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Memories Within – Chapter Seventy-Seven
At Boiling Rock.
Suki sat glaring up at the chancellor that now loomed over her.
"Suki…I will get straight to the point." Terak spoke in a crafty voice just as the chained woman lashed out at him.
Only to sink back against the wall with her tormented eyes glaring up at him.
"I don't care what you have to say. I'm not talking to you! So, get out!" Suki exclaimed with hatred lacing her voice while Terak sighed as he shook his head.
"Tsk. Tsk. So presumptive! What if I told you that I could get you and your comrades out of here?" Terak asked in a gratified voice as he knelt down to gaze the demoralized woman into her distrusting blue eyes.
"Do I look stupid to you? Fire Nation scum. I know that you are only trying to toy with my hopes for your own sadistic pleasure." Suki snapped as she sunk back in her chains with her unusually spiritless eyes gazing on ahead.
How could one not be miserable after six years of this…torment.
Locked away in a cold, dark cell away from…
Away from…
Just thinking about Sokka started to bring wetness to her eyes once more as she turned away to pridefully avert her gaze from the chancellor's searching golden eyes.
"Toy? I don't toy. I am not like the others Suki. I am an advocate for peace between our warring nations. But sadly…I do not have the strength to overthrow the Fire Lord and Princess Azula. So alas. We must make do with our circumstances. No?" Terak declared as he gazed around the cell while Suki let out a disbelieving scoff.
"If you're an advocate for peace then what are you doing serving the Fire Lord? Why haven't you joined the Avatar?" Suki demanded in a parched voice while Terak let out a heavy sigh.
"As I told you. We must make the most of what we have. Why join the Avatar and openly announce my treasonous intent when I can plot against the Crown in the shadows?" Terak quipped in a quick-witted voice as he glanced back down at the prisoner's exhausted face.
"Even if you speak the truth. And I am damn certain that you don't. Why should I trust you?" Suki retorted in a voice of great loathing while the robed man turned to smile down at her.
"What choice do you have? Would you prefer to rot here until your hair turns gray? Withering away in chains?" Terak questioned in a charismatic voice while Suki shook in her chains as she turned away once more.
"I don't need your 'help'. The Avatar and my friends will save me…I know they will. He'll…h-he'll come." Suki insisted with water stinging her eyes once more while Terak smiled down at her turned back.
"You speak of Sokka? Oh, I take it that you haven't heard…" Terak commented in a manipulative voice as Suki's posture tensed as soon as he mentioned the warrior's name.
And despite the warrior's best efforts.
She couldn't fight down the sense of concern for the man that she loved.
Even still after all this time she loved Sokka.
"What do you mean!? Explain yourself. Was…he hurt?" Suki blurted out in a worried voice while the chancellor sigh as he shook his head.
"Hurt? No. Not hurt. Alive and well. And married. To a Fire Nation rebel." Terak confessed in a cruel voice with his hands folded under his robed sleeves while he watched the hope shatter in Suki's widening eyes.
'Married? He married…another woman and left me here? No! He's lying! He has to be. Sokka wouldn't do that to me!' Suki thought as she madly shook her head with new tears pouring from her exhausted eyes while she slumped against the cold wall of her cell.
"Sokka has abandoned you. There is no one coming to rescue you Suki. You and your friends are going to linger here in suffering until you die of old age. Unless…you do as I say." Terak spoke as he knelt down once more with his cunning golden eyes staring down at the warrior's back.
Suki steeled herself to blink away her tears as she turned to gaze at the man through the corner of her eye.
"Let's say I was willing to consider your words. Why come to me? A prisoner of all people." Suki queried in a distrusting voice with the chancellor seemingly glancing around to make sure that no one was listening.
"Prince Zuko has joined forces with the Avatar. On top of that. The eldest child of the late Earth King Jaran, his true heir, and the rightful heir to the Earth Kingdom throne, Princess Ling, has revealed herself to be alive, and she too has joined them." Terak announced in a hushed voice with his words causing Suki to stare ahead with shock in her blue gaze.
