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The Forgetful Valley – Chapter Seventy-One
The following day…
In the far distance the princess's royal sloop was docked ashore on an isolated beach with countless guards standing on patrol keeping watch down below.
In the distance a single squad of Fire Nation soldiers stood together as they watched with narrowed eyes as the steel tip of a strange partly submerged vessel sailed into the shore.
Only for the lone submerged vessel to slow to a stop before the shore while the oceans waters splashed upon metal surface.
Just as a door in the top of the vessel began to open up while the soldiers shouted out a stern warning to the occupant.
"Halt on the order of Princess Azula! You are under arrest in the name of Her Royal Highness! If you come any closer, we will use lethal force!" Togan shouted with a sword in hand while he glared out at the partly submerged vessel from beneath his helmet.
He was flanked by over twenty soldiers as they all gazed hard at the semi-submersed vessel in astonishment.
In all their years of military service not one of them had ever seen a vessel like this before!
And then they lit their fists afire with their bending when the intruder emerged on the outside of her transport.
Only for their eyes to widen collectively when they watched an ominously cloaked figure stand up on the top of her submerged vessel.
The target wore a long cloak with a white bone mask while piercing dark green eyes now gazed back at them from within.
They tensed up when they watched more figures step out onto the surface of the foreboding metal vessel.
"An insignificant threat…from an inconsequential group of nothings." Silah spoke in an emotionless voice with cables protruding from underneath her sleeve while the soldiers fell into formation.
The waves crashed against the shore while Togan stared out with his eyes narrowing before he yelled out an order.
"Attack! Dispatch the target!" Togan bellowed before he fired his grappling gun into the side of the motionless vessel.
His comrades roared in sync as they rushed forward alongside him while the cloaked woman stared back at them with cruelly amused dark green eyes.
"Fools." Silah scoffed as she raised her right hand into the air with her fingers flicking downward ever so slightly.
And then just like that the soldiers froze in their charge for the briefest of moments.
The cloaks that their attackers were adorned in were suddenly torn to shreds.
Strange mechanical contraptions now charged towards them with numerous blades projecting from the wrists of the puppets.
While another cloaked figure dropped down into the water.
And then not even a moment later the earth began to shift beneath their feet.
The soldiers resolved themselves to continue their assault.
Only for the sound of screams to begin to pierce the otherwise serene shoreline not even a minute later.
The soldiers never had any chance to react or decipher their opponent's nature.
One by one they were all cut down in rapid succession while the mysterious puppeteer watched with a cold smile from beneath her mask.
'I am coming for you…Component.' Silah thought with a predatory smile adorning her features while steel wires coiled before her face.
Meanwhile…
A group of komodo rhinos now marched across the heavily forested horizon.
Ty Lee rode by herself with her usual grin on her lips while Mai rode adjacent to her left to look out for her.
And beside the two of them Nako awkwardly rode on her komodo rhino while Lieutenant Saro traveled beside her.
In the rear Zoi rode with Jiao smiling sly behind her with her hands wrapped around her lower back.
Azula rode in the front with her cold amber golden eyes glaring over her shoulder at the seductress's smug face.
Too smug…for a peasant!
Elle beamed from her position seated behind her as she scowled down at the girl through the corner of her eye.
And behind them the Dai Li followed at a distance with their hardened eyes gazing ahead in an almost emotionless fashion.
And finally, there was a supply wagon being pulled by a komodo rhino with various foods and emergency stores inside.
Including a portable breathing machine for Elle to use when they make camp.
"It is going to take us at least a few days to reach the Forgetful Valley from these mountains." Zoi commented in a cool-headed voice as she rode up behind her princess with her hands holding the reins of her steed.
Only for Azula to turn around to cast her an irate stare.
"How annoying. This had better not be a waste of my time Zoi." Azula complained in a haughty voice with her body seated regally on her saddle while Elle's hands held onto her armored belly.
"And that's the easy part. The true challenge…is finding the sage's hut. It could take days…maybe even weeks. If we even find it at all." Zoi spoke in a relaxed voice while all but the Dai Li gazed at her back incredulously.
"W-weeks?" Nako asked in a nervous voice with flashbacks to their time on the desolate island while Saro grimaced in agreement.
"Orders are orders." Saro answered with a shrug that was not shared by the two noblewomen riding in front of him.
"Joy. We just spent two weeks in a forest and now we get to do it again." Mai stated in a monotone voice with her annoyed tawny eyes gazing ahead while Azula still glared back at Zoi's calm face.
"Weeks! I am not spending several weeks of my time tracking down an old hag! I give this peasant one day to show herself or I will raze the entire forest!" Azula declared in a sadistic voice with her childhood friends shivering in pity for the unnamed old woman.
There was no doubt in their minds that Azula was the last person that an elderly hermit wanted to meet.
Only for her amber golden eyes to gaze behind her when her young companion tugged on her sleeve with a worried frown that already had her glaring down at the girl in annoyance.
"Don't do that Azula-sama…think of all of the forest animals." Elle spoke in a gentle voice with Ty Lee grinning over in her direction while Azula let out a snide snort.
"Foolish girl. As if I care about the forest animals." Azula snorted in a cruel voice with her girlfriend still hugging her belly.
Only for their collective attentions to be regained by the captain as she spoke up once more.
"But I strongly feel that it is worth our time. I believe that there is some credence to her reputation." Zoi announced from her saddle with a small smile on her lips while Azula rose a brow in curiosity.
"For your sake…you had better be right." Azula replied in a cold voice as she turned to gaze ahead only for her eyes to glare in annoyance when the seductress began to sigh loudly.
"Is there a particular reason why we couldn't just take an airship Zoi?" Jiao queried in a nosy voice with her sly eyes gazing up at Zoi's stoic face while several others nodded in agreement.
"We'll never find her in an airship. The rumors claim that the old sage is adept at hiding from intruders. As soon as she hears the roars of the airship, she will be impossible to find. The only way we are going to find her…is with a thorough search." Zoi spoke with a contemplative gleam in her golden eyes while her partner sighed in boredom once more.
And the other members of the expedition pondered those words while Azula scowled as she glared off into the trees.
Well aware that Zoi had a point.
Anyone who would go to such measures to hide themselves from civilization will almost certainly hide in some far away hole when they hear the arrival of a warship.
Only for her callous eyes to glare down in annoyance when she caught sight of her girlfriend petting the komodo rhino's head while the beast let out a bellowing growl of approval.
Everyone watched the princess cry out in disgust when the animal nearly drooled on the girl's face.
Elle laughed happily as her two of her three big sisters gazed at her with a softened look in their eyes.
