! We would be easy targets to the enemy on low ground! We need to get to high ground!" Azula barked with a scowl on her lips before entrenching her boots in the cliff once more.
'I still haven't recovered all of my chi! That defensive technique drained me more than I expected it would! If I were to try to make it to the top with a propulsion of flame it would almost surely give out on me! And then…' Azula thought with her amber golden eyes peering down at her precious cargo before releasing a snort of blue fire from her nostrils.
She would survive.
And her admirer would almost certainly die.
And somehow…after all of the devotion that Elle has shown her, she found such an outcome unacceptable.
That was when Zoi shouted down at them from a distance above.
"The rock overhead appears loose! Process carefully!" Zoi called down from where she hung on her spike while all but her princess gazed up in alarm.
"Smoothen our climbing surface as much as you are able!" Azula shouted up to her Dai Li while they slammed their gauntlets into the rock wall.
"Understood Princess!" The Leader of the Dai Li responded before bending the overhang beneath his fist.
And with that the wary group continued to make their way up the mountainous slope while their boots dug into the surface of the chasm with every step that they took.
All the while Ty Lee climbed with Mai assisting her in pulling her up the rock face.
"T-thanks." Ty Lee spoke once more with a smile on her exhausted lips while the other woman nodded down at her.
"Like I said…it's what friends are for." Mai answered while she took to making her way up on her rope line beside her wounded friend.
Meanwhile Azula's boot stomped into the angled cliff surface once more while Elle fearfully continued to hang onto her chest with her eyes closing in fright once more.
Her lips never ceased creasing into a furious snarl while she reminded herself that this was all her uncle's fault!
'Damn you Iroh! I will see you torn limb by limb for this!' Azula wondered with flames exuding from her nostrils once more.
The Sun continued to shine down on them while they made their way up a rapidly slanting slope.
"Azula…this is…" Ty Lee panted with a hand on her knee while Mai still held onto her shoulder.
"Continue Ty Lee! There may be a ledge for you to take a breather above!" Azula instructed with a sliver of concern in her amber golden eyes while Ty Lee gave her an exhausted nod.
As they made their ascent, they continued to hear Nako babble fearfully under breath while Azula turned to cast her a cold glance through the corner of her eye.
"Why…do I get the feeling like I am going to…die?" Nako asked herself with a nervous gulp only to flinch when Azula's voice struck her like a burning whip.
"Oh, shut up Nako and get moving!" Azula bellowed with her childhood friends casting her a glance of disapproval.
"I-I'm trying Princess! But my expertise is engine repair and the operation of an airship! I am not a warrior!" Nako cried out in an increasingly panicked voice before firing her line into the sharp rock overhead.
"The more you talk the more you will waste your breath and the more you exhausted you will become!" Saro yelled over his shoulder at Nako's frightfully nodding face.
"Saro is right! You must try to focus Nako!" Zoi shouted with her fists gripping her rope while she slowed her pace to allow Nako to get closer to her.
"T-thank you…Zoi." Nako muttered quietly while Zoi nodded in response as they began scaling even higher.
And then to the growing unease of all they watched as the mountainous rock straightened into a tall, tall, towering monolith that soared on high above their heads.
The very slope that they were using to hike upon was vanishing the higher they went!
"C-can the Dai Li do anything to make…that more climbable?" Ty Lee inquired with her sweaty eyes turning towards her leader climbing a short distance away from her.
Azula could only scowl up at the looming mountain cliff in growing frustration.
Before she even had a chance to give her order on the matter an unexpected voice rang into the air.
"Y-you can't! It's far too great of a risk! The resulting vibrations could cause a landslide that could kill us all! This isn't Ba Sing Se! This is a mountain!" Nako advised in a distraught voice while the others gazed at her grimly.
"Nako is right! I advise against any further earthbending other than what is needed for the Dai Li to make the ascent!" Zoi called out with her bangs sticking to her cheeks while her princess glowered up at the towering rockface.
"I didn't need the two of you to tell me that! I already figured as much myself." Azula snarled with her handmaid hanging from her neckline while she began to scale her lone line of rope.
"Throw your lines as far as you can and put your spikes away! And climb with everything you've got!" Zoi announced in a passionate before grasping at her line while the other two noblewomen gazed up at her in astonishment.
For as much as they grew to detest the woman over the course of this mission.
There was no doubt in even Mai's mind that Zoi was exceptionally skilled at inspiring her people to persevere even when the odds were stacked against them.
"Yes Captain!" The lieutenant answered with a slight grin on his lips while he made his way up his line alongside his longtime leader.