"P-Princess Ling is alive? But…I thought that she and her siblings died long ago. And Zuko has joined the Avatar as well?" Suki asked despite herself with great surprise in her once defeated blue eyes.
As much as she despised Zuko for burning down her village.
If he has truly joined the Avatar…
Which was to say nothing of her astonishment over being told that an heir to the Earth Kingdom Monarchy has survived.
She was well aware that every word this man spoke could be a lie.
But even so…
She couldn't help but find herself hoping that it was true.
All except…for the idea of Sokka and another woman together.
And just like that the pain began to return as she turned away trying her hardest not to cry any further.
"Evidently not. She has been biding her time. And now she has shown herself. Which is why I have come to you Suki." Terak purred as he gazed down at the warriors back while the woman listened closely.
"What…do you want from me and my comrades?" Suki inquired in a guarded voice just as the chancellor leaned in closer to her ear.
And then she felt him breath against her neck as he whispered into her ear.
"I am the leader of a movement to crown Prince Zuko as Fire Lord. Our goal is to change the Fire Nation from the inside. But I can't do it on my own. I need help from capable warriors like you." Terak spoke in a barely perceivable whisper while Suki lay there with her blue eyes widening as she processed his words.
The Kyoshi Warrior sat there with her eyes struggling to decide if she should trust the man or not.
And she almost succumbed to his will.
Until she reminded herself of the old saying.
If it sounds too good to be true then it most likely was.
"Go away! I won't fall for your tricks! Sokka wouldn't abandon me!" Suki shouted with a brief return of her former spirit while Terak recoiled as he shook his head.
"Oh, very well. Have it your way. Perhaps one of your sisters will be more receptive…" Terak trailed off in a sly voice as he stood up while Suki glared up at him.
"You leave my sisters alone. Understand? You leave them alone." Suki remarked in a tired voice while the robed man glided towards the door of her cell.
Just before he turned to glance back at her with his beady golden eyes.
"Despite your rudeness. I will still have the guards bring you food. Maybe after you've eaten…you will be willing to reconsider. It was pleasant meeting you…Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors." Terak called out from the doorway as he opened the cell door while Suki stared after him for the briefest of moments.
Before turning away with her blue eyes staring hatefully at the nearest wall just as her cell door once again clanged shut.
And then after she heard his footsteps fade into the distance, she found herself unable to resist letting out another tormented cry as she sunk back onto her cell cot.
With her blue eyes closing shut as she continually asked herself if Sokka truly did abandon her.
And despite her best efforts to tell herself otherwise.
A small part of her couldn't help but doubt herself and wonder if he did.
The chancellor now strode out of Boiling Rock with a pleased smile on his lips as he chuckled under his breath.
'Indeed. Perhaps another will be more receptive. All I need is one Kyoshi Warrior. Just one…' Terak thought with a hand under his chin.
While he made his way up the ramp of his airship to his next destination.
A Fire Nation penal mine.
One day later…
At a Fire Nation labor camp.
Prisoners were hard at work digging for coal for as far as the eye could see.
A lone prisoner sat in an interrogation cell with her blue eyes glancing about in uncertainty.
The chancellor shuffled forward towards the cell with his conniving golden eyes gazing ahead at the guards standing on duty.
And then the guards gave him a cut nod as they walked away before he opened the door with a key.
And then he pushed the door open while his golden eyes gazed in at the prisoner seated in a chair.
"Greetings Arin of the Kyoshi Warriors. I am Chancellor Terak. I have come to have a word with you…" Terak spoke as he entered the cell while Arin turned to reluctantly gaze his way.
Only for the door to close shut not a moment later.
All the while gliding into the cell with a confident smile on his lips.
He was certain that Princess Azula would be greatly pleased with his results.
Of that he knew he was certain.