And her most recent and coldest sister was just gazing at her with unhidden amusement in her eyes as she chuckled over her princess's outrage.
"That's disgusting Elle! Stop that right now or you won't be sitting beside me for the entirety of this entire trip!" Azula roared with a pretentious look of revulsion in her eyes while Elle pouted up at her.
"Now that's not very nice Azula-sama! Hooch deserves to get some love too!" Elle chirped with a proud smile on her lips while her princess scrunched up her nose in disgust.
Ty Lee giggled from her seat with Mai smirking in amusement beside her as they gazed at the odd couple.
"Hooch? You decided to name this creature?" Azula inquired with a groan while she glared down at the komodo rhino's slobbering face.
"Yep! And that's Archie! And that's Spike! And that's-" Elle blurted out only for Azula's hand to clamp down over her mouth while her girlfriend glared down at her with irate amber golden eyes.
While many members of the group listened in amusement.
"These creatures have no names! They are beasts of burden and nothing more!" Azula barked in a cold voice as she removed her hand from her handmaid's face while Elle pouted behind her.
"Aww! Don't be such a meanie Azula! I for one think that's a very pink idea!" Ty Lee chimed in with a grin while Azula scowled over at her.
"You would Ty Lee. You would." Azula sneered with a snort as she returned her gaze ahead.
"Ty Lee's right Azula-sama! You should really open your heart more to nature! A wise man once said that those who are in tuned with nature are able to find true peace within themselves." Elle advised in a helpful voice with a bright smile as her backpack hung over her shoulders.
The others listened in entertainment while the princess's amber golden eyes narrowed in returning aggravation.
"Childish peasant!" Azula scoffed in a haughty voice with Elle still holding onto her toned belly while Ty Lee giggled once more.
They managed to ride in relative peace for a few short minutes.
Only for Azula's bad mood to return when she caught sight of Ty Lee riding up close beside them while Elle began loudly chatting with the smiling Ty Lee.
Just as she gripped her reins with her callous eyes glaring over her shoulder murderously when Elle proudly flashed her poem.
"What's that little sister? Azula wrote you a poem?" Ty Lee asked in a cheerful voice with her words causing the princess to halt in her advance.
Azula's amber golden eyes now widened furiously while Mai now gazed at her back in amazement.
And Zoi for her part was smirking tauntingly in her direction.
"Ty Lee." Azula hissed with her eyes taking on a more ruthless tint while she struggled to keep up her regal image.
"Mhm! It's called Conquer You!" Elle chirped in a jubilant voice with a blissful sigh escaping her lips while she slid the poem back in her pocket.
"So, it was a poem." Zoi taunted with sass in her voice that earned her a merciless glare from her princess.
"That is so sweet of you Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed in a gushing voice while Azula ground her teeth together in annoyance.
"Knowing Azula…I presume it was a twisted poem." Mai commented with slight amusement in her bored eyes while her leader glared back at her.
Only to gaze on in amusement when she watched her adopted sister swoon with her hand on her cheek.
"Oh, it was so romantic oneesan! Azula-sama says that she is going to conquer me and crush my defenses! And that if I don't bow before her then I will never again rise above the ashes of my shame and humiliation!" Elle cried out with delight in her voice while all but her girlfriend gazed at her incredulously.
The two noblewomen and the pilot could only gaze in humor at the younger girl's cheerful face.
Azula held herself high with her beautiful lips curving into a confident smirk.
"Well! I think that sounds just too pink!" Ty Lee called out in an amicable voice as she relaxed her injured foot in a special foot harness on the side of her steed.
"Well…like I said…" Mai trailed off in a sigh as she gazed oddly at Elle's joyful face.
Agni only knows that Elle deserved to be happy after everything that she has been though.
"She even said that she would burn me to ashes in her flames if I defy her…" Elle sighed in a love-struck voice with Ty Lee stared on in humor beside her.
While Nako and Saro did the same.
It was pretty much an unspoken agreement that Azula would begin to kill people in their group at random if word of her relationship with the strange blonde ever broke out.
Given that no soldier wanted to wake up to Princess Azula breaking down their door.
It only served as motivation to maintain only the upmost level of secrecy lest they earn their princess's murderous wrath.
"Zoi?" Jiao began in a silken voice while Zoi glanced down at her with calm golden eyes.
The other three highborn women gazed at the commoner in mild annoyance as she leaned in closely to the older woman's side.
"What is it Jiao?" Zoi pondered in a cool voice only for her golden eyes to flash in entertainment when a hand slid down her side.
"Care to make this ride a little more interesting?" Jiao purred in a honeyed voice with her hand sliding down Zoi's womanly thigh.
Elle gazed away with an innocent blush on her cheeks while Azula glared at the two from over her shoulder.
"There's no way that I am watching this." Mai grumbled with her nose wrinkled in distaste as she glared at Zoi's smiling face while Ty Lee blushed beet red beside her.
"That depends on what you have in mind Jiao." Zoi replied in a playful voice that was earning her another glare from her leader.
"Absolutely not! Save it for camp fall Zoi!" Azula barked in a controlling voice only for her soldier to pay her no heed.
The seductress smiled against the taller woman's back as she continued to slide her hand between the warrior's legs.
While all but the Dai Li and Azula turned red as they made certain to gaze away.
"They say that the mighty Dragon of Clan Song never loses focus. Not even for a single moment. So…how about we test that theory? Hm my bold dragon?" Jiao remarked in a beyond alluring voice with her finger already slipping below the noblewoman's pant line.
Nearly everyone in the group stared at the two incredulously as the warrior seemed to smirk in approval of the idea.
"W-well! I think that's my cue to ride ahead." Ty Lee stated with a great blush on her cheeks while Mai moved ahead with a revolted look in her eyes.
"Fucking minx. She's so beautiful but I would never let her near my coin." Saro spoke in a deadpan voice with his golden eyes briefly gazing at the scene in a measure of jealousy.
But damn was Jiao an expert at making her targets think that she would never do such a thing.
The three highborn women, Nako and Elle listened with varying expressions while the warrior continued to ignore the princess's glacial stare.
"How charming." Mai snorted with her hands grasping her reins while Zoi smirked back at them.
"Now that…Princess is why I brought this beauty." Zoi boasted with a lecherous smirk on her lips while Azula rolled her eyes at her back.
Only to quickly gaze away when the seductress's hand began exploring between the warrior's thighs.
"Is that something that we are going to do someday Azula-sama?" Elle queried innocently from behind her princess while the older girl stiffened as she glared after the amorous duo.
Ty Lee and Mai now blushed as they tried to push the thought of Elle pleasuring Azula on a komodo rhino out of their minds.
