The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic)

by grither55

Princess Azula believes that she was born with a divine right to rule, and she rules through fear alone. Until, a commoner girl enters her life by giving her a fire lily. Through this act, Azula finds herself undertaking a life-changing journey with her new companion to ascend the throne, save the world from an otherworldly threat, and find her humanity. Femslash.

45. Wounds and Encampment

Hey everyone, I am back for another update.

I sincerely thank everyone who has favorited and followed my story since the last update.

To those who haven't, please continue to favorite, follow and review as you read along! Thanks!

Wounds and Encampment – Chapter Forty-Five

About four hours later…

Team Azula sat in a circle while the powerful princess gazing down a hill at the assortment of her people arriving with the Dai Li in tow.

The injured were being placed in a makeshift nursing station while their few nurses tended to the wounded.

Including Zoi who was impatiently sitting with her wounds being cleaned by an equally frustrated nurse.

Behind Azula sat tents.

One was a large red tent which the Dai Li had been so kind as to forage from the ruins of their warship.

A short distance away from the royal tent sat a smaller tent that the two noblewomen were going to share.

And down below sat a great many smaller tents that were being set up by those among them who were able bodied.

Only for the princess to turn her cold gaze back to her handmaid while the petite girl reached up to dab at Mai's cheek once more.

"Elle…" Mai trailed off in a grateful voice while she allowed her little sister to clean her face once more.

And Ty Lee sat grinning down at Elle while the smaller girl wiped a pain cream onto the other woman's stunned cheek.

"This is a cream that should reduce the swelling." Elle answered in a loving voice with all three highborn women gazing at her in appreciation while Mai's monotone face broke out into a softened smile.

"Thank you…little sister." Mai offered in a fond voice with her back against a tree while the young handmaid beamed up at her.

"Dōitashimashite oneesan!" Elle cried out in a joyous voice before she began rubbing the cream on the older girl's neck while the noblewoman patted her back gently.

"Isn't she pink Azula?" Ty Lee asked in a sisterly voice while Azula rolled her eyes before turning to stare at Elle's robed back.

"Yes Ty Lee. The girl is certainly pink." Azula agreed with a wave of her hand while Ty Lee smiled even wider in agreement.

As they watched Elle dig in her oversized backpack before pulling out a box of bandaids much to her older friends' curiosity.

Only for the princess to snort in mocking amusement when Elle tore open a bandaid with a childish brown dog on it.

"Here! This will keep your cuts from getting infected!" Elle quipped with a happy nod while Mai eyed the bandaid in mild humiliation yet she made no move to prevent her from applying it to the wound.

"Thanks again kid." Mai replied with a nervous smile while Azula smirked at her expense when a large Scooby Doo bandaid now adorned her cheek.

"Aww! That dog bandage is so cute Mai!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a nod while her friend cast her a mild glare through the corner of her eye.

She was well aware that the only reason why Mai ever allowed such a thing to be put on her face was to avoid hurting Elle's feelings.

"Yes Mai. It is very pink." Azula taunted with a wicked smile while she watched her pet dash over to 'treat' the grinning Ty Lee.

"Let me tend to your wounds oneesan." Elle stated with a bright countenance while Ty Lee reached out to pat her head.

"You don't have to little sister! Really!" Ty Lee assured in a warm voice only to gaze down in surprise when Elle started washing off the wound on her bare belly.

An action that caused Azula's smile to contort into a death stare that sent a shiver down her spine.

But even so.

She loved her little sister far too much to push her away!

"Really oneesan! I don't mind at all! I am more than happy to help!" Elle exclaimed with a hum while Ty Lee smiled down at her as she rinsed the wound on the noblewoman's belly.

"Ty Lee." Azula warned in a glacial voice with her hands on her knees while Ty Lee sighed in frustration.

"She's just cleaning my wounds Azula. That's all!" Ty Lee assured with her hand still patting the smaller girl's hair.

And then Ty Lee sat motionless while she gazed down with affectionate eyes when the younger girl applied the cream to her bruised stomach.

Just before she followed up by opening another dog bandaid while the group watched in amusement when Elle slapped it on Ty Lee's bicep.

"And now you have a Scooby Doo bandaid too oneesan!" Elle commented in an innocent voice while Ty Lee mussed her hair in appreciation.

"Did you hear that Azula? I have a Scooby Doo bandaid." Ty Lee spoke in a pleased voice while Azula rolled her haughty eyes once more.

"Charming Ty Lee. You have a peasant patch on your arm." Azula snorted in a mocking voice while she tapped her fingers along her bicep.

And then to the puzzlement of all of Team Azula they watched Elle bend over to retrieve another item from her bag.

None other than a small folded up blanket.

And then the girl's coming words took all three of them by surprise and showed them just how much Elle cared about their safety.

"I think I can make you a temporary cast for your foot out of this blanket oneesan." Elle remarked with a helpful countenance while Ty Lee's mouth hung open in a rare sense of shock.

Team Azula was so stunned by the generous announcement that even Azula had yet to form a taunting quip.

"Elle…that's your blanket…I…don't want to dirty it by walking all over it. I couldn't! I'll be fine without a cast!" Ty Lee attempted to reason only for the smaller girl to shake her head.

"It's just a spare blanket Ty Lee. It has no sentimental value. I would much rather you have something soft to cushion your foot. It doesn't look like they brought up any supplies to make a cast…so this is all we have. But I think I can make it work until we get rescued!" Elle insisted with her loyal amber eyes peering up at Ty Lee's moved expression.

All while Mai stared on with softened eyes when the girl began getting out a small pair of scissors and a few other medical items.

"But…you need it to sleep Elle…" Ty Lee protested lamely once more with a heartfelt tear brewing in her eye only for Elle to shake her head yet again.

"Oh no! I don't need a blanket. I have Azula-sama!" Elle answered with sweet laughter lacing her voice while Azula turned away to glare into the tree line in an attempt to act like she didn't care.

"Y-yes but…Elle…" Ty Lee trailed off with a tear dripping down her cheek when the young handmaid began gently removing her shoe.

"You just be sure that all she does is put a cast on your foot Ty Lee. She massages my feet only." Azula grumbled in a spoiled voice while Mai rolled her eyes back at her.

"You hurt yourself saving me from the burning ship. This…is the least I can do for you Ty Lee…" Elle mumbled just as she began to wipe off Ty Lee's foot while a hand lowered into her hair once more.

"T-thank you…Elle. You're such a sweetheart." Ty Lee spoke in a grateful voice with her hand petting Elle's hair while she watched the young handmaid wipe down her foot.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu…oneesan…for saving me." Elle murmured in a barely perceivable voice while she cleaned her big sister's foot while Ty Lee's hand remained in her hair.

"It…was my pleasure to protect you Elle. I would do it again! A hundred times over if I had to!" Ty Lee declared in a protective voice while she watched her little sister clean her foot with a look of shame in her eyes.

She had made it a point to never abuse Elle's status as their servant.

And unlike Azula she never ordered the girl to serve her.

So, it went without saying that she was ashamed that her beloved baby sister was kneeling before her while she served her by cleaning her foot of all things!

And yet…Elle still smiled all the same.

"A-and I would put a cast on your foot every time oneesan! Because I love you!" Elle chirped with a gentle look in her eyes while she began spreading the cream on her sister's foot.

Only for a shy smile to appear on her lips when Ty Lee petted her once more.

"You are so sweet Elle…so sweet." Ty Lee responded in an emotional voice with her finger wiping at her eyes while she tenderly patted Elle's plush head.

It was a bit strange but they all knew that Elle greatly enjoyed it when her head was petted.

So, they all chose to do it because it makes their young friend happy.

Well, that and Azula delighted in the sense of control that Elle gave her.

And then Ty Lee just sighed with her head against the tree while the princess's greedy eyes continued to stare icily at her face.

"Someone's jealous." Mai teased with her arms folded in her lap while Azula's lips pursed into a scowl.

"I am not jealous." Azula snapped with her cold eyes glaring at Elle kneeling before Ty Lee.

While Ty Lee affectionately petted her hair as the girl began to wrap her foot in the blanket.

"You should be able to take it off when you bath! Just be sure not to lose the clips!" Elle explained in a devoted voice while she continued wrapping Ty Lee's foot with the noblewoman grinning in appreciation.

"I won't little sister. I promise!" Ty Lee assured in a loving voice with her palm still patting the small handmaid's head while Elle weaved the blanket around her foot.

And then the adorable serving girl began cutting it with the scissors after an adequate amount of blanket had been wrapped around her sole.

A few minutes later Ty Lee sat staring down at Elle still kneeling before her now wrapped foot while the smaller girl peered up at her with a bashful smile.

"H-how does it look oneesan? I know it could be better…sumimasen…" Elle requested in a worried voice only for Ty Lee to rapidly shake her head with a large grin adorning her warm features.

"Oh no Elle! You did a great job! Didn't she Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed in a soothing voice with her words causing Azula to glare at her once more.

"A bit too good of a job Ty Lee. Judging by how much you seemed to enjoy that." Azula accused in a possessive voice while Ty Lee just smiled as she reached down to pat Elle's head once more.