Back in the Forgetful Valley.
About an hour later…
Elle now sat at Azula's boots wiping at her eyes with her backpack in her lap once more.
Azula stared down at her serving girl with an unusually attentive scowl on her full lips.
"I still can't believe that her mother was the previous holder." Mai stated in a softened voice with her tawny eyes gazing at Elle in sympathy.
The young girl finally began to calm down as she sat with her head propped up on the princess's thigh once more with the princess's strong hand planted in her hair.
"I'm sorry Elle…" Ty Lee trailed off in a sympathetic voice while frowning over all of the pain that the girl had gone through.
"Is…that why they burned the city down? In an attempt to get my mother's power?" Elle pondered in a deeply bothered voice while taking comfort in knowing that Azula was seated over her.
"Regardless of their reasons. I will kill them for you." Azula spoke in a cold voice with her lips still pursed in a scowl while Elle's head leaned back against her thigh.
"I have a question…who would the power have transferred to if a direct descendant had not been present to become the new holder?" Zoi questioned in an ever level headed voice with her golden eyes expressing a growing compassion for her young friend.
The group turned to the sage with evident curiosity in their eyes while the old woman moved to clamber across the floor once more.
"T-that's a good question…who would it have gone to?" Elle asked as she chewed her lip thoughtfully while Azula held a contemplative finger under her chin.
"The succession of the Component is a highly complicated matter. Even I don't possess a full understanding of the mechanics of it. If there were no direct heirs…there really is no telling who it would go to." Mava replied as she leaned on her staff while the group gazed back in surprise as she came to a stop before a small table.
"If only I wasn't there…it could have gone to someone more capable…" Elle trailed off in a self-conscious voice with her friends gazing on in disapproval.
"Don't say that Elle. You're plenty capable!" Ty Lee assured as she offered the younger girl a reassuring countenance while Elle looked uncertain.
"It is nice of you to say so oneesan…but I don't know about that." Elle muttered as she sat with her chin hanging low while her big sisters frowned over her self-defeating words.
"Kid. You shouldn't beat yourself up like that. I am sure that it went to you for a reason." Mai consoled in a fond voice as she gazed at the smaller girl's as she hid in her knees.
Only for Elle to jump when the princess stomped her boot behind her while her childhood friends sighed over her overbearing behavior.
Although they knew that Azula was only concerned for the girl's wellbeing.
"Say that again and I will burn you to ashes! Is that understood peasant!" Azula bellowed in a supremely authoritative voice with blue fire accentuating her callous image while she thrust a finger in her serving girl's gulping face.
"S-sumimasen Azula-sama! Sumimasen!" Elle cried out as she hurriedly bowed before Azula while the controlling woman smiled down at her in approval once more.
Even the captain and the sage gazed at the spoiled princess in annoyance.
"Oh, very well. I suppose I will forgive you. But should there be a repeat of this I will imprison you until the end of time." Azula spoke in a strict voice as she seductively brushed her dark hair from her amber golden eyes while a refined smile graced her crimson lips.
She took great delight in how her young girlfriend so easily caved into her will.
"Sure, you will Azula…" Mai groaned as she shook her head as Elle plopped back down at Azula's boots while Azula patted the swooning girl's head once more.
Although she couldn't deny that she was happy to see Elle starting to smile once more.
"Y-yes Azula-sama. As you say. Forever as you say." Elle agreed in a meek voice as she shyly twiddled her thumbs while her princess possessively held onto her plush head.
"Hm. Good girl." Azula purred in a domineering voice with her amber golden eyes taking joy in her small handmaid's submissiveness.
It was just too adorable that the girl was so eager to sit at her feet like a trained kitten.
'Such a well-behaved pet. This one is mine…' Azula thought with a returning smile on her full lips while her long fingers grasped at her serving girl's hair.
She allowed her Elle to lean into her thigh with Ty Lee cracking a smile as she gazed at the two of them.