"Elle…don't worry about any of that until you turn sixteen." Azula lectured in a sigh with her finger rubbing the bridge of her nose while Elle cuddled into her armored back.
"As you say Azula-sama. Always as you say!" Elle agreed in a dedicated voice with her words earning her a gaze of approval from her mistress.
Only for Zoi to quickly slap away Jiao's hand not a moment later while the others sighed in relief that the captain wasn't going to engage in a public display.
"You don't want it?" Jiao asked in a return to her bored undertone while the other noblewomen gazed at her in disbelief over her perverted behavior.
"Not now. We're being watched." Zoi announced in a return to her focused voice with her frigid golden eyes glaring ahead while her words provoked a sense of alarm from the others.
The princess halted in her seat with her cold eyes gazing around while her crimson lips pursed into a tight scowl.
'Is it that puppeteer still following us? That shouldn't be possible! There should be no way that she could survive the assassination force that I dispatched on the shore!' Azula thought with a puff of blue fire escaping her nostrils.
The expedition rode closer to one another as they made their way through a clearing.
Before they could comment any further.
They froze in unison to find themselves gazing up at one of Zoi's soldiers hanging suspended by a rope from the tree line.
A look of horror formed in Ty Lee's eyes as she halted beside the mutually unsettled Mai as they gazed up at the bleeding man as he swayed in the winds.
"N-not this shit again!" Nako protested in a frightened voice while Elle hid her face behind Azula's angered back.
"Togan!" Saro shouted in alarm as he leaped off his steed while Zoi stared on with a spark of rage brewing in her golden eyes before she dismounted from her komodo rhino.
Jiao watched with a barely perceivable look of pity in her blue eyes as the noblewoman approached the hanging corpse.
"There's no way that woman could have defeated the entire patrol." Azula stated with her teeth ground together while Zoi walked forward.
Just before she came to a stop as she skillfully cut the hanging man down before she caught him with the help of her comrade.
The two soldiers stared down with enraged eyes as they knelt to check the man's pulse.
Only for all eyes to gaze on in surprise when the brown-haired man abruptly coughed up blood while Zoi gazed back down at him with a focused calm in her trained eyes.
"Someone get this man a drink!" Zoi ordered in a tone of great authority that even Azula took seriously.
"Yes Captain! Straight away!" Nako called out as she jumped down while dashing towards their supply wagon.
Only for Team Azula to turn around in alarm when they watched Elle jump down with a water bottle that she tore out of her backpack.
While paying no mind to the shouts of her girlfriend to stay back.
"Foolish girl! Don't go over there!" Azula demanded with her beautiful lips pursed into a moody scowl just as she leaped from her steed.
Zoi glanced over her shoulder for a brief moment before she nodded at Elle in appreciation just as the girl dropped to her knees beside her.
"Zoi! Give him my water!" Elle implored in a selfless voice while the captain nodded numbly as she placed the bottle near her dying comrades' lips.
Just as the two noblewomen came rushing over with their eyes agape in terror and concern.
There were very few people capable of hunting Fire Nation patrols and massacring them with ease.
Anyone that could do this…
Is almost certainly capable of so much more!
"Drink Togan…" Zoi urged in a controlled voice just as her subordinate took a gasping sip while the princess and her friends approached from behind.
"What happened soldier?" Azula questioned in a voice of regal authority while she stared down at the man's bloodied face.
"Azula! Let him take a breath!" Mai exclaimed in an unsettled voice while Azula glared at her through the corner of her eye.
But due to the severity of the situation the princess chose to let it slide.
Elle knelt beside Zoi and Saro with her hand gently touching the man's shoulder as he moaned in pain.
The fact that the girl had rushed forward to assist a man that she didn't even know was not lost on a single member of the expedition.
"T-the target overwhelmed us. We…didn't stand a chance." Togan spoke in a parched voice as he drank another drink of water while he lay there with his hazy eyes gazing up at his captain's enraged face.
Ty Lee watched with wetness gathering in her eyes as she shifted nervously on her booted feet.
She was starting to see what Elle was always talking about.
What was the point in all of this needless carnage?
"How many were there?" Zoi pondered in a forced calm she placed her hand on her soldiers weakened shoulder as he lay back in the grass.
"She…she had a legion. At least thirty…maybe forty or fifty." Togan muttered as water spilled down his chin while the group stared down with shocked looks in their eyes.
"She…brought more rebels with her?" Saro asked in a searching voice with his teeth clenching in his anger.
Only for the group to gaze on in confusion when the man lamely shook his head.
"N-not men…puppets…" Togan breathed as Elle gazed down at him with a tear dripping down her cheek while the rest of them now gazed down in complete bewilderment.
"Puppets…she slaughtered an entire patrol with toys?" Mai repeated in an unnerved voice as she took a disconcerted step back.
As Azula gazed on with her callous amber golden eyes shimmering in fury while trying her hardest to quickly put all of the information together.
It was more than evident that this target of hers was no mere nonbender.
She was something…more.
But what?
That was the nagging thought that would not leave her brain.
"I…see. Say no more Togan. Just…take a rest." Zoi instructed with a hand on her knee while her partner still watched from their komodo rhino.
"I-is there anything we can do?" Elle stammered in a sensitive voice as Zoi glanced at her with a recognition in her frigid eyes.
Only for her heart to slump into her stomach when she caught the meaning behind the older woman's stare.
"Azula…" Ty Lee stated in an uncertain voice with Azula still scowling down at the dying man only for her friend to ignore her plea.
"Captain…did I bring us closer towards victory?" Togan pondered in a fading voice with his weakened eyes gazing up at the noblewoman's stoic face while the more emotional people present felt their hearts twist after hearing those words.
It was a question that no soldier would ever think to ask Azula as their very life force fades from their veins.
Yet once more…
Another key difference between Zoi and Azula was on full display for all to see.
It was now plain to see even to Mai just why the woman that she so heavily hated up until now.
Now…she wasn't so sure.
That was when the princess and the two noblewomen watched in amazement when the captain took the man's palm in hand.
"Yes! Thanks to your strength we are now one step closer towards victory. Well done comrade." Zoi announced in a serious voice as she nodded vigorously while Azula gazed on with a taken aback gaze.
Elle tipped the bottle against the soldier's lips once more while she hung her head in respect.
"Good…tell my father that I…" Togan trailed off as his eyes abruptly closed while Zoi's dark hair shadowed her eyes as his hand slumped to the grass below.
And with that a poignant sensation washed over the air as the expedition gazed on in a grim silence that the man had passed away before finishing what he had to say.
Nako stood apprehensively watching the scene with her legs shaking beneath her as she failed to suppress the shudder that was traveling down her spine.