"A-as long as you think so Ty Lee. That's all that matters to me." Elle stammered in an adorable manner while Ty Lee gently pulled her up from her bow.

"Aww! This calls for a reward! How does snuggle time sound!" Ty Lee cooed with her strong hands on her now excited young friends shoulders just before she crushed the girl against her bosom.

"Snuggle time with Ty Lee!" Elle cried out with Ty Lee smiling over her shoulder while the princess glared at the scene.

And Mai watched with mild amusement in her stoic eyes.

"Ty Lee! My breasts only!" The Princes bellowed with her lips pursing in a furious thin line while Ty Lee embraced her giggling pet.

"It's just a hug Azula." Ty Lee sighed with her muscular arm holding Elle in her lap while Azula's amber golden eyes never ceased burning a hole through her skull.

But she wouldn't deny that it was truly adorable watching Azula get jealous over something so…platonic!

"Just a hug? She just spent ten minutes kneeling before you while she cleaned your foot and wrapped it in a blanket. All while your hand never left her hair and now her face is in your breasts." Azula spoke in a callously displeased voice while the other two highborn women gazed at her in amusement.

"Well, she deserves a hug after all that! It would be cruel not to hug her after she did all of this for me!" Ty Lee shouted with a cheerful nod while the small blonde smiled in her lap.

"Let me get one more thing for you oneesan! It should help with the pain." Elle chimed with her arm reaching out for her bag while Azula's possessive eyes watched her every move.

"Elle! You don't have to do anything else. That was more than enough!" Ty Lee yelled out in a tending voice only to smile when Elle fumbled in her pack once more.

Only to remove a pill bottle of pain medicine that the princess recognized with her observant eye while she briefly eyed the bottle with displeased amber golden eyes.

It only served as a reminder that her girlfriend was in daily pain and that she had yet to solve it.

'As soon as I get back!' Azula thought with her callous eyes glaring off into the tall trees while Ty Lee stared down in bafflement when a pill was dropped into her open palm.

"Take this pain pill oneesan. It should reduce the pain for…about twelve hours. Enough for you to eat dinner and go to sleep comfortably." Elle offered in a faithful voice with her words hitting Ty Lee hard in the chest.

Mai and Azula turned to stare at the younger girl in bewilderment while Ty Lee hastily shook her head much to the young girl's confusion before dropping the pill back in the handmaid's palm.

It didn't surprise either of them that Ty Lee refused to take Elle's medicine.

"No! I can't take this from you Elle. You…you need it. Don't…you get daily pain from your…breathing condition?" Ty Lee spoke in an unnerved voice with great concern in her warm eyes only to frown when the young handmaid just smiled widely.

"Sometimes! It depends how much I run. But it's just one pill! I would feel better if you took it. I have enough for over a month and I trust Azula-sama to get me something just as good if not better!" Elle explained before she thrusted the pill back into Ty Lee's hesitant hand.

"B-but you've been walking all day Elle." Ty Lee protested once more with a nervous shake of her head only for Elle to pat her hand affectionately.

"It's fine! Because you can't take more than one at once or it can make you too sleepy. I'll be fine without it! I would rather you have it." Elle answered in a lovable voice while Ty Lee bit her lip in uncertainty.

"Just take the pill Ty Lee! I'll be changing up Elle's treatment with something more efficient anyhow." Azula declared in a rigid voice while Ty Lee clutched the pill with an unconvinced countenance.

"Okay Elle…if you say so. But only one. I'll be okay without it on the other days." Ty Lee sighed with a nod before she dropped it in her mouth as she swallowed it with an audible gulp.

And despite her reservations she couldn't help but smile softly when the young girl beamed up at her.

"I am so happy that I was able to help my oneesans." Elle stated in a compassionate voice with a sweet smile that had both of the noblewomen now gazing at her in endless appreciation.

Only for the princess to loudly stomp her boot while the other two women turned to sigh in the spoiled woman's direction.

"Get over here and tend to my needs! I matter more than Mai and Ty Lee combined because I am royalty!" Azula called out with a pompous huff while she smirked when her pet scampered over to her side on command.

"Azula…please don't make her run!" Ty Lee pleaded only for her words to fall on deaf ears while Elle adorably slid to a stop on her knees before Azula's now smiling face.

"Are you injured Azula-sama!" Elle asked in a worried voice while the other two women rolled their eyes when the princess began to sigh as if she was in great pain.

"Yeah Azula. Where's your injury?" Mai snorted with an amused smirk while she watched Elle fretfully begin inspecting Azula's body from all angles.

"Speaking of that…are you okay Azula? I saw you cough up a drop of blood in your battle earlier." Ty Lee asked in a worried voice that only served as fuel to the young handmaid's concerns.

"A-are you going to be o-okay Azula-sama?" Elle stuttered in a distraught voice with her hands grasping Azula's armored shoulder only for her mistress to reach down to pat her head.

"Hm? Oh, that was just a side effect of overusing my new power." Azula replied with a wave of her hand while her three companions stared at her in shock.

The two noblewomen could only gaze at their leader in disbelief to hear that the princess's new bending ability causes strain on her internal system after a prolonged battle.

Azula didn't say as much in so many words but it was obvious that she was just paranoid of mentioning it aloud in front of prying ears.

They now understood just why the princess declared that it was 'forbidden'.

"Azula…" Mai trailed off in shock only for the princess to literally wave their concerns off.

"As I said. It's nothing. Now servant! I demand that you treat my wounds!" Azula barked with a finger jabbing her handmaid's rapidly nodding face while she petted her girlfriend's soft hair.

"Y-yes Mistress! As my girlfriend commands!" Elle cheered with innocence lacing her voice while her big sister's just shook their heads fondly.

They no longer bothered telling Elle that mistress and girlfriend were not usually one and the same.

"So…where's the injury Azula? Or are you just making stuff up so Elle will tend to you?" Ty Lee inquired with her toned arms folded over her breasts while she eyed her friend closely.

"Hm. I received injuries…in two different places that require your…inspection." Azula purred with a hand under her chin while her lifelong friends gazed at her dryly when Elle nodded her little head eagerly.

"W-where? Show me so I can help you feel better Princess." Elle begged only to blink in puzzlement when Azula lounged back against the tree with a prolonged sigh.

And then Mai and Ty Lee nearly fell over in surprise when Azula stretched out her long legs only to point between her thighs with a beyond smug smirk on her red lips.

"I received a cut…on my thigh…right here. Would you be a good girl…and put that pain cream on it?" Azula announced with a refined smile while her young girlfriend bashfully gazed down between her thighs.

"A-Azula! Can't you wait until we go to the springs for this!" Ty Lee sputtered with her eyes agape in mortification only to gaze on in humor when her baby sister began digging for the pain cream.

"Of course, I can Azula-sama! I'm your loyal girl! You can count on me!" Elle cried out with the tube in hand while her big sisters coughed nervously when her smirking girlfriend waved her forward.

"No, I cannot wait Ty Lee! My comfort is far more valuable than all of you lesser people combined! Leave my hill if you have a problem with it!" Azula bellowed with a finger pointing at Ty Lee while the noblewoman sighed as she turned away.

"Your hill…Azula?" Mai repeated in a deadpan voice after turning away.

They were so lucky that the soldiers could not see them from this angle!

"This is my hill. And I have conquered it by divine right. For the time being it shall serve as my impromptu palace." Azula boasted with her fingers sweeping through her hair while her two friends gazed at each other in exasperation.

"Um…Azula-sama? H-how do I do this? Eek!" Elle stuttered in an adorably confuddled voice only to release a cry of surprise when Azula's hand pushed her down into a bow on all fours.

With her head in quite the precarious position!

"It's really simple Elle. Much simpler than treating Ty Lee's foot. I just need you to…give my thigh a close inspection. Can you…do that for your princess?" Azula explained with a charming smirk while she stared down at Elle's bowing face now close to her thigh.

"Shameless! You're taking advantage of the sweetest girl there is Azula." Ty Lee complained with a frown while she gazed down the sloping hill.

"And that surprises you?" Mai asked in a deadpan voice only to blush slightly when she caught of glimpse of Elle crawling between Azula's open thighs.

It was damn apparent just what Azula was alluding to.

To all but Elle that was!

"I-I don't see a-anything Azula-sama. There doesn't seem to be a cut in your…uh…pant leg!" Elle informed with her face awkwardly tucked under the princess's royal armor while she peered at a lovely red clothed thigh with a growing blush on her cheeks.

"I wonder why." Ty Lee grumbled only to turn as red as a tomato when she caught of peak of what was happening behind her.

The young girl was on the ground on all fours with the princess's hand on her back while Azula smirked down at her when the continued to fumble about under the faulds of her armor that covered much of her thighs.

"B-by Agni Azula." Ty Lee protested with a reddened cheek while Elle naively peered at the thigh with a finger under her lip.

"Look closer…it's a…vicious cut." Azula ordered with a beyond smug smirk while she gazed down at her petite girlfriend moving closer until her head bumped into her thigh.