Only for the old woman's voice to regain their attentions as all five of them turned in puzzlement to see her preparing something at her word table.
"Time to get back to focus young Component! You can grovel at the spoiled princess's feet another time. We have much more to do!" Mava called out with Elle pouting adorably while the spoiled princess in question smirked down at her.
"But I wanted to sit with Azula-sama…" Elle mumbled only to sulk when Azula's lightly pushed her forward while the older woman smiled down at her.
"Go on servant. You can sit with me later. Just think of all the power that I will gain after this. Just imagine how mighty I will become." Azula commanded with her palms falling into her lap while she smiled confidently down at her little girlfriend's lovable face.
"Azula…I know this might be hard to believe but everything isn't about you…" Ty Lee stated only to trail off when Elle bent over in a bow before Azula's smugly smiling face.
"As Her Highness commands!" Elle exclaimed with her arms neatly tucked in at her sides while her princess regarded her in approval.
"Nonsense Ty Lee. I am the center of the universe." Azula spoke in a beyond egotistical voice as she smirked at her sighing friend while Elle bounced up from her bow.
"Come Elle. It is time for the next step." Mava commented as Elle hurriedly nodded while the others watched in curiosity.
"Wise Sage, what is the next step?" Elle questioned in an inquisitive voice as she moved forward while watching the old woman stir something in a wooden cup.
"We are going to kill two birds with one stone. As I said before…you must get in touch with your heritage. That being your mother." Mava remarked with her back turned to Elle while the young girl's eyes flashed in emotion once more.
Her highborn friends listened in sympathy as she gazed down with understanding in her gaze.
"Mom…" Elle murmured under her breath as she wiped at her eye once more while Azula's callous amber golden eyes stared on in disapproval of her tears.
"Which brings me to the most painful part of all. In order to better understand the nature of your power. You must see your mother's memories. That is why I am creating this potion. To allow you to get a glimpse of how the Component works." Mava instructed as Elle stared on with emotional amber eyes as she numbly nodded her head.
Team Azula exchanged a look before gazing back at their sensitive young friend.
"H-her memories…I will do my best Wise Sage." Elle trailed off in a soft voice as she tried her best to stand tall.
"And doing this will allow the girl to master her power?" Azula queried in an ever-possessive voice with her icy eyes never ceasing in closely supervising the old woman's ingredients.
"It's a good place to start. There is no instant mastery. It will take time and practice. But this will also serve another purpose." Mava answered as she tossed an unappetizing ingredient into the cup while Elle shook as she watched her stir it all together.
"What is the other purpose?" Zoi questioned in a curious voice while Elle grimaced as she watched the repulsive mixture stir.
Only for the four highborn women to stare on in mutual disgust at the slimy ingredients were stirred about in the glass.
"This potion will put her into a hyper induced spiritual state. By the time Elle comes out of her meditation…she will almost certainly awaken her sealed chakras. It is the only definitive way to expedite awakening her chakras. Otherwise, it could take months to awaken on its own and we simply do not have time for that." Mava announced to the astonishment of the group while they gazed on in rising fascination.
Although that fascination swiftly vanished once more when they caught another view of the contents of the cup.
Even Zoi couldn't help but wrinkle her nose in revulsion.
"And Elle has to eat that?" Ty Lee pondered in a grossed-out voice with her brown gray eyes shuddering as she watched the old woman mix the paste together.
"Oh, stop your complaining Ty Lee. This should work out wonderfully in our favor. It will boost our wartime power exponentially." Azula spoke in a selfish voice with a pleased smile on her lips while her childhood friends cast her a narrowed stare.
"How considerate of you Azula. You're not the one that has to eat it." Mai stated with her tawny eyes glaring at Azula's uncaring voice while the princess literally waved off her words.
"Of course, she has to eat it! How else is she going to consume the potion?" Mava scoffed as she reached for another mysterious ingredient while Elle began to turn green.