The fact that that could have just as easily had been her was not lost on her.
"He's gone." Saro mumbled in a furious voice as he hung his head while Zoi stared down with rage in her golden eyes.
Elle shakily stood up with Ty Lee already pulling her back while she bit her lip as she gazed down at the man's lifeless face.
Just as the unsettled group watched the captain wordlessly turn her departed comrade over while hissing in anger.
"Princess…she left a message for us." Zoi commented in a forced composure while the princess stepped past her unsettled friends.
Only to gaze down with widening golden eyes that now flashed in even greater fury to see a long overripe apple hanging from the soldier's back.
An eerie sense of stillness swept through the air as Zoi stood up with the apple in hand while she read the carving in the rotted fruit.
You are my prey.
Azula's eyes now flashed in rage as she clenched her burning fist with her teeth ground together as she glared down at the apple.
As Mai still stood behind her with her mouth agape in an unusual sense of apprehension.
The meaning behind the message was all too clear to the three who had briefly encountered their mysterious assailant on Shantu Island.
The three highborn women instantly flashed back to the burning apple tree.
Only for the warrior to drop the fruit to the ground before stomping on it with her heavy combat boot.
The fruit squelched beneath her heel while she snarled with her bangs shadowing her razor focused eyes.
"W-what do we do Azula…shouldn't we go back?" Ty Lee inquired as she gazed imploringly at her friend while the princess glared at her for even suggesting that they flee.
Only for the captain to answer before the princess could get a chance to formulate her thoughts.
"No. There is no point in going back. It is us that she is after. She will just follow us back to the warship…which will result in a slaughter for the people who cannot defend themselves." Zoi rebutted in a cool-headed voice with the others gazing at her back in shock while Saro nodded as he stood up.
"Are you serious? So, we're just going to act like this freak isn't stalking us?" Mai questioned in a pissed off voice while Ty Lee led Elle back to the komodo rhino.
"I did not sail all this way for nothing! We continue!" Azula snapped as she turned around with her icy gaze glaring back at her nervous friends while the captain stared down at the lifeless soldier.
"However, we should make one alteration to our plans…" Zoi spoke with her princess turning around to gaze back at her.
"Oh, and what would that be?" Azula pondered with a tilt of her head while Zoi turned to meet her gaze.
"We should continue on our own while the Dai Li head back to the royal sloop and send for reinforcements. And protect the ship and the people inside it that cannot defend themselves at all costs." Zoi replied in a stony voice as she turned to Azula for final approval while the others gazed at her in surprise.
Only for the princess to wave a hand in the air as she sighed.
"Fine. Do as Zoi suggests. Go back to the ship." Azula remarked in a tone of finality as the Dai Li bowed before them.
"Understood Princess! Captain! We will do just that." Raolan called out as he turned around with his comrades following silently after him as they mounted their steeds once more.
"Do not let the enemy inside the royal sloop. No matter what happens do not allow the people inside that ship to come to harm's way." Zoi stated as she gazed on with hardened golden eyes.
Just as the earthbending assassins nodded curtly before they rode off without another word.
The princess then turned away with her face entrenched in a dignified stare while she stomped back to her komodo rhino.
Her callous amber golden eyes instantly honed in on her young serving girl seated nervously on the animal.
Just as she effortlessly leaped back up in front of Elle while she turned to glare down at her trembling pet with an imposing amber golden gaze.
"You stay right there and do not take your hands off my stomach! Is that understood peasant!" Azula bellowed in a domineering voice as she turned back with a cold scowl adorning her lovely lips while she felt two dainty hands wrap around her belly once more.
She let out another dominant snort with blue fire escaping her constricting nostrils.
While letting out a low growl as the much shorter girl hid her tiny face in the crook of her tall back.
"Y-yes Azula-sama." Elle murmured in an obedient voice with her face buried in the older woman's curvaceous body.
She took comfort in listening to the powerful woman exercise her authority over her as she snarled above her.
"As your ruler I will protect you because you belong to me." Azula spoke in a merciless voice with her cold eyes gazing ahead while her young girlfriend burrowed into her lower back.
"M-my Fire Queen…" Elle trailed off in a meek voice with her eyes hidden in Azula's much taller while she relaxed as she heard the older woman let out another forceful snort.
Just as the large animal began to move ahead while everyone else gazed back to see the two soldiers paying the man their final respects.
Nako hesitantly jumped back onto her steed while she shuddered with Mai leaping onto her own beside her.
And Ty Lee did the same.
And then soon enough the sixsome watched in an unsettled silence as the captain set the man afire with a blast of her firebending while she inclined her head in recognition.
Before turning around with her comrade following after her just as she leaped back onto her komodo rhino in front of the unusually calm seductress.
Zoi ground her teeth together in her fury while she felt the younger woman's hands slide around her belly.
They began to ride out with her lover gazing at her back in silence as they rode together once more.
While their supplies were now being pulled along by their two spare komodo rhinos.
Only for Zoi to take them all by surprise when she abruptly shouted into the treetops.
"I know that you are out there! Watching us! Following us! Just as you have been doing for weeks!" Zoi shouted with her eyes gazing around calmly while her princess did the same.
Of course, it was no surprise when the warrior failed to elicit a reply.
Yet even so…
That did not stop her from trying.
"I don't know what you are. And I don't know what your power is! But I can already deduce that your strength largely comes from the element of surprise. You hide yourself now and you strike in ways that we cannot understand…and yet I can't help but wonder if I discover the mystery behind your power…" Zoi declared with her fists gripping her reins while Jiao gazed at her back in bewilderment.
Mai and Ty Lee exchanged a worried glance as they gazed back at Azula while their two friends rode ahead of them.
Just as the captain spoke once more.
"Will you be as formidable out in the open as you are skulking about in the shadows?" Zoi pondered in a bold voice with a stern look in her stoic eyes while her two fellows' nobles and the pilot spun around to gaze at her incredulously.
"P-please don't taunt the psycho Captain!" Nako pleaded in an unsettled voice with the princes briefly turning around to roll her eyes back at her.
Only for all eight members of the expedition to turn their heads when they heard the faint swishing of something cutting through the air.
Just as the seductress jumped back with startlement flashing in her blue eyes after something large flew at them from the forest canopy.
The group paused with their eyes widening in amazement to see that captain had caught a mechanized puppet in her right fist.
The puppet writhed and thrashed with its jagged blades trying to tear into the warrior's jugular while she gazed back at it with glacial golden eyes.
Just before clenching her fist as she smashed the skull of the puppet into countless pieces while the others watched in astonishment.