"A-Azula-sama? I…d-don't s-see any t-tears in your…p-pants." Elle stammered in a lovably overpowered voice while her bright amber eyes gazed at the shapely thigh covered in red cloth looming in her line of vision.

All while the two noblewomen turned to stare at Azula's pompous smile with scolding gazes.

"I see…well…perhaps this…warrants a more…intimidate inspection in the springs?" Azula sighed as if it was a great burden to shoulder while her palm remained planted on her kneeling girlfriend's back.

"I'm sure it does." Ty Lee snorted with her good foot tapping on the forest floor while she offered her selfish leader a chiding stare.

"I-if you think it so then it must be…s-so Princess!" Elle called out with her cheeks overtaking a crimson hue when her gaze accidentally swept over her mistress's nether region.

"Hm. It pleases me that we are in agreement dear. So, will you…give me a close examination in the springs later on?" Azula purred with a seductive smile while she traced her fingertips along the back of her pet's head as the petite girl continued to bump about between her thighs.

"Why don't you have the nurse exam you Azula?" Ty Lee questioned dryly with a pointed stare while Azula sighed heavily once more.

"It is…a wound that I only trust Elle to treat." Azula answered with a finger under her chin while her domineering amber golden eyes grew even smugger when a delightful cry flowed into the air.

"I would be happy to take a look at your leg Azula-sama! Anything for my princess charming!" Elle announced with her backside pointing into the air while Azula smirked down at her.

Mai could only slap a palm over her face while she groaned in aggravation.

Azula was going to draw this out for the next two years like pouring molasses.

"My…what a good girl you are." Azula spoke with her palm patting her handmaid's soft hair while she smirked haughtily over how her friends were uncomfortably gazing away.

"I-it pleases me that you think so Princess! May I…get up now?" Elle squeaked in a gulp with her amber eyes still avoiding gazing at her older girlfriend's clothed womanhood.

"I suppose I could allow it. After all, I need you to tend to my…other wound." Azula commented with a spoiled wave of her hand only for her smirk to grow even larger when Elle clumsily backed up out from between her thighs.

"Where's your other wound Azula?" Ty Lee pressed with a roll of her eyes just when her little sister sat up.

Elle sat on her knees with her lips curling up in worry while she peered up at her beautiful mistress's sophisticated smiling face.

Only to gulp nervously when she found herself lost in dominant amber golden eyes.

"I was cut by a sharp rock…when the Avatar through me into that rock wall….it is bleeding terribly." Azula remarked with a feigned wince while her subordinates gazed at her pointedly when her adorable handmaid tugged on her sleeve.

"Y-you're bleeding Azula-sama? Does…does it hurt?" Elle pondered in an increasingly distraught voice that took Azula aback while she grasped ahold of her hand.

"I…confess that it does. Terribly so…why I don't think I can walk another step. But I must not show weakness to my people…such is a princess's burden." Azula confessed in dramatic sigh while she gazed down at her little admirer's naïve face with a spark of fondness in her hardened eyes.

"Azula…" Ty Lee trailed off in a louder voice while Azula continued to smile down at Elle's panicking face.

"N-no! I don't want to lose you Princess! Show me your wound and I will do all that I can to help you!" Elle cried out while she chewed on her lip with her mistress's stronger hands gently patting her own.

"Very well dear…you may begin now." Azula spoke with a sadistic smile just before rudely shoving her girlfriend down on all fours while the girl plopped into the grass with a squeak.

And then without any regard for her sputtering audience Azula turned around until she was facing her incredulous companions while they turned red in shock over her gall.

Hovering mere inches before Elle's overwhelmed innocent eyes was none other than Azula's round bottom.

"A-Azula have some decency!" Ty Lee stammered out in a futile protest while Azula stared ahead with a smug smirk gracing her red lips.

"She doesn't have any." Mai snorted before turning away with a shake of her head.

"I-I don't understand Azula-sama…you want me to…inspect your…b-backside?" Elle asked in an enamored voice with her thumbs twiddling anxiously while she shyly averted her eyes from Azula's blood red pants covered ass.

"Shame on you Azula! Elle is just trying to be helpful and you are making a game out of it." Ty Lee accused with an angry finger pointing at Azula's arrogantly smiling face.

"Of course, Elle. How else will you find the cut? Go on. There's no shame in it." Azula purred with her toned arms folded over her armored chest while her friends gazed away when Elle gulped but moved in to peer at her ass nonetheless.

"Just say no Elle. Don't let her humiliate you like this." Mai advised with a look of anger in her eyes while Azula scanned her fingernails with a proud smile.

"W-which s-side is it on Azula-sama?" Elle inquired in a love-struck voice while she swallowed nervously only for her mistress to chuckle above her.

"Elle…" Ty Lee groaned in a voice akin to a sister chiding her younger while she gazed away with a blush on her cheeks.

"Hm. I think…it's on the right side." Azula taunted with her legs folding before her while her handmaid shakily gazed at her round bottom.

"I…I d-don't see any blood or…c-cuts on the right side…" Elle informed in an adorably gazed voice only to gulp when Azula's ass scooted closer until it touched her nose.

"Look closer servant!" Azula barked with a wave of her hand while she gazed down at her paralyzed handmaid with an enormous grin on her lips.

"I…still don't s-see anything. N-nothing but your…" Elle answered in a love-struck gulp while her amber eyes gazed up at the older girl's bottom in a spellbound trance.

"Nothing but my ass dear?" Azula cooed with a hand under her chin while she smiled tauntingly down at her pet trembling before her backside.

"You're so rude Azula. And to such a sweet girl." Ty Lee grumbled with a huff only for the spoiled woman to smirk pridefully.

"Y-yeah. I…don't see any rips in your pants. It…l-looks fine." Elle stuttered in a jumbled voice with her entranced eyes never gazing away from her girlfriend's round ass hovering near her face.

"Just fine?" Azula demanded with a narrow of her sadistic eyes while Elle sunk into a deeper bow like a disciplined puppy.

"T-that's not what I meant Your Highness! I-I only meant that your bottom is…free of any injury! B-but it's…so…very divine." Elle explained in a hurried voice with her big sisters sighing somewhere nearby while she blushed as red as a tomato.

"Humph. Of course, it is. I have the body of a goddess. Now check out the left side peasant." Azula commanded with a finger under her chin while she smirked when Elle did so without question.

'Prison…can't come soon enough.' Mai thought with a hand over her face.

"N-no injuries on the left cheek…that I can see Princess!" Elle reported in a stumbling voice while Azula stared down at her with a conceited smile.

"Are you certain that you're…viewing it from the right angle? Maybe…even closer?" Azula queried with a sophisticated smirk on her full lips while she watched her young girlfriend tremble under her gaze.

"I-I…uh…p-please A-Azula-sama." Elle pleaded with her shaken eyes staring directly at the womanly ass seated before her.

"Please what dear?" Azula answered in feigned innocence while she smiled down at Elle's overwhelmed face.

"P-please s-show me m-mercy A-Azula-sama! I-I don't know how to handle this…" Elle cried out in a pouting voice while her heart raced when Azula's hand lowered into her hair.

"You are just too precious. Isn't she Ty Lee?" Azula purred after turning around with her back against the tree once more while she ran her fingers through her petite handmaid's hair.

"She is Azula. But not for the same reasons that you're thinking." Ty Lee replied in a protective voice while Azula smirked back at her.

"C-can I sit up again Mistress?" Elle requested obediently with her words earning her a smile of approval from the princess.

"You are a good girl. I will permit it." Azula commented with a wave of her hand while her subordinates rolled their eyes when she pulled the girl up by her shirt.

"O-oh A-Azula-sama…" Elle mumbled with her thumbs twiddling once more while Azula cupped her chin with a strong palm.

"Would you be willing…to inspect it again in the springs? Perhaps…without any garment to obstruct your diagnosis?" Azula cooed in a smoothly dominant voice while she held onto her handmaid's quivering cheeks.

"Y-yes. A-anything for you…Azula-sama. I…serve you with pride on this day…for all of my days until my last day." Elle assured with a sweet smile while she reached up to touch the woman's warm hand.

"That's my little peasant. Oh, how I like you." Azula admitted in a sigh with her palms holding Elle's face while she stared down at the girl in a possessive gaze.

And despite the princess's perverted behavior Ty Lee couldn't help but crack a smile once more.

Even though Azula took far too many liberties in her authority over Elle.

It was plain to see that her friend was falling for the young girl.

"I…am so honored to be your peasant Princess…oh no!" Elle exclaimed with her eyes agape in alarm while Azula peered down at her in slight puzzlement.

"What is it? Is it an assassin!" Azula hissed in a comically overprotective voice only to blink when her handmaid reached up to touch her cheek.

"You…have a cut on your face." Elle muttered with a frown while the older girl surveyed her in approval.

And the two noblewomen could only stare at their leader in a reproach.

After all of that demeaning treatment Elle was still going to tend to Azula's few actual wounds!

