Hey everyone.
I am back with another update.
As usual, I want to thank all of you that favorited, followed and reviewed my story since the last chapter. And I also want to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported me in the reviews.
I deeply appreciate it.
As always, please continue to favorite and follow as you read along.
As I stated last chapter, this one is much shorter than the others. Next chapter we will be a long one once again.
And without further ado please enjoy.
The Girl in Red – Chapter Seventy-Two
"Red hair…I have never seen red hair before…" Jiao muttered in awe as she stood at the back gazing at the unmoving girl.
"What nation…are these soldiers from?" Zoi pondered in an awestruck voice as she surveyed the weaponry in unhidden curiosity.
Is it really possible that other worlds truly exist?
And even more baffling!
Could there really be a gateway of sorts between their worlds?
"This…is the supersoldier that you have told us about Elle?" Mai asked in a wary voice while Elle numbly nodded her head.
It had not escaped their notice that Elle had not once taken her wide eyes off this Naoki's motionless face.
"Naoki…an interesting name." Nako mumbled in shock while she surveyed the device going off at her feet in wonderment.
It was almost like…the device that she just recently constructed!
"Y-yeah. It's her. And these are government soldiers. Were government soldiers." Elle breathed in quiet voice with her eyes gaping at the scene before her.
"A covert invasion in my country?" Azula hissed in a furious voice as she strode forward with her cold eyes sweeping about.
It seems as if she will truly teach these people a lesson sooner than she first thought.
"What do we do Azula?" Ty Lee questioned with her brown-gray eyes gazing wide down at the blood-stained grass.
Only for the voice to call out once more just as they watched in shock when Elle sprang forward with a rock in hand.
And not a moment later…
Smash!
The device shattered into numerous pieces while the seven stared down at their young friend's panting face.
"Hey…I was going to study that!" Nako protested in a disappointed voice while the princess frowned in agreement.
"I-it's too risky! We need to make sure that we destroy all of their communications!" Elle blurted out in a panic as she gazed up at her princess's stoic face.
"Zoi! Saro! Search their corpses and make certain that you leave nothing suspicious intact!" Azula ordered with her burning fists at her hip while her soldiers nodded in understand.
"What do we do with her?" Saro inquired in a cautious voice as he knelt inspecting a corpse while Azula pursed her lips into an even deeper frown.
"Wake her up and interrogate her." Azula spoke in a glacial voice as she glared hard down at Naoki's unconscious face while Zoi nodded in affirmative.
"Understood Princess." Zoi agreed as she strode forward only to pause when Elle called out to her.
"D-don't touch her! And don't walk near her! She's extremely dangerous and highly volatile! All you will do is provoke her!" Elle explained in a hurried voice as she shakily stood up while Azula let out an arrogant snort.
"Please! Don't make me laugh. This one hardly matches the stories that you have been so vividly telling me." Azula remarked with a haughty smile as she waved a dismissive hand in the air.
Only for her two-childhood friends to roll their eyes as they gazed at the slain men lain out before them.
"Yeah Azula. Real harmless." Mai stated in a monotone voice while her friend glared at her from the corner of her eye.
"She might look harmless but I assure you that she isn't. She is much stronger than she looks. T-they turned her into a killing machine. If you disturb her, she is liable to put a hole in you." Elle advised as she slowly approached her prone comrade while the others listened in rising curiosity.
"Given the look of these men…it's probably wise if we listen to Elle." Ty Lee suggested in a nervous voice as she balanced her weight on a tree.
"Hm. You've intrigued me servant. Perhaps if she proves worthy, I will allow her to serve me…" Azula trailed off with a fingertip rubbing the underside of her chin while Mai rolled her eyes.
'Leave it to Azula to want to enslave a former slave…' Mai thought while she gazed at Naoki's sleeping face in pity.
Only to turn her head when she saw Elle walking forward from the corner of her eye.
The group watched in a mixture of curiosity and concern as Elle approached the downed girl.
"If anyone is going to handle her. It should be me. I am the only one that she might hesitate to kill." Elle announced to the surprise of her team as she knelt without warning before Naoki's unmoving face.