Azula's amber golden eyes stared up at Zoi with recognition flashing in her ruthless eyes.
Indeed…
Zoi was more than worth the price of having to deal with her occasional insubordination.
Her mind was swiftly pulled back to the situation at hand when she was forced to begin climbing the rope with both hands.
She quickly gazed down at her loyal companion desperately hugging her neck while the girl continued to whimper with her face buried in her ebony locks.
"Hang onto me! You'll be fine!" Azula found herself assuring in a stern voice while the younger girl frightfully hid her face in her hair.
"Y-yes Azula-sama." Elle stuttered in a mousy voice while she hung onto the powerful woman with every fiber of her being.
"That's it…that's…my girl." Azula spoke in a tired voice with her amber golden eyes peering down at Elle's terrified face.
For the first time in all of her life she wanted to sooth instead of terrorize.
It was…baffling.
But she somehow…pleasant all the same.
Ty Lee hung from her rock with her teeth clenched together while she climbed vertically alongside Mai.
The two women stared up at the enormous mountainside with sweat pouring into their eyes.
Ty Lee gripped the rope so tightly that her hands began to chafe while her friend hung from her own rope beside her.
"We're…gonna make it Ty Lee." Mai assured her frightened friend while the other woman nodded with determination in her eyes.
"Yeah! But it better be pink up there!" Ty Lee exclaimed with her words earning her a slight smile from Mai.
And both their gazes continued to flicker over to their young friend hiding in the princess's chest while Azula scaled her line of rope.
'Elle may possess a power that counters the Avatar but she still isn't a warrior! She…isn't fit for this! Please hold onto her Azula!' Ty Lee thought with sisterly concern in her protective eyes while she furiously clutched at her line.
The Sun continued to beat down upon them.
All the while in the distance they appeared as nothing more than minute specks dotting the surface of the mountain ridge.
The princess reached above her with her hand grasping at her rope while it swayed below her.
And her young admirer continued to cry quietly in her ebony hair with her arms fearfully wrapped around her neck.
With a mighty tug Azula pulled herself and her passenger further up before found herself panting in growing exhaustion.
'When I get out of this! I am going to put every single one of those wretched rebels' heads on a spike!' Azula thought with her lips curling into a violent snarl only to snap her gaze upward when she saw small rocks falling down from above.
She narrowed her damp eyes before entrenching her spike in the cliff wall once more.
And then she speedily retracted her rope while her handmaid whimpered into her hair before firing it into the skies above her.
It promptly pierced the rock while she began to scale the line once more all the while eying the small falling rocks.
Only to furrow her brows in alarm when she heard a much louder sound originate from atop the mountain cliff.
Soon the sound became an ominous rumbling while the climbers listened in rapidly rising apprehension.
And then everyone stared up with widened eyes when they saw large rocks began to pour down from the cliff above them.
"Rock slide!" A soldiers voice rang out into the air while the princess held onto her robe with her eyes shimmering in rage.
"Dai Li! Divert those boulders now!" Azula roared with her little admirer under her arm while she watched her earthbending warriors quickly take action.
The Dai Li held out their hands while they fired chunks of rock into the incoming boulders that splintered them into hundreds of much smaller rocks.
"Take cover near the cliff side!" Zoi yelled out from above while she covered her face with wounded arm.
Rocks continued to rain down upon their heads while Ty Lee cried out when her back slammed into the cliff wall.
Mai hung beside her while dust and debris fell down above their heads while they tried their best to shield their faces.
Nako stared up with terrified eyes before releasing a startled cry when her rope began to sway to her left.
Azula grunted in her anger when she found herself being swung towards the cliff wall.
Without even giving it a second thought, she shielded Elle's much smaller body against her chest just before they collided with the rock wall.
"Princess!" Elle cried out in a fretful voice with her face pressed into Azula's bosom while she listened to the princess growl in her ear.
"I'm not going to let you go!" Azula assured in a hiss with her breath tickling against her young girlfriend's cheek while her companion trembled in her arms.
The two dangled from the rope line while more rocks and dust continued to pour down above them.
All the while shouts were heard from the climbers on all sides while they struggled to shield themselves against the chasm wall.
The princess's body violently slammed into the cliff wall once more while she cradled her admirer into her plated chest.
She ground her teeth together in aggravation when she found herself swinging into the mountain wall.
Mere seconds later Azula hung with dust in her eyes while she blinked her eyes rapidly in a desperate attempt to clear her vision.
Each and every member of the princess's crew was busy trying to save themselves and prevent their own fall.