"Hm? Oh that's…just an insignificant little scratch." Azula scoffed with an uncaring roll of her eyes only to observe in surprise when Elle began urgently digging in her backpack.

"And having her inspect your ass isn't?" Mai quipped in a monotone voice while Azula just smirked back at her.

Only for the princess to stiffen in shock when a gentle hand reached up to wipe her wounded cheek.

"It doesn't matter how small it is…I love you Azula-sama…and I…can't bear to see even the slightest wound on you." Elle spoke in a heartfelt voice with her hand wiping Azula's face while amber golden eyes stared down at her in confusion.

The emotional declaration hit all three of the highborn women in the feels.

Even the cruel princess herself.

Not that she would ever say it aloud.

"You are a soft-hearted peasant…but I approve of you all the same." Azula declared in a stern voice while she leaned back against the tree with her small handmaid dutifully cleansing her cheek.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama!" Elle cried out with bounce in her movements while the callous princess eyed her strictly before she dabbed peroxide on her mistress's face.

"Now that…is pink." Ty Lee stated with a giggle while her leader lazily glared back at her while her little sister adorably tended to her cut.

The fact that Azula was sitting still while Elle cleaned her face off was just even more definitive proof of their unbreakable bond.

"Just don't go getting the impression that I am going soft on you. Because I'm not!" Azula grumbled with a violent snarl while Elle smiled lovingly with a hand on her cheek.

"Wakarimashita Princess!" Elle cheered with sweet laughter lacing her youthful voice while Azula continued to scowl down at her happy face.

"That's my favorite handmaid. You know your place…unlike the others." Azula sighed in a spoiled voice with her pet craning her arm to dry her face.

"That's so Mistress. My place…is with you." Elle responded in a swooning voice with a shy smile while her mistress's cold eyes stared down at her in approval.

Only for the powerful princess to tense up in humiliation when she caught sight of the hideous bandaid that the girl was retrieving from her bag.

All the while the two noblewomen snickered under their breath while she murderously glared at their laughing faces.

Elle's lips were in a loving smile while Azula found herself hastily thinking of an excuse to say before she ruptured the seal of the bandaid.

"That won't be necessary servant." Azula remarked in what she hoped was not too cruel of a voice while Elle peered up at her with her shoulders slumping as soon as she spoke.

"O-oh…okay." Elle mumbled in a pout while Azula scowled down at her.

"Not that I don't want it of course. But wearing such a patch would show weakness in the eyes of my people." Azula explained with a serious nod while she watched in satisfaction when her girlfriend's smile began to return.

"Weakness Azula-sama?" Elle asked in eagerness to hear all that her brilliant friend had to say while her princess smiled confidently down at her.

"A princess must not show even the slightest sign of weakness in front of her people. I must maintain a proud image at all times…for their sake." Azula announced in a sanguine voice with her lips curving into a smirk when Elle beamed up at her in admiration.

Mai and Ty Lee exchanged a deadpan glance but they knew better than to call Azula out on her lie because they did not want to hurt Elle's feelings.

"I understand! That is so kind of you Azula-sama. I will save it for later then." Elle chirped with her amber eyes sparkling in reverence while Azula lowered her hand into her hair once more.

And then she giggled when the princess patted her head while she began putting her first aid supplies away.

"Good girl." Azula purred with a fond smirk on her regal lips while she enjoyed the way her little handmaid blushed under her petting hand.

The two noblewomen smiled softly at their young friend once more only for angered shouts from the bottom of the hill to gain all four of their attentions.

"Please stay still Captain! I can't clean your burns if you don't sit still!" Shii shouted across the forest air while Azula turned to gaze down at Zoi in amusement to see the warrior hissing in anger.

"I am going to break that cunt's legs and drag her broken behind a cart through komodo rhino shit! Do you hear me you Saolin whore!" Zoi roared with her teeth clenched in her rage while all but Mai listened in amusement.

Mai now seethed in fury while her leader cast her a taunting smile.

"Bitch." Mai snarled with Ty Lee leaning over to pat her arm.

"Try not to let her get to you Mai! Just think pink thoughts!" Ty Lee advised in a kind voice only to flinch when Mai cast her a glare that rivaled even that of Azula.

Only for Elle's cheerful voice to just barely calm her friend down.

"It will be okay oneesan! Sometimes the best of friends starts off hating each other! And before you know it a beautiful friendship will blossom from the flames of hatred!" Elle cheered with a fist in the air while all three of her highborn friends gazed at her dryly.

"Yes Mai. You shouldn't be so quick to turn down this…opportunity for friendship." Azula taunted with a smug smile while the other woman glared a hole through her skull.

"Of course, Captain. But you won't get to drag her through komodo rhino shit if you die from an infected wound!" Shii retorted in a frustrated voice with the princess smirking in cruel entertainment while the warrior thrashed once more.

"These wounds are not enough to bring me down!" Zoi yelled with her burned arms being wiped down with salve.

"Even the greatest of warriors can fall to one infected cut! You should really let us finish!" Shii pleaded while Zoi's soldiers watched in amusement from the sidelines.

"By all means don't! It would be a real tragedy if you didn't make it back home with us!" Mai retorted in an unusually fired up voice with her fist clenching beside her while the princess finally sighed in annoyance once more.

"That's exactly what the spineless spawn of Ukano would say! You can't win a battle that doesn't involve striking the enemy in the back! Your only talent is sucking cock! And judging by how quick the prince was quick to leave you I can only imagine that you leave much to be desired!" Zoi sneered with a cold glare while she sat on a stump only for Mai's face to turn red in her rage.

And much to both Mai and even Ty Lee's fury the princess chuckled with a hand over her mouth.

"Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed with the other woman just smiling cruelly.

"I am going to kill her Azula. If it's the last thing I do!" Mai shouted only for Elle to lean over to place a calming hand on her wrist.

And once more Mai breathed heavily in her anger while the petite girl calmed her by touch alone.

It was just astonishing to all of Team Azula when they saw time and time again just how much of a comforting affect Elle had on all of them.

Even Azula herself.

"I know it's hard oneesan but I really think that you two should use this time…to try and bury the hatchet! I would be happy to be your mediator! Maybe…just maybe we'll even find a new friend." Elle insisted with a cheerful smile while even Ty Lee gazed on in humor beside her.

"No kid. No, I won't!" Mai grunted before she plopped back down on her backside while the smaller girl began to rub her arm.

"I urge you to sit still Captain! The state of your left arm is simply atrocious! It looks like it was nearly blown off and you continued to abuse it!" Shii announced in a worried voice while Azula now glared at Mai's proudly sneering face.

"I have a war to win! I have no time for rest! I have many enemies to kill!" Zoi snapped with a merciless scowl while the medic sighed once more.

"Be that as it may! I am going to have to ask you to refrain from using this arm…as much as possible until we return! If you want to keep it!" Shii explained in a hurry while Zoi clenched her teeth with a humiliated look in her golden eyes.

Nako stood with a clipboard in hand while she surveyed the warrior with a flinching expression before she cleared her throat to speak to the captain.

"So anyway Captain…" Nako trailed off with a shudder when Zoi's eyes pierced her soul.

"Ah General Nako. Can this wait?" Zoi asked in a terrifying voice while Nako quickly nodded with a pale countenance before stepping back into submission.

"Good. I hope she loses her arm." Mai snorted with a roll of her eyes while Ty Lee nodded in agreement.

"Me too! She isn't pink at all!" Ty Lee agreed in an unusually stern voice while Azula glared at the two of them.

Only for all three of them to furrow their brows in puzzlement when Elle stood up with her backpack over her shoulders.

"What are you doing servant?" Azula inquired in a curious voice only to gaze on in bafflement when her pet smiled back at her.

"To make a new friend and sue for peace! Worry not my friends! I shall return shortly!" Elle declared in an innocent voice while her big sister's sunk back in horror just as she began scampering down the hill.

And the princess just blinked after her admirer while she watched the girl run up to the warrior's side.

"Elle…" Ty Lee groaned with a fond shake of her head while her fellow noblewoman folded her angered arms over her breasts.

'Damn it Elle…why do you have to go and help her?' Mai thought with disbelief in her tawny eyes.

But she knew the answer.

It was because Elle had an open heart and the girl didn't hold a grudge.

At least…not in most circumstances.

"Captain." Saro called out with his words causing Zoi to turn her head around to notice Elle running up to her.

And strangely enough to his surprise the lethal warrior did not lash out when the young girl ran up to her.

"Hello!" Elle greeted with a wave while the captain's glare lessened ever so slightly.

"Hello…Elle." Zoi answered in a curt voice with the nurse cleansing her wounds while she met the younger girl's gaze.

"It's possible that I can be of use! I have some medical supplies in my bag." Elle offered to the surprise of those in the camp while Zoi's golden eyes widened in surprise.

And some even turned to gaze at the strange girl in suspicion that she had ill motives.

"That…won't be necessary. I can clean the captain's arm just fine with…this salve." Shii stated with evident suspicion in her voice while the young girl's shoulders slumped ever so slightly.

And Team Azula gazed down in disbelief and even a small bit of anger that their young friend was viewed as an oddity even in their own camp.