The princess gazed back at her soldier with her amber golden eyes widening ever so slightly as she watched the contraption's face crumble in the warrior's fist.
The greatest enigma of Zoi was how the woman managed to maintain such an unusual stamina while almost never using her firebending.
And if there was one thing, she hated it was when an answer to a question evaded her brilliant mind!
Perhaps, that was why she found the warrior so fascinating?
"What…sort of weapon is that and how does she control so many at once?" Ty Lee questioned in a still unsettled voice as she frowned while gazing at the now unmoving weapon.
"Perhaps she has some way to bind them all together?" Nako suggested in a helpful voice while Azula glanced at her in approval from the corner of her eye.
Once more she was pleased to see that there was more to her skittish pilot than she had initially presumed.
"Impressive creation. She has her own army that have no mind of their own…" Zoi trailed off in a contemplative voice before she threw the broken puppet over her shoulder.
Just as it rolled in the dirt with its crushed face gazing up into the forest canopy while the princess sneered down it as they rode by.
"You are going to regret crossing Princess Azula." Azula snorted with fire exuding from her nostrils before she turned to gaze back ahead while her Elle still hid in her lower back.
Despite her fury over being stalked and upon being informed that one of her patrols was slaughtered by the enemy.
She couldn't help but feel relieved that her little girlfriend was unharmed.
That was when her ears picked up the faint sound of her serving girl whimpering pitifully while she let out another loud growl in the hopes of quieting her pet's whines.
She turned around to gaze down at the petite girl with fire snorting from her nose once more while her serving girl trembled under her glare.
Only for her unforgiving amber golden eyes to take on a pleased gleam.
When her little handmaid adorably burrowed her face back into her tall back with her arms tightly wrapped around her armored belly.
Before she finally turned away with an approving look in her eyes when the girl ceased her whimpers.
'The girl believes in my rule…' Azula thought with her crimson lips just barely curving into a proud smirk despite the situation that they were in.
The captain rode in relative quiet with her younger lover's hands still holding onto her belly.
Only to turn around to glance down at her lover through the corner of her eye when she caught sight of the seductress leaning into her back.
"Are you alright Zoi?" Jiao questioned in a guarded voice with Zoi's eyes flashing in a hint of surprise before she nodded curtly.
"I'll be fine Jiao. I wasn't the one that died. Thank you though." Zoi responded in just a sliver of a softer voice with her muscular arm reaching around to touch the shorter woman's shoulder.
Such affection was unlike her Jiao.
But she knew that despite the woman's horrid reputation that her lover had at least a measure of some genuine affection for her.
"My big strong dragon…" Jiao muttered with a smile on her lips while she reached out to place her face in her powerful lover's bicep.
"Jiao…" Zoi spoke with a ghost of a smile cracking on her lips while she allowed her seductress to lean against her muscular arm.
And with that the warrior rode along with her lover clinging onto her side while she gazed ahead with her golden eyes once more taking on a more ruthless tint.
This puppeteer…
Is going to suffer for killing her people.
As will…the Dragon of the West and his band of mismatched rebels.
Four days later…
The expedition had reached the Forgetful Valley two days prior.
With no further sightings from their mysterious pursuer.
They had already spent the last two whole days combing the eerie valley to find the so-called elusive sage.
To that end they left behind their komodo rhinos near the river while they now trekked out on foot in search of their target.
Along their way they passed numerous strange markings.
Including that of a large rock with the outline of a face etched into its stone surface.
But yet there was no sign of the fabled sage.
And suffice to say it was already beginning to wear on Azula's nerves!
"It has been two full days and I have yet to see this old crone much less any sign of human habitation!" Azula complained in a beyond irate voice while Elle followed after her with her amber eyes agape in great awe as she took in the massive forest canopy.
"Patience Princess. We'll find her eventually." Zoi assured in a nonchalant voice as she strode ahead of the group while Azula now glared at the back of her head.
"You have been saying that for two whole days now." Mai snorted as she wiped the sweat from her brow while she paused to wait for Ty Lee.
Ty Lee's foot was healing up at a rapid rate but it would still be about two more weeks before it was fully healed.
As a result, Ty Lee was not able to travel as fast as Zoi and Azula.
"That's because unlike you Saolin. I am an experienced tracker. Which is more than I can say for you. You can't even track your fiancé." Zoi called out as she bent over to inspect the grass with cold golden eyes while her partner angrily swatted at a flying insect.
Only for all members in the group aside from Elle to begin to twitch their eyes in annoyance when the two were soon back at it once again.
"Why don't you go get lost and go elope with your little gold digger." Mai retorted in a venomous voice while Ty Lee sighed heavily behind her.
"Go suck a cock Saolin. I am certain there are many forest animals out here that would be happy to oblige you." Zoi sneered with dirt in her open palm as Mai glared down at her back while Azula gritted her teeth in annoyance once more.
Saro trudged along with an amused look in his golden eyes only to flinch when his princess's intimidating voice cut through the air.
"Silence! Or I will kill the both of you!" Azula bellowed in a terrifying voice while Mai turned to scowl off into the tree line.
"Zoi! There are far too many bugs out here!" Jiao exclaimed in a spoiled voice while she followed after her casual lover.
Only for the princess to scoff snidely in her direction.
"It's the woods Jiao. Of course, there's going to be bugs." Zoi stated in a sigh while the younger woman huffed behind her.
"Why don't you ever travel anywhere pleasant! You have all the money in the world and yet when I travel with you, I feel as if it's a downgrade from my old commoner house in Fire Mountain!" Jiao shouted as she stomped behind Zoi while the others stared on comically from behind.
The warrior sighed under her breath before turning to gaze up at her displeased companion.
"Jiao…one must maintain discretion when pursuing a wartime enemy." Zoi answered in a sigh before turning away once more.
"Commoner housing…how low class." Azula mocked in a conceited voice with Ty Lee turning to cast her a disapproving glance.
"Yes. How low-class. Not everyone is born into an enormous palace." Jiao spoke in a snappy voice with the others freezing up in fear behind her while the princess now stared murderously at her back.
"Did you…just backtalk me?!" Azula hissed in a violent voice with her lifelong friends sighing behind her.
Only for her anger to grow even greater when the girl never even turned to look her way.
"I lived in what you would consider commoner housing for many years when I was growing up as a child Azula-sama." Elle chirped form behind the princess while Azula turned to cast her a lessened glare.
"Frankly I don't care if we even win this stupid war! I just want money!" Jiao yelled out as she pushed a branch out of her eyes while Azula still glared after her.
"Really? Perhaps I should have you put to death for saying those treasonous words." Azula declared in a callous voice as she strode beside her girlfriend only for her eyes to narrow when the woman had the gall to laugh at her.