Nako closed her eyes in fright from where she hung against the chasm wall just before opening them.
And that was when she saw it.
Her brown eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when she noticed her Crown Princess furiously blinking her eyes while her young companion frantically hung onto her neck.
But that wasn't what was causing her blood to freeze up in alarm.
She stared on in horror when she caught sight of a soldier swinging towards Azula's open back.
She hurriedly glanced around her before gazing back at her Crown Princess only to realize that she was the only one that could see it happening!
'Princess Azula's been temporarily blinded by the dust fall! She…can't see him coming! He's…going to assassinate her!' Nako thought before pushing herself off the cliff with a mighty heave.
And then she swung towards her blinded princess while the rogue soldier rapidly glided down towards the young woman's back.
Azula continued to desperately open and close her eyes while she spun her head around angrily with her toned arm holding Elle terrified face first into her chest.
Nako's blood raced when soared through the air with her shaky hand holding her climbing spike while she watched in dread to see the assassin closing in on her princess's back!
She didn't even give it a moment thought!
She swung towards the treasonous soldier with every fiber of strength in her body.
'I may be weak! I may be a craven! But I won't just stand here and watch my princess die!' Nako thought with unnatural determination pumping through her veins.
And then contact.
Another moment later she swung into the startled Azula while she gazed on with widened eyes over her shoulder at the shocked soldier.
A drop of blood dripped down his chin while he hung from his rope just when the stunned Nako shakily withdrew her spike.
In her haste she accidentally knocked the princess's companion free of her arms.
And now Elle hung before Azula with her amber eyes gazing down at the unfathomable drop below with her heart pounding rapidly.
In that very moment the ruthless princess snapped her eyes open only for her amber golden eyes to narrow into murderous slips when she found the trembling Nako gazing right back at her.
With a bloody spike in hand!
"What…are you doing! You were trying to kill me! You will suffer for this girl!" Azula bellowed with fury in her eyes only for Nako to point behind her with a trembling finger.
"N-no Princess! H-he tried to cut your rope!" Nako insisted in a fearful voice once more while Azula scowled at her before turning around to glance behind her.
"Azula-sama! Please catch me!" Elle screamed just when a hand grasped a hold of her shirt while Azula hung staring at the wounded man in shock.
For once the princess of the Fire Nation found that it was hard to form the words to speak.
She stared back at the now cowering man with her eyes boiling over in unbridled rage.
"T-that's not true! She made a swing for you Princess and I pushed you out of the way!" The assassin retorted while the princess glared furiously between his pale face and Nako's now angered gaze.
"That's a lie and you know it! I saw you barreling down on her while she was blinded! Please believe me Princess! I swear on my Fire Nation blood that I am telling you the truth!" Nako cried out in a distraught voice while the princess's callous eyes swept over her face.
All the while Elle gazed between the two with frightened amber eyes.
Azula spun around while she glared between the two with her amber golden eyes now alight in paranoia before narrowing her imposing gaze at the soldier trembling from his line.
The rock slide had finally slowed to a stop while everyone adjusted themselves from their positions.
Only to find themselves staring down below them in shock to see an injured soldier hanging before the princess's furious face.
It didn't take a genius to realize what had went down.
Ty Lee could only stare down with sweat on her brow before swallowing the lump that was in her throat.
She exchanged a knowing glance with Mai who was also staring down at Azula in shock.
"Someone…tried to kill Azula." Mai muttered with her tawny eyes shuddering in fear of Azula's coming wrath.
This was not what they needed to deal with right now!
Stranded on this island without food, cut off from the rest of their forces and now someone's made an attempt on Azula's life!
Now Azula was going to be looking for traitors and possible assassins in all but Elle!
Zoi hung from her spike gazing down at the scene with stunned golden eyes while her calculating eyes shifted between the bleeding man and the Nako's angered face.
"S-she's lying Princess! Are you going to believe a lowly pilot over a seasoned soldier? She was going for your rope!" The assassin shouted with his words causing all to stare down at the scene in rising suspense.
"H-how dare you try to pin your treason on me! I would never dishonor myself by betraying you Princess Azula! I-I didn't do it Princess! It's the truth…please!" Nako pleaded with an emotional look in her eyes while Azula studied her face once more.
And then the princess pursed her lips into a furious scowl while the young pilot quivered in fear of being sent soaring to her death.
"Liar." Azula snarled with murderous rage in her voice while Nako hung her head with a tear dripping down her cheek.
And then the princess swiftly spun around in the opposite direction of the terrified pilot.