Just like back in Harbor City as they saw with the bullies, the merchants and even General Bujing.

The girl doesn't fit in with the rigid Fire Nation culture.

As a result, people distrust her.

Even though Elle was the kindest soul there was!

The princess rolled her eyes with a twinge of anger in her cold stare while she watched the scene below.

'Please! It couldn't be more obvious that Elle isn't an assassin!' Azula thought with a snort of blue fire briefly escaping her nostrils.

This too…she will have to mend.

It will not do to have her lover distrusted by her own people.

"That call is not yours to make. It is mine…bring it closer…Elle. Let me have a look at your supplies." Zoi remarked in her usual stoic voice to the surprise of many while Elle raised her head to smile brightly back at her.

"But...Captain." Shii protested weakly only for Zoi to glare at her icily before she relented while Elle sprang forward with bounce in her step.

The other soldiers and workers stared at Elle in a margin of distrust.

While Zoi watched observed her with a curious eye when the girl began digging in her backpack.

"I have….an antibiotic cream that will help prevent infection. And…a burn gel." Elle answered with an unwavering smile while Zoi gazed down at the two tubes in mild puzzlement.

"I have…never seen these labels before…" Shii muttered after leaning in to survey the supplies with a baffled look in her eyes.

Only for the ever-cheerful girl to smile knowingly.

"That's because I am not from around here. But that doesn't matter! I would like to help!" Elle assured with a quick nod while some gazed at her in increased distrust only for Zoi to wave her hand in the air.

"May as well try. It can't make this wretched day any worse." Zoi snarled with her golden eyes glaring up in the other noblewoman's direction.

"I…assure you Captain it very well could." Shii advised in a concerned voice while Elle set her first aid kit on the forest floor.

Just where…is this girl from?

These supplies were not Fire Nation, or Earth Kingdom and most certainly not Watertribe!

"You speak of poison Shii?" Zoi questioned in an unconcerned voice while she gazed at the other woman's grimacing face.

"Not necessarily poison…" Shii trailed off only for the famous soldier to chuckle in amusement.

"Be assured my friend…that if anyone poisons me. I will start cutting down everyone around me at random! Not even Princess Azula will be safe! I will take as many with me as I can! Starting with that Saolin clan whore!" Zoi announced in a frigid voice with now nearly a hundred people staring at her in a mixture of shock and fright.

All except for Elle that was.

And not one voice dared to question the legendary soldier's ability to prove her boast.

Many people gazed up at Azula's tent with terrified eyes while the princess still gazed down with equally frightening amber golden eyes.

"Just put the damn cream on! It's not poison!" Azula bellowed in a fed-up voice with her childhood friends staring down in disappointment.

Mai most of all.

And then to the further surprise of even the captain herself the young girl began wiping down her burns with a fresh cloth.

"You would not only give me supplies to treat my wounds…but you would apply it yourself…even though I wish to kill your…friend?" Zoi asked in a taken aback voice with a hateful emphasis on the word 'friend' while the girl continued to applying the antibiotic to her wound.

And despite Mai's reservations she could only sigh heavily.

It was obvious that Elle was too kind to ignore the injured.

No matter who it may be.

"That's so! I hold you no ill will! Consider this…a token of peace and friendship!" Elle chimed with her mistress rolling her eyes up on the hill while the warrior stared at her incredulously.

"Peace and friendship from the Saolin clan?" Zoi inquired with an edge to her voice while Elle spread the cream down her bicep.

"No…from me!" Elle exclaimed in a kind voice while Zoi's golden eyes widened in a rare sense of confusion.

Up on the hill Ty Lee found that she couldn't help but smile despite how much she disliked Zoi.

"You gotta admit Azula. Elle is quite good at getting violent, uncooperative people to see the ways of peace." Ty Lee commented with a nod while Azula rolled her amber golden eyes once more.

"Only some people Ty Lee. Not all." Azula snorted with a hand on her knee while her lifelong friends grimaced in agreement.

"Friends…me and you?" Zoi repeated in a softer voice while Elle now spread the burn gel across her arm without complaint.

The encampment could only watch in astonishment to see that the strange young girl was successfully convincing their infamously vicious captain to sit still so she can treat her wounds.

A feat that that had their nurse gazing on in complete bafflement.

"If you want!" Elle replied without delay while the nurse took to assisting her in her task.

"Fine. But this…changes nothing between me and the Saolin clan." Zoi grunted with her lips entrenched in a scowl while she grudgingly allowed the two to apply the gel to her arm.

"You…have some medical experience." Shii muttered from where she stood beside the younger girl while Elle smiled sweetly.

"I would…my mother…she treated the injured." Elle admitted in a reminiscent voice while her highborn friends gazed down in realization.

Azula could only frown once more while she held a hand to her chin.

So…that's why Elle was so insistent on peace.

Her mother was a medic.

"Good…that will be helpful. We are short on help…and we have far too many intolerable brutes to treat." Shii complained with her eyes narrowing at the back of the stubborn soldier's head.

"Oh, would you shut up! What are you? My mother!" Zoi retorted in an irate voice while the two girls worked on her arm.

"Of course, Captain. I would also like to inform you that we lack the supplies to make you a proper cast…so I will simply ask you to act as if it is in a cast." Shii remarked with snap in her voice while the captain gritted her teeth once more.

"Just get it over with then so I can move on with my day." Zoi answered in a bitter voice while she briefly glared up in the direction of her princess's tent.

Three months she mused in resentment once more.

That was when Elle puzzled the others when she handed the nurse the two tubes while she gazed at her in increasing puzzlement.

Only for Shii's eyes to widen when Elle began unbuttoning her shirt.

An action that caused the entirety of Team Azula to nearly fall over in surprise.

'What…is that girl doing!" Azula thought with a brief spark of jealousy in her eyes while she glared down at her captain's bewildered face.

Just when Elle tore off her long-sleeved shirt to now stand in only her light undershirt.

"We…can use my shirt…to make a temporary cast." Elle spoke in a quiet voice while the captain stared at her with her golden eyes that were as wide as dinner plates.

There wasn't a single individual that wasn't floored by the young girl's announcement.

And even one as kind as Ty Lee was just astonished that Elle would do that for Zoi.

Mai's mouth hung open in mutual disbelief while she sank back against the tree.

And for once even Azula was taken aback.

The princess's amber golden eyes were wide in confoundment while she gaped down at her lovely handmaid's now nearly bare upper body.

The entire camp was silent except for the sound of a few people muttering and many people breathing in amazement.

The girl was giving a new meaning to the old saying of what it meant when someone was willing to take the shirt off their back for you.

Literally!

"Y-yes…that would work…for the time…being." Shii stammered in a stunned voice while she watched the girl kneel with scissors in hand as she began to cut up her shirt.

The whole of the camp was speechless while Elle stood up with half of her shirt in her hand.

And Zoi was still staring at her with astonishment in her golden eyes while she numbly watched Elle start wrapping the cloth around her well-muscled arm.

"S-sumimasen…but a shirt is all I have." Elle murmured in a timid voice with her humble words prompting Zoi to turn her head in disbelief.

And Team Azula could only stare down at their young friend in increased bafflement that the girl was apologizing for not having better material.

"What! No! This…will do…just…. fine." Zoi muttered in a noticeably kinder voice as she raised her arm while Elle bound her cast with the mutually shocked nurse's assistance.

All the while more than aware that her princess was glaring down at her with venomous amber golden eyes.

A terrifying gaze that warned her of what would come if she did not express sufficient gratitude.

"That…t-that is good to know." Elle stuttered shyly while the older woman still observed her with an uncharacteristically baffled gaze.

"Thank you…Elle. I am…in your debt." Zoi announced at long last with a newfound fondness in her cold eyes only for the handmaid to shake her head.

"No…I ask for nothing. I help…because I want to." Elle assured with a still persistent smile while Zoi mutely nodded head.

And all throughout the camp people began to mutter to one another about the young blonde.

"Now…I've seen everything." Mai admitted with her mouth still ajar in surprise while Azula's fist continued to clench in her lap.

Ty Lee nodded her head while she gazed down at her foot with appreciative brown-gray eyes.

'Elle…you gave me your blanket to walk on…and Zoi your shirt…you have got to be the kindest person I've ever met.' Ty Lee thought with an emotional nod while she smiled down at her little sister.

"She…truly is the sweetest…isn't she Azula. Azula?" Ty Lee questioned in a confused voice while she turned to her friend only for a shiver to travel down her spine when she met the other woman's eyes.

It was almost ironic.

Zoi could try to kill Mai several times over but as soon as the other woman is gazing at Elle with interested eyes only then does Azula truly become furious.

As soon as both noblewomen noticed the princess's wrathful expression, they both shivered in terror with sweat dripping down their foreheads.

And they both wisely remained silent.

All of the sudden they were beginning to realize that Azula made for the scariest girlfriend in the world!

And it was obvious what set Azula off.

A few moments later the captain flexed her fist in her new arm sling with her golden eyes still gazing at the petite girl in fascination.