"U-um excuse me but are you putting meat in that…" Elle stammered in an uncertain voice as she wore an unusual grimace while her princess rolled her amber golden eyes.
And the noblewomen could only gaze at the poor girl in sympathy.
"Additionally. You will be able to share the memories that you see with your friends…if you are willing. They can see what you see to assist you in deciphering the secrets of the Component." Mava remarked as she ignored the young girl's question while the princess's cold eyes shone in curiosity.
"And how will I see what Elle sees?" Azula questioned in a stern voice with her icy eyes surveying the old woman intently.
"By touching her hand after she goes into her meditative state." Mava replied as she prepared to put the rest of the ingredients into the wooden cup.
"Hm. Interesting. I approve. Elle will take the potion then." Azula declared in a supremely controlling voice while her friends excluding Zoi glared pointedly at her.
"U-uh please don't put meat into that. I can't eat it." Elle spoke up in refusal as she shook her head while Azula rolled her lovely eyes once more.
"Why not?" Mava asked in a grouchy voice while Elle still shuddered as she gazed into the cup.
"I'm vegetarian…" Elle admitted sheepishly while her girlfriend groaned into her clenched fist.
"Nonsense." Mava grumbled as she turned away while the highborn women listened humorously as Elle grew anxious.
"She doesn't eat meat. Period." Mai spoke as she came to her little sister's defense while the princess sighed.
"I-it's against my ethics. I just can't do it…" Elle insisted in a mousy voice as Azula once again rolled her eyes as she turned to gaze at her back.
"What if I told you that the fate of the world may depend on you? Is it against your ethics then?" Mava retorted with the young girl chewing on her lip before reply.
"It is. Because it is against my personal beliefs and therefore, I simply cannot eat it. Under any circumstances." Elle explained with her friends gazing in in slight surprise.
"Childish peasant…" Azula snorted while Ty Lee slapped at her arm once more.
"Just back Elle up Azula…" Ty Lee advised with a sigh while Azula proudly glared at the petite girl's back.
"What if I told you that your friends' lives may depend on it? Your beloved princess too? Is it still against your morals then?" Mava queried in a gravelly voice with her annoyed glazed eyes gazing at Elle's contemplative face.
Only for the girl's answer to take them all by surprise once more.
"That's so! I just cannot eat it. We'll find another way to flow. If not! Maybe this was as far as we were meant to flow! Who knows!" Elle exclaimed in an adorable voice with her big sister's quirking their brows fondly while Azula now stared at her back with coldly narrowed eyes.
Before she barked out while waving her hand in the air.
"Ugh! Just take the stupid meat out of the potion!" Azula commanded in a domineering voice as she scowled with her fist against her cheek.
The three noblewomen turned to her in slight surprise to see that she spoke up for her girlfriend.
"The crushed beetle has a crucial influence on the effectiveness of this potion!" Mava snapped with her words now causing the five girls to gaze on in disgust.
"C-crushed beetle?" Elle stammered in a sickened voice while the old woman angrily discarded the beetle paste.
"Fine! I won't put the beetle in it. May not work as good though! But whatever." Mava complained as she resumed stirring the mix while Elle still gazed on in discomfort down at the cup.
"Beetles?" Mai muttered in a revolted voice as she gazed at Elle in great sympathy while Ty Lee too shuddered.
They turned to Azula only to see that the princess was once more staring on in renewed interest.
And even the captain scrunched up her nose in an unhidden show of disgust.
And then several minutes later.
Poor Elle stood trembling in uncertainty before her friends when a wooden cup of foul looking liquid was set in her hands.
The four highborn women stared over her shoulder in disgust at the contents of the cup.
"Drink it and you will enter into meditation minutes after." Mava instructed as she faced the green faced girl who was staring down into the cup.
"A-alright." Elle gulped with a shiver while Ty Lee turned to gaze pleadingly at Azula's stony face.