"What! Absolutely not! The last thing I need is for you to get another hole in your chest!" Azula snapped as she stomped up behind her handmaid while her childhood friends rushed over.
"Please be careful Elle!" Ty Lee pleaded in sisterly concern as she approached behind her crouched little sister.
Zoi kept a close watch on Naoki through the corner of her golden eye as she surveyed the girl in unconcealed curiosity.
'A supersoldier…' Zoi thought with a piqued gleam in her golden eyes as she quickly walked closer.
"Well! I'm in no hurry to get cut up. I'll just relax over here while you nobles risk your lives." Jiao commented in a lazy voice while the princess glared back at her with icy amber golden eyes.
She was no fool.
She knew that if not for Zoi that she would be put to death for talking like that in front of the Crown Princess.
But she knew well enough that her dragon would never let anything happen to her.
"Naoki…I know that I should probably just leave you here. You intend to commit genocide. If you died here…how many lives would be saved?" Elle lamented in a solemn voice with the others listening in bewilderment behind her.
It was a terrifying statement that made all but Zoi and Azula shudder.
"You're not making me feel any better kid. In fact, she's starting to sound a lot like someone I know…" Mai stated as she gazed at the princess's scoffing face through the corner of her eye.
"Erm…in that case maybe we should just leave her here?" Nako spoke in a shivering voice while Azula rolled her eyes over her fear.
"And yet…I feel sorry for you. I-I know what it's like to have your life taken from you. They did the same to me. And…and neither you or I can ever get that back." Elle muttered in a soft voice as she removed her water bottle form her bag while her companions stared on in a moved silence.
And then she tipped the bottle back against Naoki's parched lips while tilting a small sip into the girl's mouth.
"Elle…" Ty Lee trailed off in a saddened voice as she eyed both girls in sympathy while the princess still watched both closely with her callous amber golden eyes.
"Now I know that you aren't very fond of me. And I know that in the past you have likened me to a spineless worm." Elle commented in a carefree voice while the others gazed on comically behind her.
"She's weird." Jiao quipped from behind them while Nako nodded humorously as she scratched her cheek in agreement.
But even so…
Nako couldn't help but muse that she found Elle quite likable.
"But you did save my life twice now. And I can't just ignore that. I owe you a debt. So, drink up." Elle instructed in a caring voice with her amber eyes shimmering in emotion while Naoki swallowed the mouthful of water.
The seven never once took their eyes off Naoki's unconscious face.
"Childish peasant. You are far too carefree for your own good." Azula snorted with a roll of her eyes while she supervised the two with a keen eye.
"Maybe so Azula-sama. But my mother taught me to follow a path of love and peace." Elle replied with a smile on her lips while her princess groaned as she rubbed at the bridge of her nose.
"Love and peace…" Azula sneered in a haughty voice only for Ty Lee to swat her shoulder pad.
"I think that's beautiful Elle. The world needs more love and peace." Ty Lee remarked with an emotional nod while Azula scanned her fingernails with a bored scoff escaping her lips.
"Love…and peace…" Zoi spoke in a reflective voice as she stared down at Elle's back with a spark of protectiveness in her eyes.
It was a foreign notion to a soldier like her.
And yet, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of emotion deep inside over the girl's innocent words.
"It's not too late for you Naoki. There's hope for every last one of us. I know it! Maybe…all you need is a little kindness to help you find your way." Elle mumbled in a heartfelt voice with a hand reaching out to touch Naoki's shoulder.
"You've got a good heart…Elle." Mai spoke up with a small smile on her lips as she watched protectively from the rear.
"If you really believe that you can change the world with peace and love then you are even more naïve than I had taken you to be. But at this point…it doesn't surprise me." Azula declared in a conceited voice as she shook her head with a fond sigh.
Her pet was such a strange one.
But to her liking all the same.
"That's so Azula-sama. But…it's what I believe. Eek!" Elle squeaked all of the sudden to the alarm of her friends when Naoki coughed in her sleep.
Only for Azula to roll her eyes while the others stared on in amusement behind her.
"That was really pathetic Elle." Azula commented with a snort while she tapped her fingernail along her bicep.