And the nurse returned to finishing her dressing of the lesser injuries on her right arm.

And for once the famous soldier did not resist or lash out.

Instead…she was still gazing at the much younger girl with astonished golden eyes.

"Well! I hope that helps! I should probably go help with the rest of the injured! I'll see you later Zoi!" Elle cried out with a wave at the dazedly nodding older woman before she scampered away just as quickly as she arrived.

"Right…. see you later…Elle." Zoi replied in a bewildered voice while her comrades also gazed after the young girl in silence.

"Erm…can we talk now Captain?" Nako requested with a cough while Zoi still gazed after Elle's dashing form.

'That girl…is romance material. If the princess hadn't already snagged her…there are many men and even women that would date that girl in a heartbeat.' Zoi thought with her golden eyes admiring the girl as she scampered off.

"Hello! Can I be of assistance?" Elle chirped with a happy wave of her hand while another nurse quickly nodded her head.

And soon enough Azula's callous ire only boiled over even further as she watched her admirer run from one wounded man to the next.

While many men that were old enough to be the girl's father gazed after Elle with far too much interest than she cared for them to have.

"C-calm down Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a shudder while her controlling friend continued to exhale blue flames after hearing another man mutter how pretty the girl was.

Only to flinch again not a moment later when another commented on her young friend's 'marital potential'.

And soon another saying that Elle was the 'sweetest' they've ever met.

"We told you that Elle would have no problems finding a suitor that doesn't demean her…but you didn't want to listen." Mai stated dryly with Ty Lee giving her a fearful glance while the princess released another exhale of azure fire.

Only for the insane princess to take them aback when she raised her fingers in the air with lightning generating at her fingertips.

And before the two frightened women even had a chance to speak Azula fired a bolt of lightning down at the camp below.

Crack!

The entire encampment turned to watch a tree split in two as it fell with a resounding thud while their princess's unbelievably strict voice cut into the air.

Her terrified friends sat speechless while Azula now stood over them with her right hand extended before her while she glared down at the equally terror-struck encampment.

"That girl is my pet! She belongs to me and me alone! The next person that I catch so much as looking her for even an instant will find themselves facing me in an Agni Kai!" Azula bellowed over the entire camp with her fist falling back to her side while the two noblewomen stared up at her in a disturbed silence.

And with that almost one hundred voices cried out in affirmative while Elle stood with an awestruck blush on her fair cheeks.

The young girl peered up at the princess's callous face with a swooning hand on her cheek that transformed the princess's rage into a pleased smirk.

"O-oh Azula-sama…" Elle swooned in a love-struck voice while she bashfully twiddled her thumbs under the princess's possessive stare.

"You may carry on now!" Azula shouted in a sadistic voice before plopping back down on her ass while her childhood friends gaped at her as if she had just spouted a third arm.

"Uh…Azula…that was a little…overboard." Ty Lee spoke in a still terrified voice only for Azula to continue gazing down with a smug smirk on her red lips.

"Seriously Azula…. you're insane." Mai grumbled with a pale countenance only for her friend to pay no mind to her words.

Leave it to Azula to scare off any interested eyes with the promise of an Agni Kai if caught gazing the girl's way!

"Perhaps…I really should place a collar on her…a collar that says…Azula's pet." Azula muttered with a finger residing under her chin while the two noblewomen shuddered in pity for her handmaid.

The only one who failed to cower was Zoi herself.

The captain just glanced over her shoulder with an amused look in her eyes before turning to gaze past her frightened subordinates.

Yes, she certainly can see why such a lovely girl caught her princess's eye.

"Azula-sama! I'm going to find Ty Lee a walking stick! I'll be right back!" Elle called out with a happy smile while she waved up at Azula's smiling face.

"See to it that you do! If you're not back in ten minutes I'll send armed guards after you!" Azula yelled out with a possessive smirk while her subordinates shook their heads as they watched the petite girl dash into the trees.

'Somehow I bet that anyone down there would allow Elle much more freedom than she will have marrying Azula.' Ty Lee thought with a heavy sigh while she peered back at her spoiled friends gratified smirk.

But even so!

Elle was happy with Azula, and that was all that mattered to her!

It couldn't get any pinker than that!

"Zoi! Get up here! I want to have words with you!" Azula barked with her palms clutching her knees while Zoi sat gazing down at her clenching fist.

Only for her eyes to narrow in anger when her most skilled warrior failed to even look her way.

"Anyhow Nako…you were saying?" Zoi questioned in a taunting voice while the chief pilot stared at her in disbelief.

"Erm…the princess…is talking to you." Nako responded in her usual shaky voice while Zoi turned to gaze up at Azula's scowling face.

"How strange. I didn't hear her say a word. Anyhow…go on." Zoi quipped with the nurse quickly rushing away in terror while the princess narrowed her amber golden eyes in anger.

"I-I uh compiled a list of names of the d-deceased as you requested. But uh…you s-should really speak to the princess first." Nako answered in an increasingly fearful voice only for Zoi to also scowl back at her.

"Give me your brush, ink and paper." Zoi demanded with her good hand extended while Nako fretfully handed the items over.

"Zoi! Come here right now!" Azula ordered in a wrathful voice with her two-childhood friends now scooting away while the captain swiftly wrote on a piece of paper.

"Deliver this message to Her Highness." Zoi commanded to the now terrified pilot who grasped ahold of the paper with a trembling hand.

The entire camp fell into a frightened silence once more while Azula's amber golden eyes were now agape in rage.

Saro could only shudder while he watched from his seat while his captain refused to meet their princess's gaze.

He understood his leader's cause for anger.

But even so.

That did little to still the sense of terror that he felt when Azula's murderous eyes now glared down at them.

Much like a vengeful deity staring down from the heavens themselves!

"B-but…s-she asked for…you." Nako protested in a clearly apprehensive voice while Zoi stood up with her bitter eyes glaring into the forest ahead.

"Just take it to her!" Zoi snapped after she glared over her shoulder at the now cowering young woman.

"Y-yes! R-right away Captain!" Nako squeaked just as she began running up the hill while the princess smashed a fist to the ground in her anger.

"Zoi!" Azula roared with her companions hastily moving away from her while she shook in rage when Zoi began walking away.

"Wouldn't it be something if royalty returned a shred of respect that they demand from their people! Wouldn't that be the day! Three months!" Zoi ranted in a clearly enraged voice as she stomped away with the frightened encampment making a wide berth for her retreat.

The princess's teeth clenched together while she seethed in fury as her soldiers stomped towards the forest.

"Damn you Mai! You are nothing but a liability!" Azula screamed in a growingly hateful voice while Mai shrunk back in dismay under the resentful glare.

"A-Azula…" Ty Lee attempted to plea only for a blast of blue fire to scorch the green grass.

Only for a frightened voice to grasp their attention while they turned to the poor pilot cowering in terror in a bow before the furious princess's boots.

"I-I have a m-message for y-you P-Princess." Nako stuttered in a mousy voice while Azula glared down at her from her seat.

"Then say it, Nako!" Azula hissed as she turned her head when the sound of a tree being cut down resonated through the forest.

Zoi panted with her bangs sticking to her eyes before she charged at another tree while the other soldiers watched in a frightened silence.

Thud!

"J-just p-please d-don't k-kill me!" Nako begged with her face in the grass while she fearfully glanced up at the powerful princess's booted feet.

"I won't kill you! Just read me the damn message!" Azula shouted with a finger snapping in the air while Nako flinched at the volume of her voice and of the sound of trees falling in the distance.

It was becoming increasingly clear to the frightened Ty Lee that Mai would not be getting off with an easy three months.

And she couldn't help but stare off at the cleared tree line in terror while she watched an unseen Zoi cut through her tenth tree.

With only one arm!

"Y-yes Your H-Highness!" Nako exclaimed with a shaken nod as she half sat up to read the note only for her eyes to nearly fall out of her head.

"Well! What does it say!" Azula growled with a boot tapping on the forest floor while her eyes narrowed when the poor woman began to shake even worse than before.

"T-the S-Song clan is a prideful clan…and I am the greatest warrior in the Fire Nation…" Nako trailed off in a gulp while her princess glared down at her.

"Continue." Azula commanded once more with her two friends' also shivering on the sidelines.

"O-oh my…" Nako mumbled vaguely as the words promptly died in her throat.

'That…doesn't sound too promising.' Ty Lee thought while she observed the terrified girl stare up at her leader in obvious horror.

"I-it's…p-probably better if you read it Princess." Nako stated in a shaken voice as she reached up to hand the note to Azula who grasped onto it with a furious fist.

Only for the princess's hand to clench upon the now wrinkled paper in a clear display of rage.

Princess Azula,

The Song clan is a prideful clan, and I am the greatest warrior in the Fire Nation. I have served in your name with pride, in over thirty successful missions! You ask for my loyalty…and then spit on me in return?

I have admired you ever since I heard of your famous victory in Ba Sing Se. You carried yourself with pride, and unlike your father, and brother you backed up your words with action.

I saw a leader that was worth following. I saw a monarch that was worth bending the knee to.