"Azula…" Ty Lee attempted to reason while her friend still glared icily after the seductress.
"I hate to break it to you Your Highness. But you highborn are the only ones who even care who wins the war. Most of us regular people in the Fire Nation don't care. It doesn't matter to them who sits on the throne." Jiao explained as she turned to gaze back into the princess's angered amber golden eyes.
"You dare to speak to me in such a tone! I'll teach you a lesson in respect peasant!" Azula snarled with lightning crackling at her fingertips while the others stared on wide eyed.
Only to find herself tensing up when a hand grasped onto her wrist as she glared down at her handmaid's innocent face through the corner of her eye.
"You aristocrats are really something else. You can't even properly feed your own people and then you demand our absolute obedience! It's no wonder that the peasants are starting to riot!" Jiao retorted in return with her words causing the three highborn women to stare on in confusion.
Mai and Ty Lee now wore another guilty look in their eyes with Azula still glaring at the woman beside them.
"What riots?" Azula demanded in a glacial voice with her cold eyes burning through Jiao's skull.
"The peasants are rioting? Where?" Mai asked with genuine concern in her voice unlike Azula.
Saro wisely kept his mouth shut as he now knelt beside Zoi as they carefully scanned the forest pathway for any sign of footprints.
Nako glanced up from her work with a look of concern in her intelligent eyes.
"You didn't know? The peasants have started revolting against the Zanoda clan. The Zanoda clan says that they must pay their tax…even though many people are going hungry because of a crop shortage…working themselves to near death in the rural farmlands for you aristocrats. All the while the fat governor and his family eat like kings. So, the peasants decided that they aren't going to pay any more taxes to the Crown." Jiao informed in a smug voice with the three staring at her in alarm.
The kind hearted Ty Lee shifted in worry for their fellow hungry people on her booted feet while her fellow noblewoman did the same.
The princess ground her teeth together as fire exuded from her lips.
"Have they now? I suppose when we finish up here. I'll just have to go teach these rioters a lesson." Azula announced in a pitiless voice with her two childhood friends now staring at her back in disgust.
"Y-you're going to go help those peasants right Azula-sama? You'll give them food, won't you?" Elle pondered in a sweet voice with her hand tugging on the older woman's wrist while she scowled down at her.
"I will do as I please servant! I am the one who is the Crown Princess of this nation not you!" Azula huffed in a conceited voice with a hand on her hip while her serving girl smiled up at her once more.
"W-wakarimashita Azula-sama." Elle mumbled with a shy smile on her lips as she beamed up at her mistress's divine face.
"Princess! It looks like we've found something!" Nako called out as she knelt behind the captain while the princess turned to approach them.
The two noblewomen now followed after them with unhidden worry over the newest development.
Yet for the time being.
They knew that there was nothing they could do about it right now.
Instead, they knew it was more prudent to focus on the mission at hand.
"It's…a footprint…" Ty Lee trailed off as she bent over to gaze down at it from behind Zoi.
"Is it the puppeteer?" Mai questioned as she leaned down with her arms folded over her breasts.
"People travel through the Forgetful Valley in seek of assistance from the spirits from time to time. It could be a civilian." Saro suggested as he gazed up at Azula's composed face while the princess gazed down at uncovered footprint.
"It's not the puppeteer. She wouldn't leave a trace…unless it was on purpose. I say we go this way. What say you Princess?" Zoi spoke up as she stood up with her finger pointing down a forest path to the right.
Azula turned to gaze down it with cold amber golden eyes before she waved a dismissive hand in the air.
"Fine. We will go that way." Azula commented with her fists on her hips while she began to walk down the pathway.
All the while gazing out of the corner of her eye to make certain that her pet was right behind her.
Only for her cold eyes to take on an approving gleam when she noticed that the girl was already following after her footfalls.
And then she exhaled flames from her nostrils before she turned to glare ahead.
At least she knew she could count on her little serving girl to remain loyal no matter what.
And with that the other six members of the group followed after their princess.
Hours later…
The group trekked along with their youngest member gazing around with innocent awe in her amber eyes while her big sisters smiled down at her back.
Just as Ty Lee giggled when the girl pulled on the princess's wrist once more while she followed the direction of her young girlfriend's finger.
Only to groan under her breath as she watched another bird fly by them.
"Did you see that bird Azula-sama!" Elle exclaimed in a chipper voice with a wide smile while Azula rolled her eyes down at her.
"Yes peasant! I saw the stupid bird!" Azula snorted with her boots stomping along the floor while she allowed her pet to rush alongside her.
"The forest is so beautiful Azula-sama. We should do this more often!" Elle chimed as she strode beside her girlfriend while the much taller woman let out a snide snort.
Only for the group to suddenly come to a stop one after another to see that the path was now forking into five directions.
The expedition exchanged uncertain looks while the captain and the princess gazed back into each other's eyes.
They carefully scanned all three pathways for any indication of which one to go down.
"How are we supposed to know which path to go down much less if any of them lead to anything at all?" Ty Lee questioned with confusion in her brown-gray eyes while Azula frowned as she carefully gazed at the forked road ahead.
"They…all seem completely identical. And the footprints that we were following are now gone." Nako spoke in a puzzled voice as she gazed between the pathways while Saro did the same.
"If there isn't anything of value out here Zoi. I swear I am going to kill you." Azula threatened in a callous voice while her soldier studied the forking ground lain out before them.
"Perhaps we should split up?" Saro pondered as he turned to gaze at his leader's stony face only for Zoi to adamantly shake her head.
"No. That would be foolish. With Ty Lee's injury only four of us are reliable fighters. Splitting up would only make it easier for the enemy to kill us one by one." Zoi responded with a hand under her chin while the others barring Azula nodded grimly in understanding.
Only for all seven of them to gaze over their shoulder in surprise to see that Elle stepping towards the second pathway.
"What is it Elle?" Mai inquired as she turned to gaze at her little sister's back.
As Elle chewed on her lip as she gazed down the long pathway.
Her amber eyes stared down the pathway while her princess stepped up behind her with a brow arching curiously.
Just as her amber eyes widened when she felt something…profound flow through her.
And just like that her hands fell to her sides while the others watched in confusion as she took a step forward.
"There's…something about this one Azula-sama." Elle remarked in a quiet voice with Azula staring down at her with deadpan amber golden eyes.
"Explain Elle." Azula commanded with a sigh while Elle still stared down the pathway with her amber eyes never gazing away.
"I don't know. It just feels more poignant than the others." Elle answered in an uncertain voice while the others tilted their heads in puzzlement.