"I-I can't help it Azula-sama. If you knew her you would be wary to touch her too. They put her through hellish training. They taught her to cut people open without regard for if they are enemy, ally or civilian. If you do anything that jostles her then she will kill you just like that. It's very sad really. She's…basically a living weapon." Elle insisted as she sat up with her heart racing as she gazed at Naoki's still sleeping face.
The others quirked their brows over the unnerving description while the warrior stepped forward.
"Then perhaps it is best if I carry her?" Zoi pondered in a composed voice with the others turning to nod in agreement.
"Ugh. So, now we have to cart a fourth commoner around with us? What do I look like? A pet shelter?" Azula snorted in a smug voice with a finger raised in the air while the commoners in question gazed at her tall back.
"Five. You left me out Princess." Saro replied in a humored voice while the princess eyed him in a smug fashion.
"You are such a pompous ass Azula. You know, that right?" Mai inquired with a roll of her eyes while the princess regarded with a cold stare.
"N-no. I'll do it." Elle answered as she bent over while her companions watched in uncertainty.
Just as she slid her arm around Naoki's shoulder while she pulled the unconscious girl to her feet.
"Fine. I suppose I will permit it servant. If she proves useful then I may consider gracing her with my greatness." Azula sighed with a hand sweeping through her dark hair while she smiled smugly.
Only for her two childhood friends to groan behind her.
"I rest my case." Mai muttered as she gazed on attentively while Elle began to carry the slumped over redhead on her shoulder.
Just as all seven of them noticed in alarm that Naoki was still clutching her blade.
A sight that had Ty Lee gazing on with worried brown-gray eyes.
"Shouldn't we take her weapon?" Saro asked in a wary voice while Azula scowled as she watched her girlfriend carry Naoki passed out on her shoulder.
"N-no. She's much less likely to hurt us if we let her keep her weapon. It's safer…if we let her keep it." Elle explained in a soft voice with her backpack on her other shoulder while Azula scowled at her.
"Zoi. Don't take your eyes off that girl. Not even for a moment." Azula ordered with a hand on her hip while the captain nodded.
"I don't know about this Elle…" Ty Lee trailed off with a frown while she stepped close to her adopted sister.
"Really oneesan. It's fine. She could kill me in a heartbeat with or without the sword. This way…it could be seen as an offering of peace." Elle responded with a nod while her friends gazed on unconvinced by her grim words.
"Impressive training…even in her sleep. She still holds onto her sword." Zoi stated as she began to walk with her golden eyes still surveying Naoki's sleeping face.
"Like I said. I will be watching this peasant friend of yours closely." Azula informed in a cold voice as she walked beside her pet while she gazed on with possessive amber golden eyes at Elle's lovely face.
'It will not do to let my pet to come to harm. Not…again.' Azula thought with a rare spark of emotion in her frigid gaze while she clenched a fist at her hip.
"And these men Princess?" Nako queried as she stood gazing down at the slain men.
"Leave them. We will return to collect any valuable equipment on the way back." Azula commanded as she took a long stride with her boots hitting the forest floor.
"Good. Let's return to the pathway then. If we find nothing, we will make camp before nightfall." Zoi spoke as she strode along with her hand over the hilt of her blade.
"When this is over Zoi. I expect you to take me somewhere nice." Jiao huffed as she followed after her partner while Azula rolled her eyes at her once more.
"Sure, Jiao. I am certain that Princess Azula wouldn't mind putting the war on pause for a few weeks so we can elope for a night or two." Zoi quipped with a smirk on her lips while her princess glared back at her.
"Keep dreaming peasant. You mean as much to me as a pebble in my boot. Take that for what you will." Azula mocked in a cruel voice with her childhood friends gazing at her in exasperation.
And yet even still.
She couldn't help but find herself pondering just how these soldiers and this…girl got here.
'What is it that I don't know that they do?' Azula thought with her nostrils releasing a snort of blue fire while she pursed her lips into a fierce snarl.
She will find out soon enough.
Make no mistake about that.
Soon enough they stepped back onto the seemingly endless forest pathway as they prepared to continue their quest.
This despite their uncertainty over their newest 'companion'.