Now…I am not so sure.

I am not a nameless soldier. Nor am I a slave.

I am your most valuable warrior…and I will not tolerate this insult!

I will not tolerate this…hypocrisy…this 'three months' slap on the wrist that you consider punishment.

I expect a satisfactory resolution that will cleanse this insult to my honor.

Or I will withdraw from the war effort and return to my estate until you deliver a satisfactory ruling.

Sincerely,

Captain Zoi

An unfathomably wrathful roar filled the air while the two noblewomen and the young pilot cowered in fear when the message was lit a fire in blue flames.

And then without any warning whatsoever Azula jumped at the speechless Mai before viciously slamming the frightened woman against a tree.

"If she wasn't so fond of you, I would set you aflame! Why don't you get lost and go join Zuko if you want him so much!" Azula snarled before dropping the trembling woman at the similarly shocked Ty Lee's feet.

"P-please A-Azula." Ty Lee murmured in a shaken voice with a hand on the ashamed woman's shoulder only for her leader to scowl down at her in disgust.

"Silence! You seek to ruin me! So Zuko can take the throne in my stead! I see through your treason! Maybe it was you who sent that assassin after me!" Azula accused with a livid finger pointing down at Mai's stunned face.

The accusation hit both noblewomen hard in the chest while they shakily gazed at each other before fearfully meeting the enraged princess's gaze.

"I-I have sent no assassins after you Azula! All I did was protect the man that I love! Wouldn't you do the same for Elle if you return even a fraction of the love that she has for you!" Mai retorted in an uncharacteristically distraught voice while Azula seethed down at her with her eyes briefly flickering in some unknown emotion.

"As of this moment forward your travel privileges are revoked. You and the rest of the Saolin clan will await my judgement for your crimes. And if you ever betray me again…" Azula spoke in a beyond frozen voice with her malicious gaze piercing the guilty faced woman's skull.

She clenched her fist at her hip with her vengeful eyes peering down at her two friends frightened faces before speaking once more.

"I will execute not only you…but all of your family. Is that understood Mai?" Azula concluded in a monstrous voice with her utterly cold eyes staring down at her two friends unfathomably horrified faces.

An ominous wind swept through the air while Mai found herself numbly nodding in understanding.

"U-understood Azula." Mai agreed with an unusually unnerved countenance while Ty Lee still sat in shock beside her.

In all of their years knowing and serving Azula.

This was the first time that they have ever heard her threaten to put an entire family to the sword!

It was clear that Azula was starting to crack under the pressures of ruling as well as the stress that came with being stranded on this island.

Which was to say nothing of the paranoia that attempted assassination left on her psyche.

But even so.

In this moment they realized that they were not gazing up at the face of a longtime friend.

No.

They were gazing up at the heartless face of a terrifying tyrant!

Ty Lee found herself unable to muster up so much as a single word in protest.

And Mai too found herself unable to find the strength to say anything further.

It was only when Nako's voice frightfully called out to the wrathful princess that she finally turned away from them.

And somehow both noblewomen found themselves breathing heavy sighs of relief when that monstrous gaze was no longer bearing down on them.

"M-may I go Y-Your Highness?" Nako whimpered in a low bow while Azula turned to glance down at her with a calmer but still furious gaze.

"You…may…after I am finished speaking." Azula answered in a stern voice with her hands clasped behind her back while the young woman shakily nodded her head.

"Y-yes Princess!" Nako cried out with her brown eyes still staring into the grass.

"Stop your cowering Nako. You have not angered me. Rather…you have pleased me." Azula commented with her rare spark of approval in her strict eyes while Nako's shaking lessened after hearing those words.

The two noblewomen sat in silence as they gazed at their friends back well aware of the meaning in her actions.

Azula's trust in them was vanishing and in its place, she was starting to look to others for counsel in their place.

"I…have?" Nako asked in a relieved voice only for Azula to roll her amber golden eyes down at her in a manner similar to a mother would scold her child.

"I am not even going to answer that. I have decided to reward you…by giving you both the position of my personal royal pilot and a place on my team." Azula announced to the disbelief of all upon the hill while she gazed down at the stunned pilot's face.

"M-me? But I-I'm just a commoner! A lowly…pilot." The now royal pilot protested lamely in an awestruck voice while her princess continued to tower over her.

"Only I may decide your place Nako. You have proven yourself as someone that I can trust. Therefore, I wish to have you close by…at all times." Azula explained with a satisfied gleam in her amber golden eyes while Nako gaped up at her in a speechless shock.

The young pilot found herself at a loss for words.

How was a peasant girl supposed to respond to such a momentous statement?

"Well! Do you accept or do you decline!" Azula snorted with her lips still pursed in a frown while the bowing young woman kissed the grass once more.

"Thank you, Princess! You honor me! Of course, I accept!" Nako in a delighted voice with something akin to a smile while Azula eyed her in a pleased manner.

"Good. Very good. At least I know that I can depend upon you. Unlike some people around here." Azula stated with obvious venom in her voice while she glared over her shoulder at the weapon's experts humiliated face.

"I won't let you down Princess! I…promise!" The royal pilot declared in a grateful voice with a speedy nod while the princess finally waved her off.

"You may go now. I will send for you if I need you." Azula ordered with her hands at her hips while Nako sprang to her feet with noticeable pep in her step that was not present before.

"Yes, my princess! Thank you…for both the promotion and…for leading me through this harrowing day." Nako informed with a hand over her chest before turning to walk away with a relieved smile on her face.

The princess stared after her retreating subordinate with a more pleased look in her eyes than before.

Only to turn to both of her still speechless friends with returning disgust in her eyes just before she stomped past them.

Only to vanish into her royal tent not a minute later while her lifelong friends sat in a disturbed silence.

Not too far away.

Elle sat on the ground with her backpack strung out before her while she gazed down at a small device in her hand.

She stared down with a guilt-ridden face as she thought back to the half lie that she just told her girlfriend.

It was true that she wanted to search for a walking stick…but she had another reason for walking out into the woods alone.

She swallowed down her nervousness after the phone turned on with a brief flash of light.

As expected, she received a low battery signal and an indicator to let her know that she was out of service.

Something that she could have chuckled over if she had not been so unsettled by what she noticed earlier.

After taking off the back of the phone to discover the recording chip she had been shocked to discover that Reiko gave her a modified phone.

Next to the compartment for the rechargeable battery was a custom slot for a single tiny disposable battery!

It was all the more proof that Reiko was somehow involved in her travel to this…other Earth!

"She…she put spare batteries in my bag…I didn't even think twice when I saw them before." Elle muttered with a nervous gulp while she quickly slipped one of the batteries into the back before it could power off.

And just like that she breathed in anticipation while she sat back in the grass with her amber eyes never leaving the menu screen.

She quickly cycled through the menu options only for her fingers to freeze after she noticed that Reiko had loaded data files under the audio folder.

And then with great hesitation she opened the audio folder only for her eyes to widen even further when she noticed a series of files.

All cleverly titled in Japanese so that prying eyes will be unable to decipher Reiko's words.

And then with a brief spark of bravery she hit the play button the first audio file.

And with that she sat there in a stunned silence when the emperor's voice began to play in her ears.

If you are hearing this Elle-chan, then that can only mean that you've turned down my offer. Even though it might seem…as if I am the one responsible for your…predicament. I assure you…I am not. All I did child…was leave you with…a small piece of guidance.

Elle now sat with a hand over her overwhelmed face while gazed down in a growing panic.

"S-she…knew. She…knows." Elle mumbled in a shocked voice while the emperor's smooth voice continued to flow into her ears.

This…was going to happen regardless of what I did. You opened a gateway…a gateway with your power. Had you come with me…I would have been able to explain it to you in a more direct manner that would have left no room for doubt. Sadly…you did not.

Now sunk to the grass in her disbelief while she held onto the phone with a trembling hand.

"I…brought myself here? H-how!" Elle asked herself in a growing panic while she grasped at the grass below her.

Never in a thousand years would she have ever imagined that was the case!

You have a special power. A power like no other. A power that has passed between countless holders throughout the millennia before it found its way into your veins. According to my records…this power is called the Component.

"The…Component…" Elle spoke in a muted voice with her hand tightly grasping the phone.

There is a pseudo space that surrounds our world…and something beyond. In your hands you hold the Component…and this power of yours Elle-chan is the only known force that can grant us passage to the gateway.

Elle sat in a speechless silence while she found herself numbly nodding to the heavy declaration.

This was…so surreal.

Just too unreal!

I want you to do something for me. I want you to discover how you got to…wherever it is that you are. And I…want you to come back. On the day that you finally understand just how you all of this came to be. I want you to return home and bring your power back to me. So, we can open a gateway…and save us all.

"G-go home? To that…h-hell? N-no! Never!" Elle blurted out with a rare sense of anger in her voice while she began to breath heavily.

You are a rare breed Elle-chan. You…are pure of heart. This is both your strength…and your weakness. But unfortunately, I ask that you shed your purity…and open your eyes to what lies before you.