Nako watched in relief when Azula seized the bleeding man around the throat while she glared back into his terror-stricken eyes.
"N-no! Y-you've got the wrong person! Aah! No! No!" The assassin protested only for his words to turn into sharp cries of pain when a burning blue fist began to crush his windpipe.
"You are the one that's lying." Azula declared in a dangerous voice with her amber golden eyes glaring a hole through the assassin's skull.
"That is correct Princess. Emotion like Nako is showing cannot be faked. No matter how hard one tries." Zoi commented with her cold eyes glaring down at the assassin's agonized face.
"Is this man from your squad Zoi!" Azula bellowed in a wrathful voice that had Zoi rapidly shaking her head with a startled expression in her golden eyes.
"No! Of course not! I don't know him! He must be from another squad!" Zoi answered with a hurried nod while Azula briefly glanced up at her.
"Who sent you after me! Speak now traitor or I will set your entire body afire!" Azula demanded with fire spewing from her lips while the gasping soldier hung in her grip.
"I-I…would tell you. B-but…if I did…then…I wouldn't be able to die with the satisfaction of knowing that you'll be asking yourself that question every day for the rest of your life!" The assassin taunted with blue fire digging into his skin while Azula's enraged eyes began to take on a terrifying maddened tint.
The climbers listened to the man's ominous words while Ty Lee felt a shiver crawl down her spine.
The most terrifying thing of all was that he was right!
Azula will be looking for assassins in everywhere they go!
"E-enjoy…pondering it mon-" The treasonous soldier stammered only to soon find himself screaming in torturous pain when his entire body was mercilessly lit on fire.
Everyone hung from above while they watched the unnerving spectacle.
The man dropped from his rope with his screaming filling the mountain cliffside while Azula still hung glaring at his lone rope line with her amber golden eyes shimmering in paranoia.
All the while Elle clung to her chest peering up at her with an increasingly distraught countenance.
"Assassins and traitors are among me even as I speak! Plotting against me!" Azula shouted in a maddened voice with her childhood friends staring down at her in growing terror.
"I-it was probably just one-man Azula." Ty Lee reassured in a nervous voice only for her words to fall on deaf ears.
Her friend was already glaring about every face in the canyon with her amber golden eyes simply trembling in unimaginable fury.
"If I see a single one of you make a single suspicious move! You'll all soon be tasting lightning!" Azula bellowed with her teeth gritting together while her words caused her forces to shudder in fear.
Mai could only stare down at the swaying rope with sweat in her frightened eyes.
'If Azula generates lightning in this canyon…we'll all die!' Mai thought in horror with her shaky hands grasping at the rope.
"Please listen to me Princess. We're not going to make any sudden moves. We'll find his employer. I promise you. But we can't do that if we die in this canyon!" Zoi replied with an urgent nod while her princess glared up at her before around to resume her climb.
"I-I am s-so scared Azula-sama. P-please get me on solid ground." Elle stuttered in a timid voice while she hid in Azula's hair while she listened to the mighty woman snarl once more.
"If anyone comes near us…I'll char them to a crisp!" Azula hissed in a protective voice while she glared up at her terrified subordinates before reaching up to pull herself up her line.
The two noblewomen paled in fear before turning to return to their climb while they stared up at the still looming mountain cliff.
Nako began to climber further away from her furious princess only to cower when the ruthless woman's voice snapped out at her.
"No! You stay near me Nako! You're the only one that I know isn't an assassin!" Azula ordered in a tyrannical voice while the other woman nodded fearfully.
Before reluctantly climbing closer to her Crown Princess while the powerful woman eyed her through the corner of her glaring eye.
"Y-yes Princess! You can trust me! I-I might be craven but I can assure you that I am loyal to you Princess!" Nako exclaimed with a speedy nod while Azula's stern eyes regarded her with something akin to approval.
Ty Lee just exchanged another look with her fellow noblewoman before gazing upward.
All the while trying to suppress the sense of hurt that she felt after hearing her friend lump her in with people that she saw as potential assassins.
It hurt…yet at the same time it didn't surprise her.
Azula has always had a long-hidden tendency for paranoia.
She couldn't be a worse possible time for an assassin to make an attempt on Azula's life!
"Obviously! Or you wouldn't have come to my aid!" Azula shouted with a rare expression of appreciation in her eyes while she eyed the frightened Nako climbing alongside.
"W-well for a moment there I thought you were going to throw me to my death." Nako admitted with a shudder while the others gazed down at her in pity.