All the while equally paranoid of the mysterious puppeteer making yet another attack on them if they were to so much as to drop their guard for even a moment.
Only to find themselves gazing on with widened eyes when the vast forest started to shift around them.
"W-what's happening?" Nako blurted out in a fearful voice as she gazed on in amazement at the shifting trees.
As the others did the same in an equally perplexed manner.
"The trees…they are changing." Zoi commented with her alert golden eyes staring on in wonderment as the forest warped around them.
"Is this an illusion?" Azula pondered in a cold voice with her amber golden eyes narrowing as she watched the forest take shape around her.
Her right hand rested atop her sword as she stared on with her eyes widening ever so slightly as she spun around.
The forest pathway was vanishing!
Only to stand in shock as she watched an enormous shimmering tree begin to appear before her very eyes.
"Captain…it looks like you were right after all." Saro stated in an awed voice while his leader nodded numbly.
"I hate to say it but it seems as if she was." Mai spoke in a hushed voice as she watched with her mouth agape in amazement as the vast tree took shape before their eyes.
And just like that.
A massive tree with a door of some kind built into its base now stood in view.
And in the distance beyond that, there was a hill with what appeared to be an old observatory and another building of some kind situated upon it.
And Elle was now peering on in fascination with Naoki still unmoving over her shoulder.
Her amber eyes widened in childlike awe as she watched the door open up before them.
"Wow. I was beginning to think that it was just an old fairy tale." Ty Lee murmured in excitement with Azula staring on in uncharacteristic fascination beside her.
"Me as well." Jiao agreed with her blue eyes watching in fascination as a figure began to step outside of the opening in the tree.
"Woah! It just appeared from nothing!" Elle chimed in an excited voice with her amber eyes agape in marvelment while she watched an old woman come into view.
Only For all eight of them to gaze on in even greater shock than before.
Exiting was an elderly woman that looked as if she had seen decades more than even the likes of Lo and Li!
The haggard old woman stepped out with a wooden staff in hand as she now gazed back at them with glazed over golden eyes.
Her raggedy gray hair flowed in an unkempt mess behind her as she muttered under her breath while the expedition stared back at her in disbelief.
All the while taking in her weathered robes that swayed in the breeze while the old crone seemingly gazed back at them.
"Peasant! Are you this old sage that I have heard so much about?" Azula demanded in a spoiled voice while her lifelong friends gazed at her back in severe disapproval for her rudeness.
"Azula." Mai complained in annoyance over the princess's rudeness.
Only for the elderly sage to speak at long last.
"I am. And you are a rude one. I don't usually show myself like this but given nature of my visitor I don't really have much choice. Now do I?" Mava muttered as she slowly stepped forward while the group listened in rising interest.
"It pleases me that we are in agreement. It isn't every day that a princess goes through this much trouble to visit an old hermit like you." Azula scoffed with smug smirk on her beautiful lips while she stood with her fists on her hips.
Just as her friends groaned in embarrassment over her gigantic ego.
Only for the others to watch in amusement when the old crone scoffed in return while the princess glared down at her.
"Princess? I'm not here for you Rude One. Get lost!" Mava snapped in a dismissive voice as she turned away from the princess's now narrowed amber golden gaze while the captain chuckled in amusement.
"Now you listen here you old peasant…" Azula growled with her boot tapping on the forest floor.
"You don't have to be so rude to her Azula." Ty Lee stated in a kinder voice while her friend scoffed back at her.
"It is you…that I am here for." Mava spoke in a grumpy voice as she finally came to a stop standing before the astonished servant girl.
And just like that the captain turned to grace her scowling princess with a smirk that said I told you so.
"F-for me? But Azula-sama is much more important than me…" Elle trailed off as she chewed on her lip innocently while Naoki still hung over her shoulder.
Azula's smug smile returned as she swelled in arrogance over her young servant's undying praise with her fists planted on her womanly hips.
Only for the sage's next words to take each and every one of them by complete surprise.
"Yes. I have been waiting a long time for you…Component." Mava announced in an enigmatic voice with her wise eyes staring down into Elle's speechless eyes.