Elle said nothing while her blonde locks stuck to her cheeks as she listened to the emperor's foreboding words.

I am going to force your eyes open and make you stare straight into an endless pit of darkness. You will cry…you will cry a thousand times. You will see this world for what it really is. But fear not…I will patch your mind back together with a vision.

Elle sunk with her hands over her head while she once more longed to never have awoken this power.

"I don't want this. I just…want to spend my days…smiling with Azula-sama." Elle whispered in a broken voice with her head falling into her knees.

I will show you how to get rid of the rot…and together with my Apostles. We will build a better world! We will build a just world! A world where a mother doesn't have to die to protect her child from invading soldiers. That Elle Turner…is what I wish to show you.

"A…b-better world." Elle stuttered in a confuddled voice with a sniffle while she listened to Reiko's final words.

Think it over…and if you find yourself wishing to see me again. Listen to the next recording to find out more. I look forward to hearing from you again soon. Take care…and I hope you find what is lost to you.

Click.

Elle knelt in the grass with her far away eyes staring up into the looming forest tree tops while a lone tear dripped down her cheek.

"I…have already found it. A-and I…don't want to leave her. I…don't want to leave this life. This is…m-my home. Beside…Azula-sama." Elle lamented in a reminiscent voice with her hands falling to her side.

She didn't ever want to leave the Fire Nation.

All she wanted was to serve Azula-sama, for this day, for all of her days, until her last day.

Nothing more, and nothing less.

Just Azula-sama.

AN:

As usual first let me respond to the reviews. Agent Banana, yes I have thought about writing a novel. But I have to have a completely original plot that does not use characters from any copy righted media. This is a bit tricky, especially for a nerd like myself who enjoys focusing on my favorite characters like Azula.

I might give it a go, when I am done with Elle and Azula.

Jadeb.21, thank you for the compliment!

Carre, that is quite a lot to respond to but I will try.

I understand why you mentioned all of that and believe me, it has great historical significance. However, I just have way too many plot points to cover. I have over one hundred plot points to fit into book one alone. Some plot points, are an entire chapter. Some plot points become five other plot points by the time I get to writing them.

Fitting all of that historical stuff in the story would be a whole chapter most likely, which is at least ten thousand words. I may get some of it in eventually, but I can't say for certain right now.

And as I said, Elle has missed out on about three years of her education. Right now, she's behind. She'll catch up eventually, and possibly be even more educated than the average person in her world once she reaches young adulthood. The reason being is that she can learn and expand her knowledge from the history of two different worlds.

If Elle talks about too many historical events, it will seem like she is reading from a wikipedia page. And that would look like a plothole then, if she is suddenly a historical expert.

That doesn't mean that she won't talk about one or two more historical events as the plot goes on. But there is a limit to her knowledge.

And secondly, while I understand what you are trying to say in regards to educating Azula. And I had that idea myself, which is why Elle told Azula about Julius Caesar becoming popular by treating his people well.

I want Azula to learn from her own experiences with her people, I want Azula to learn to treat commoners better from personal experience that she will gain from interacting with a great many people. I think that it will be a more profound chance if she learns from her own people. Rather than a historical story from another land.

And to answer your question in regards to Rieko. No.

There is no connection between my Akame Ga Kill story and my Avatar story/and Elle's Earth.

Rieko is her own character, and wholly separate from what Esdeath. The only thing that they have in common is that they both have elemental powers that relate to ice.

And I would like to ask you not to draw plot connections between this story and another. Especially a story that I may not continue.

It is far too much work to work on two big stories at once. I wrote that story a few years ago when I was less experienced and my grammar was much worse than it was now.

I enjoy writing Azula much more than I do writing Esdeath and I will be completely honest. I most likely won't be continuing with the General and Her Slave.

I have so many plans for Elle and Azula that I just won't have the time to continue it.

And regarding Mai and Ty Lee receiving an upgrade. I can't say for sure yet. In their case there isn't as much to upgrade as there was with Azula. Azula is a firebending prodigy, and her fire burns blue. That alone meant that she could have the potential to do so much more than we saw in the show.

Ty Lee specializes in acrobatics and chi blocking, and Mai is a weapons expert. Eventually, I will have them train their bodies further. But I don't know if they will gain more abilities so to speak. They may. But I haven't wrote it yet.

And in regards to Sozin. I haven't watched the Legend of Korra yet. And I was not aware of that comic stating that Sozin outlawed same sex relations.

I went back and edited Mai's remark regarding Sozin being popular with the people in the previous chapter. To any of my loyal readers out there, that is now gone. That was the only mention in the story of Sozin being popular and I decided to edit it.

And I have to admit that Sozin seems more like an ass than I remembered after reading his wiki page.

But even so!

I do appreciate you bringing that to my attention.

Let me be clear on this, I think that it is ridiculous and impossible to outlaw same sex relationships. There is no way that Sozin could control if two men or two women decided to date one another. That is just unfeasible.

However, perhaps in my story same sex marriage will be illegal, NOT same sex relationships outside of marriage.

I think I will probably go with that. This would mean that if Azula becomes Fire Lord that she can distinguish herself from her ancestors and cast down their bigotry by declaring same sex marriage legal.

Anyhow, thank very much for your interest in my story. All I ask is that you try to be patient and wait for the details to come about naturally. This story is a slow burn. It doesn't all happen in one chapter.

Now, in regards to my afterword.

Just to be crystal clear! Zoe isn't going to pursue Elle as a romantic interest. Zoe was just floored by Elle offering to give the shirt off her back for her.

There were many people there that could have given there shirt for Zoe, and Elle was the only one who was willing. It wouldn't have been the end of the world if Zoe didn't get an arm sling. But Elle wanted to extend her hand in friendship to Zoe, and it worked.

Zoe is a woman who has been at war for much of her life, and she is exhausted and stressed out over the whole affair. To Zoe and all of the other soldiers in camp, Elle was much like a beacon of light.

The reason why Zoe commented that Elle is prime romance material is because to a soldier like her, Elle would make a wonderful wife. Zoe was basically saying that she thought that Elle would be a lovely person to come home to at the end of the day after the battle is done.

And Zoe was also looking at Elle in a mostly physical attractive aspect. Zoe is bisexual, and she was pretty much saying that she would be down with sleeping with Elle.

That said, Zoe was basically just saying that she thinks that Elle is sweet and lovely, and that she would consider dating her if Azula had not claimed her.

I just wanted to be clear with everyone in regards to that. So, people didn't start expecting Zoe to fall in love with Elle. Because that won't happen.

And regarding Ty Lee's blanket cast. I will be upfront. I don't know if you can make a temporary cast with a small blanket. Given that this is a fantasy story anyhow. We'll just pretend that it can.

And Elle may not have known if it would or would not work. It could be completely useless, and only serve as cushion for when Ty Lee is off her feet. The point is that Elle cares about Ty Lee, not the blankets effectiveness.

And yes, Azula was being quite perverted this chapter.

In the next two chapters, we'll get to see the sexual tension between the two, mostly on Azula's end. They won't have sex, but they will get naked in the springs and Azula will amuse herself. This is probably the closest we'll get to a lemon in book one.

Azula wants Elle, but she is still going to wait for Elle to hit sixteen.

And lastly, Rieko.

Rieko left Elle a series of prerecorded messages. Rieko is a strategic genius, she anticipated Elle turning her down so she left her a series of messages that only Elle can read. As for what information is on there, we'll just have to wait and see.

As for what Rieko wants from Elle, we'll have to wait for that as well.

This serves as a small glimpse of just how manipulative Rieko can be. She knows that Elle will be desperate for information after finding herself lost in another land. So, she left her little tid bits of information that may or may not be true.

Even if Elle disbelieves her words. She will eventually find herself feeling tempted to hear what Rieko has to say.

And yes, Elle did purposefully sneak away from Azula. Elle didn't want Azula to find out that she was checking her phone. And Elle is going to hide this from Azula for the time being.

She has two reasons for doing this. One, she doesn't want to talk about her fear of returning home any further. Elle is pretty much living out escapism. She is finally happy, and that means that she would prefer not to talk about the bad.

And secondly, Elle knows that Azula will almost certainly seize the phone and tell her to listen to her, not Rieko.

The whole reason that Elle feels compelled to listen to Rieko's recordings is because she wants to know what Rieko knows.

And she is worried enough to hide it from Azula.

I also want to say that there is more to Elle's power than meets the eye. It isn't as simple as Elle fell through and popped out in the Fire Nation. There is great deal that Rieko is keeping from her. But like all things, we'll have to wait to find out.

And lastly, we received a huge hint over how arrogant Rieko can be. Underneath her kindly exterior she showed us a tiny glimpse of her hubris. Rieko is assembling a fighting force of gifted people that can manifest chi offensively as an inhuman power.

And the name of her fighting force? The Apostles. The subtle meaning behind her declaration is that her fighters are her Apostles, and that she is the god who leads them.

Anyhow! That's the last that you'll hear from Rieko for twenty or thirty chapters.

Stay tuned next time for chapter forty-six! In the Springs!