"Azula…is it really necessary that Elle drink that?" Ty Lee asked in a supportive voice while the princess let out a loud scoff.
"Of course, it is! The girl needs to activate her power and if this is what must be done. So be it." Azula snorted with her lifelong friends scoffing at her while her girlfriend turned to peer at her with hopeful amber eyes.
"Azula-sama…heart of my heart will you please lend me your support and drink this potion with me?" Elle requested in a lovably naïve voice with her princess now turning rigid in her seat while her big sisters gazed at her back in pity.
Before Mai and Ty Lee turned their gaze to Azula while the princess scrunched up her nose as she gazed down into the repugnant cup.
"I would love to Elle. I really would. Alas…you are the Component. Not me." Azula spoke in a spoiled voice with a wave of her hand.
Only for her callous amber golden eyes to shimmer in hidden remorse when Elle's vibrant amber eyes lost a spark of their shine.
"B-but Azula-sama I thought that we were a team. We do everything together…." Elle whined as she chewed on her lip while Azula sighed as she gazed at her with a cold amber golden gaze.
"Of course, we're a team. But even so you need to awaken your chakras. If I drank half of the potion then it may not work as intended and we may have to repeat it all over again." Azula replied in a smooth voice as she lounged in her chair with a well-manicured fingernail under her chin.
Only for her regal smile to return when her words brightened her serving girl's lovely face.
While all but the sage rolled their eyes at the back of Azula's head.
'Yeah Azula. I am sure that is really the reason why you don't want to eat it.' Mai thought with her tawny eyes gazing at the cup of blended ingredients in unhidden disgust.
"Oh. I didn't think of that. You're so smart Azula-sama. I am so fortunate to have you here to lead me." Elle mumbled in a devoted voice as she cracked a shy smile in the direction of her smirking princess's beautiful face.
Just as the sage tapped her staff on the floor while the group turned to face the elderly woman once more.
"Enough idling young Component. Consume the potion." Mava remarked with her glazed eyes gazing back at the apprehensive girl.
Elle glanced down into the cup with her lips entrenched into a shudder while her friends gazed on in sympathy.
"Do I really have to?" Elle asked in a pitiful voice as she whimpered while she grimaced gazing down into the cup only for Azula to sigh over her once more.
"For your sake old woman this potion had better not harm her." Azula remarked in a callous voice as she turned her cold gaze back to the hunched over old crone who defiantly glared back at her.
"Of course, it isn't going to harm her! But feel free to leave and figure it out on your own. A woman of your brilliance must know of a better way." Mava retorted with a scoff while the princess's amber golden eyes narrowed into a piercing glare.
And the captain once more found herself smirking amusement at her princess's expense.
"Filthy hag! I will flog you until you learn to speak to your princess with respect!" Azula barked with a scowl on her lovely lips while her childhood friends groaned once again.
"Azula…please not now." Ty Lee sighed with her hands in her lap as she gazed at her spoiled friend with a pleading gaze.
'One can only hope that this won't make Elle sick…' Zoi thought with her golden eyes turning to Elle as the girl gazed down at the potion.
"I-I'll try to drink it…I just hope that it tastes better than it looks." Elle stated as she chewed on her lip while her highborn friends flinched in pity behind her back.
Somehow, they doubted that the concoction would actually taste good.
"Just drink it Elle. Just think of how this power of yours will bolster my power and your big sisters' noble families." Azula spoke in a silken voice as she gazed down at her serving girl's back Elle's vibrant eyes flashed with an adorable desire to serve.
Mai and Ty Lee stared at their leader with frowns on their lips as they narrowed their eyes in sisterly disapproval.
"That's low Azula. And you know it." Mai commented with her tawny eyes gazing at the other woman's smug face.
"Oh…well in that case I should probably do it then. If that's what's for the best…" Elle trailed off with a nervous swallow as she raised the glass to her lips.
Only to find herself smiling shyly over her shoulder when she felt the princess set a warm hand on her shoulder.