The fact that the old woman had stated that she had been waiting for Elle was nothing short of shocking to even the likes of Azula and Zoi.
The sage knew that Elle was coming to see her.
And just like that any doubt that they had swiftly dissolved into even greater intrigue than before.
It would seem as if their trip wasn't for nothing after all.
Elsewhere at Boiling Rock.
A prison cell opened up with a prolonged clang while Suki sat in the corner of her cell with her despondent blue eyes staring at her cell wall.
At first, she didn't even bother to glance up at her latest tormentor.
It was only when she heard the sound of quiet approaching footsteps did, she numbly gaze out of the corner of her hateful eye to see a man standing in her cell doorway.
He gazed back at her with sly golden eyes as he rubbed a finger underneath his chin just before he glided into the room.
"Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors. I am Chancellor Terak. And I…would like to have a word with you." Terak greeted in a smooth voice with his robed sleeves folded before him.
He quietly stepped forward with his beady eyes gazing back at the tormented woman's hateful face.
The prisoner did not utter a single word of response as she glared back at him with just a spark of her former self.
'Things are going just as planned. This…should work out nicely in my favor.' Terak thought with a faint smirk on his scheming lips as he strode into the room.
Only for the heavy door to slam shut behind him not a moment later.
AN:
Before I get to the afterword allow me to take a moment to respond to the reviews.
KingZilla, thank you for your support. Naoki is not based on Erza. They have scarlet hair and brown eyes, and that is where the similarities in appearance end. Naoki has a much sleeker physique. Whereas Erza pretty much has the body of a model with large breasts, curvaceous hips, and all of that.
That isn't to say that Naoki is unsightly. She certainly isn't. I am just saying that she has a younger appearance, more undeveloped in terms of her feminine traits like her breasts and that sort of thing.
And as for the arcs, we have five more planned arcs for book one after this arc. But considering that this arc is just starting, that makes six arcs. Because the story is so long, I would estimate another year of book one. Maybe it will be completed sooner. It depends on how fast I am able to write.
I am not in any rush though. I enjoy taking my time with it. And the beauty is that there is so much for me to write. There are so many interactions to explore. And that is why the story is so big.
I plan on sticking with weekly updates for the bulk of that time as well.
Also, I may end up just making this all one super massive book under the same posting. I haven't decided yet. But I may eventually take bonds out of the title and just leave it as the Princess and the Peasant.
And then book one would end at a specified point in the chapter count. And that is where book two would begin afterward.
There will probably a month or so break in between book one and two to allow me to catch up on the new material. But that is a long way off. :)
Agent Banana, thank you for saying so! I am a stickler for detail and I am pleased that you find my death scenes so atmospheric. And I am glad that the story helps you make it through.
Loligang, thank you as well. No, Naoki's age never changed. She has always been about only one year older than Elle. And she is not an ice girl. She is icy in personality because her emotions are suppressed. But her powers don't relate to ice.
Now Rieko on the other hand...is a different story. And no, Naoki is not based on Mitsuru from Persona. I am not familiar with that series.
Anyhow, onto the afterword.
Naoki has not woken up yet. And it will be a bit more before she does. Her introduction in this arc will come slowly. Because there is so much that we have to focus on.
And the reason for that is because we finally met another huge character, the old sage Mava. Her name will be revealed to Team Azula in a later chapter but for right now they will only know her as the sage.
The appearance of the sage marks the beginning of a much deeper fantasy plot. And as we get to know Mava, we will come to learn more about Elle's Component. And why it is more than something that can be used to combat the Avatar.
We'll learn what it does, and once we understand what it does. It will become clearer how Elle disabled Aang last time and what Aang might be able to do to avoid having that happen in the next battle.
I won't say much about Mava because she is a mysterious character. But in case you were curious. She has the ability to cast illusions to hide her home, and she was deceiving Team Azula by making them feel like they were walking down an endless path.
But she ultimately chose to reveal herself when she sensed Elle's presence.
She lives inside a large tree. And that is all I am willing to say about her for now.
And then there's Chancellor Terak. We'll see what he is up to with Suki in about five chapters.
Anyhow, that is all for now.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter seventy-three! The Sage in the Valley!