'Poor girl! She saved Azula's life and she nearly got thrown off a cliff for it!' Ty Lee thought with a shake of her head before returning her focus to her climb.
The princess pursed her lips into a curious frown before speaking her mind once more.
"Why?" Azula questioned with her cold eyes studying the other woman's puzzled face.
"What do you mean why?" Nako replied only to cower when Azula's eyes narrowed into a soul piercing death stare.
"Why! Why did you risk your life for me!" Azula barked in an imposing voice while Nako peered back at her in disbelief.
To her bewilderment the girl almost looked…hurt.
"W-what sort of question is that? You're my Crown Princess! I couldn't just watch you die! There was no other option!" Nako explained with a frustrated countenance while her princess gazed back at her in a stunned silence.
"I…see." Azula muttered with a sliver of something akin to gratitude in her voice while her admirer still clung to her armored chest.
Ty Lee glanced back down once more with a hint of a smile on her lips.
It may not seem like it…but it was clear that Elle was having a powerful effect on Azula.
Azula was slowly but surely learning to treat her loyal people with the fairness that they deserve.
And if she didn't know better Nako just won eternal favor in the princess's eyes.
"Nako…" Azula trailed off in a contemplative voice while Nako gazed back from her hanging rope line.
"Yes Princess?" Nako pondered with her anxious eyes gazing between her princess and the terrifying ascent.
"When we return to the Capital you will receive a proper reward for your due diligence." Azula announced to the surprise of many while she stared mere paces away at Nako's stunned face.
Only for the princess to furrow her brows in bafflement when the other woman quickly shook her head.
"T-that is generous of you Princess…but a reward isn't necessary. All that I ask is for y-your guidance in getting home alive." Nako insisted with a nervous smile on her lips while the princess gaped at her in complete perplexity.
Only to recover her composure mere moments later while she hurled herself and her passenger up along the line.
"You forget your place Nako. It is not for you to decide if a reward is necessary. Only I…may do so." Azula remarked with her usual arrogance while the other woman hurriedly nodded her head in understanding.
"Right…of course. Forgive me Princess." Nako stated in a mildly calmed voice while resumed her climb with a small smile on her lips.
It was strange…but she felt safer now that she was climbing besides Princess Azula.
"Just follow me Nako…and I will make certain that you will make it out of this alive." Azula declared with her strict gaze shifting over the other woman's relieved face.
"Y-yes Princess! I will do just that! Thank you!" Nako called out with a grateful smile adorning her frightened face while the princess curtly nodded in response.
Azula returned her gaze to the mountain cliff up above with her lips pursing into a snarl once more.
Her stern eyes briefly flickered down to her young companion's face buried in her dark hair before pulling their bodies up with another mighty tug.
'I am going to get my people out of this…and when I do…each and every person involved in this plot will find themselves regretting this transgression in their death throes!' Azula thought with fire escaping her furious lips while she dragged herself up the rope.
Of that. She was certain.
They will all soon be suffering the wrath of Princess Azula.
AN:
Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!
I just want to state outright that there is no tribe on the island. Zoe was threatening that she could use her soldiers to exact revenge on Mai. It was just a bluff, because Zoe's men aren't rapists. But Zoe has a cruel sense of humor and she wants Mai to live in fear of her.
Anyhow, the gear that Zoe uses is partly inspired by the 3DM gear in SNK/Attack on Titan.
The assassination attempt on Azula/Elle in the climb will play a part in Azula going mad for a time later on in the story. This is where Azula will start to crack in small ways, and now she will be paranoid that there are assassins everywhere.
As for who hired the assassin, and if he was after Elle or Azula, we'll go into that later on too.
This is also going to play a major factor in Zoe becoming angry over Azula's hypocrisy. She isn't going to forget how Azula was pulling her off of Mai not barely an hour ago. Azula showed hypocrisy when she proved that she would show her assassin no mercy. Azula went for the throat, and threw him down a cliff. Zoe went for the throat, and Azula told her to get her head together.
Azula is going to have to please Zoe or risk losing her support.
And Azula also learned a valuable lesson in loyalty through Nako. That sometimes the person who will come to your aid will be the one you least expect. And Nako won major brownie points with Azula. Nako has proved that she can be trusted, so Azula is going to want to keep her close by at all times.
And in turn Azula demonstrated a rare act of gratitude by reassuring Nako that she would make it out of the climb alive.
Anyhow!
Next chapter we check in with Zuko and Iroh. It will be a small break from Azula and her crew, and then we'll get back to Azula, Elle and the others in chapter thirty-seven.
Thanks again!