"Why don't we let Elle choose Azula?" Ty Lee advised in a helpful voice while her friend turned to scoff at her.
"Let the tiger monkey pick?" Azula snorted in a haughty voice while her childhood friends gazed at her in disapproval.
"She's the Component after all. Whatever that involves. Maybe she knows which way to go!" Ty Lee exclaimed in a supportive voice while Azula rolled her beautiful amber golden eyes.
"The Component?" Jiao asked in a bored voice as she lazily leaned against a tree while Azula briefly regarded her with a cold stare.
"Hm. That isn't a bad idea, Ty Lee. So, you think we should go that way Elle?" Zoi inquired as she stepped forward while her princess turned to gaze at her in mild annoyance.
"I can't really put my finger on it but the flow feels strong this way!" Elle chirped in a return to her cheery voice while the others stared on in humor behind her.
"The flow feels strong…" Azula repeated in a sarcastic voice while rubbing the bridge of her nose impatiently.
Only for all seven of them to watch closely when the girl began to trek down the path.
"I feel as if I am meant to flow this way! So, this is where I am going to flow!" Elle cried out in a carefree voice as she padded down the pathway while her companions gazed after her incredulously.
"Well! I guess that settles it then!" Ty Lee agreed with a grin on her lips just as she began to walk down the path while the princess glared at her.
"She doesn't know where she is going…does she?" Jiao questioned in a wry voice while the others stared on comically once more.
"I guess we should go that way then…" Mai trailed off just as she began to follow Elle while Azula moved forward with a scowl still adorning her lips.
"Indeed. It seems as if our leader has spoken." Zoi commented with a smirk on her lips while Azula cast a murderous glare at her from the corner of her eye.
"Please. There is only one true leader here and her name is Princess Azula." Azula boasted as she began to stride after her young companion while Mai rolled her eyes.
"I don't know about that Azula. Maybe Elle should be Fire Lord for a month and you should be her servant?" Ty Lee giggled as she walked beside her friend while Azula narrowed her amber golden eyes in offense.
"Yes. All hail Fire Lord Elle and her loyal servant Azula." Mai snorted in amusement while the princess glared at her with icy amber golden eyes.
"Shut up Mai." Azula scoffed before she continued stomping ahead while she gazed down at Elle's back as she followed behind her handmaid.
The young girl gazed on with eager amber eyes as she smiled widely while her perplexed companions took to following in her footsteps.
And soon enough the expedition was trekking down the long forest pathway once more.
About two hours later…
Elle blushed as she scratched at her cheek while countless pairs of eyes were scrutinizing her as they aimlessly wandered down the seemingly never-ending trail.
"This path doesn't seem to be going anywhere…" Saro trailed off as he trudged along while the seductress scowled as she followed after his captain.
"Ugh Elle! This is the last time I listen to your 'flow'!" Azula barked in a spoiled voice as she glared down at her handmaid's reddening face while Ty Lee sighed behind her.
"S-sumimasen Azula-sama." Elle replied in a timid voice as Azula snorted over her only for Ty Lee to interject.
"It's not like you had any better ideas Azula…" Ty Lee reminded while the princess turned around to scowl playfully back at her.
"It seems as if we're lost…" Nako commented in a sigh while the others gazed at her in a deadpan silence.
"You think!" Jiao snorted as she stomped along with her blue eyes twitching in aggravation while Zoi sighed as she gazed down at her.
"Worry not my friends! Even if we are lost! And even if we starve in these woods! At least we can take heart in knowing that we flowed together!" Elle announced in a happy voice with her hands on her hips while Ty Lee smiled behind her.
"How is she so hopelessly optimistic?" Jiao questioned dryly while the others gazed on humorously in front of her.
The princess rolled her eyes down at the smaller girl while she glared ahead.
"It pleases me that you place such a high priority on our survival servant." Azula remarked with another snort while she walked with her arms folded over her armored breasts.
Her girlfriend beamed up at her as she skipped along beside her.
"I just go wherever the flow takes me Azula-sama!" Elle exclaimed in a joyful voice as she gazed at the looming trees in awe while Azula rolled her eyes once more.
"Believe me. I can tell. Because right now it seems that your 'flow' has failed us!" Azula complained as she growled while her captain continued to march ahead.
"It's not my place to question the flow Azula-sama. Perhaps this is as far as we're meant to flow. If this is where it ends then so be it!" Elle chirped as she stood aimlessly peering up at the forest canopy while her friends gazed on in amusement behind her.
Only for Zoi to clear her throat as they all turned to glance ahead to see the warrior pointing down the pathway.
"It looks as if the forest is opening up ahead of us." Zoi announced with her hand pointing down the pathway while the others gazed down at Elle's blushing face.
"O-or not." Elle spoke with a flush while Azula stared down at her with imposing amber golden eyes while Ty Lee gently patted her shoulder.
"I can see that your survival skills leave much to be desired." Azula stated in a dry voice as she bumped her hip into her young girlfriend's trembling side.
"Oh, don't be so hard on her Azula!" Ty Lee piped in a supportive voice as she took to walking beside her younger sister while Elle smiled shyly up at her.
"Humph. Childish peasant." Azula scoffed with her backside swaying behind her while she lazily wiped the sweat from her brow.
Timid amber eyes briefly gazed at her round buttocks before the girl gazed away while the others observed in amusement.
"For two whole days it has looked as if we were wandering in an identical maze and now it's just now starting to change?" Mai spoke up in a bewildered voice with her boots striding down the forest floor as she furrowed her brows in confusion.
What a bizarre forest.
"My thoughts exactly." Saro muttered as he gazed around with his golden eyes agape in curiosity.
Despite his skeptical nature.
Even he couldn't help but feel intrigued by the stories of the old sage and the valley that she supposedly dwelled in.
"For once I agree with Saolin. Perhaps there is something to Elle's flow after all…" Zoi stated in an amused voice as she gazed back at Elle's now beaming face while her princess snorted snidely.
Only for all eight of them to stop abruptly in their tracks as they immediately tensed up in alarm to hear a voice in the distance.
A faint, almost garbled male voice speaking in a foreign accent that they were having difficulty making out.
"Someone's here." Zoi declared as she placed her hand over the hilt of her blade while Azula's hands now lit aflame.
"I've never heard that tongue before…what sort of language is that?" Nako inquired in a stunned voice while Azula gazed on with narrowing amber golden eyes.
"Capture them Zoi." Azula ordered in a ruthless voice while Zoi offered her a nod in return.
Only to turn around with her cold eyes gazing down at her servant's pale face as the girl gazed on with wide amber eyes.
They all gazed at the strange girl in puzzlement while Elle nervously grasped at the straps of her backpack.
"Elle?" Ty Lee asked in a concerned voice only to raise her hand in alarm when Elle suddenly sprinted down the pathway.
"Elle! Get back here!" Azula commanded as she darted after her companion with her companions in tow.
And just like that the girl tore into the bushes only for all of them to react in alarm when they heard the young girl scream from the bushes.
Elle fell back onto her rear with her shaking hands now grasping in fright at the forest floor beneath her just as her friends broke through the clearing.
"I-it can't be!" Elle cried out in a stunned voice as gazed on wide eyed at the sight before her while her companions now froze up in shock behind her.
"What are you…" Azula trailed off as she came to a stop over her girlfriend while she gazed on with her amber golden eyes widening ever so slightly.
"What…is this? Whose soldiers…are these?" Zoi asked in a taken aback voice as she stood rigid gazing out at the forest floor before them.
Strung out before them in the tall grass were the slain bodies of several armored soldiers with gear that none of them had ever seen before.
The group stood in a stunned silence while Elle sat with her mouth agape in disbelief.
All eyes soon were drawn to a lone figure slouched over against the base of a huge tree.
A girl of Eurasian descent with short neck length crimson red hair sat with her legs strung out in the grass with her bangs shadowing her closed eyes.
Blood dripped down her cheek as she lay there with her head hanging low and a stained white cloak wrapped hanging from her shoulders behind her.
She looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old.
Around her neck she wore a white scarf that hung limply over her shoulder.
Beneath the scarf they could see bandages wrapped around her collar and she had a ruby pendant hanging from her neck.
Her red tunic blew gently in the breeze with the outline of a white long-sleeved undershirt showing just below her bandaged collar.
Wrapped around her waistline was a thick white sash.
And her white pants stretched out into the grass as she slept sleeping seemingly unawares to her baffled audience.
And over her feet she wore insulated tabi boots.
Her booted feet sat propped up before her with her hands resting in the grass below.
And just below her right hand was a blood-stained sword.
The expedition stared down in amazement to hear the distorted voice coming from something at their feet.
Only to gaze down in bewilderment to see a discarded device laying beside one of the dead men.
While the urgent voice of the foreign man continued to echo throughout the speaker.
"Hello! Is anyone there! Have you secured the target?" The voice called out while the seven gazed down at it in complete bafflement.
Only for their eyes to be drawn back to Elle as she sat up with her back turned to them while they listened to her breath in astonishment.
"Naoki…" Elle muttered in shock while her widened eyes never once left Naoki's unconscious face.
And just like that Team Azula turned back to Naoki with their eyes widening in understanding.
Azula stared down at the motionless teenager with her amber golden eyes furrowing in grudging curiosity.
This…is the supersoldier that she has heard the girl speak of more times than she can count!
"I repeat! Is anyone alive?" The strange voice questioned in a garbled undertone while the group stood unmoving in shock.
"H-how did you get here Naoki?" Elle inquired to no one in particular as she still gazed at her childhood friend's slumbering face.
Whatever the answer to her question may be.
She could only imagine that this was bad news.
AN:
So, let me get to the reviews.
KingZilla, thank you very much for stating that you find my story unique. I love Azula's character, and I didn't want to just write another asylum story. I wanted to write a story where she goes on a journey to become Fire Lord, and where she learns to form bonds with the people around her. And this is the result.
Yes, Azula would probably like nuclear weapons. There will be much for Azula and her team to react to in Elle's world. But that will come later.
Nocturnal Ace, yes, that poem is very much Azula. And I am pleased that you think so as well.
Otakufreak225, we'll see about the dog eventually.
Guest, thank you for the many reviews that you have left. The story is a slow burn, one day is many chapters because I need to show how they are forming their bond. And no, the bow tie thing is not from any other show. It was just a touch that I wanted to add. And by the way, I am glad that you like my action scenes.
Lastly, regarding the hateful review about Elle's Component power.
The Component is the very foundation of the expanded fantasy plot that starts in this arc. It is much more complex than just being a way to counter the power of the Avatar.
The deeper fantasy plot to come would not be possible without the addition of the Component to the story.
There will be ways for Aang to devise a counter to Elle's power. And in this arc, we will start to touch on the lore behind the Component. And we will also receive some hints behind its true purpose.
And I hope that everyone reading the story is truly enjoying the original take and expansion that I am adding into the Avatar mythos.
I am trying to create a deeper plot than simply the Avatar provides balance.
All I can tell you is that if you stick with the story. Things will be explained in time, and you will see that things are not as simple as it may have first seemed back when the Component was first unveiled back in chapter 32.
Now, moving on to the afterword.
The search for the fabled sage has finally begun.
And I hope that everyone is enjoying the character interactions.
And poor Nako is starting to develop a sense of PTSD after the whole island incident.
And the trap that Azula and Zoe left for Silah has backfired.
Silah is finally beginning her hunt. And as this arc unfolds, we'll get to see more of her.
Another thing that I want to touch base on is the peasant riots that Jiao mentioned.
Yes, the Fire Nation is a highly rich nation with an unrivaled agriculture system.
However, they have also been at war for an entire century. And the vast wealth is really only enjoyed by the high nobility and the Royal Family.
I am basing much of this off real life in many other countries that engage in prolonged wars.
The longer the war goes on, the more the Fire Nation takes in taxes, and the more resources start to become strained for the small folk. The peasant class in the Fire Nation are starting to reach a breaking point.
There are only so many times that the Royal Family can demand higher taxes and more young men to send off for Earth Kingdom occupation before the commoners start to riot. And we're at that point now.
The riots will start off small, but eventually expand into a bigger plot for the later war arcs.
And lastly, that brings me to the huge character that received her first appearance in this chapter, Naoki.
Over the course of this long arc, we'll get to discover how those soldiers are making their way into the Forgetful Valley.
Because we have so much to cover in this expansive arc, Naoki's introduction will be slow at first.
We'll also be exploring a five-chapter flashback arc of Elle's childhood, and how she lost everything that she cherished before she met Team Azula. Naoki will play a role in those chapters. And there will also be two chapters that serve as the introduction to Naoki's character that follow directly after Elle's five chapters.
At some point the people in Elle's world discovered that they could produce powerful warriors with chi-based abilities. And Naoki is the ultimate result of that.
In book two and onward, Naoki will have a huge role to play in the story.
And as we get to know her, we'll come to see that while she may seem emotionless and unbothered on the outside. On the inside she is just as lost as Elle.
And finally, just a heads up that the next chapter will be a short one.
Anyhow, that's it for now.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter seventy-two! The Girl in Red!