Azula now gazed at her with her signature smirk while she lightly rubbed her shoulder to sooth her nerves.
"Just tip it back and chug it. Do it for me servant." Azula purred in a controlling voice with her fingers grasping at her handmaid's quivering shoulder while her girlfriend bravely puffed out her chest.
Before she steeled herself as she began to tip the glass back.
"As you say Azula-sama. Always as you say." Elle agreed in a submissive voice as the glass touched her lips while her mistress smiled widely over her shoulder.
And the three noblewomen watched in uncertainty and a margin of suspense when the girl finally tipped the glass back over her open mouth.
Only for all four highborn women to gaze on in anticipation when Elle's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as soon as the liquid touched her tongue.
Elle swallowed with a whimper while she clutched the cup with her innocent eyes staring down into the potion in unfathomable discomfort.
"Is it that bad Elle?" Mai asked in a sympathetic voice as she grimaced when the girl's face turned as green as can be.
"It may not taste palatable young Component but its affects are more than worth it" Mava stated as she braced her wrinkled hands upon her staff handle while Elle shakily nodded her head.
Elle took another swig while her hands continued to shake as she cried out in disgust while the princess sighed behind her.
Just before the princess grasped the smaller girl's shoulder more tightly than before while she stared down at her whimpering servant girl with callous amber golden eyes.
The meaning of the look was loud and clear to Elle.
It was Azula's way of saying that she was right there beside her.
Which she truly appreciated.
But that didn't make the potion taste any better!
"Go on Elle. You can do it. Just think of all the ways that this will benefit us. That's it. Such a good servant." Azula spoke in a purring voice with her fingernails grasping her servant's shoulder while her servant whined as she swallowed more of the drink.
As her two childhood friends still glared at the back of her head.
"O-oh. Yes, Princess as you c-command." Elle moaned in a shuddering voice as her big sister's frowned while she shook under Azula's powerful hand.
Azula smiled down at her with a pleased gleam in her amber golden eyes while she watched her gulp down another mouthful.
"Just look at that Ty Lee. Now this is loyalty. I approve of this one." Azula remarked with a refine smile on her crimson lips while her serving girl took another whimpering drink of the potion.
Only for Ty Lee to frown with her arms folded over her breasts as she watched closely as the poor girl drank the concoction.
"Yeah Azula. It sure is." Ty Lee replied as she sighed heavily while the princess continued to smile down at her little sister with a possessive smile on her lovely lips.
Just as Elle smacked her lips together as she shuddered while gazing down at last few remaining sips.
Before raising it to her lips while Azula's hand still gripped her shoulder.
"I am your loyal servant Azula-sama. I serve you with pride on this day…and for all of my days. If this is what you want…then I shall do it. Because your Elle is faithful." Elle mumbled in a bashful voice with her shaky hand clutching the cup while her princess over her shoulder in undying approval.
And then she braced herself with every fiber of her being before she quickly chugged last of the glass in one mighty swallow.
The princess and the three noblewomen watched their servant closely with an unhidden protectiveness in their eyes.
Each of them prepared to act in her defense shoulder they have any suspicion that the old woman had poisoned their young companion.
Elle moaned in discomfort as she set the cup down with Azula's dominant amber golden eyes observing her every move.
"Are you alright servant?" Azula pondered in a ruthless voice with her icy amber golden eyes trying her hardest to squash her affections for her pretty handmaid.
Yet she found herself unable to resist gazing at the younger girl with demanding amber golden eyes while her pet now held a shaky hand over her belly.
"I-I just feel a little…sleepy." Elle murmured in a suddenly drowsy voice only to find herself being caught by two strong arms before she could fall over.
And just like that she sunk back with the back of her head pushing into the princess's chestplate while Azula's mighty arms braced her smaller frame.
All the while the old sage never missed the terrifying stare that Azula was sending her way.
"Quit glaring at me. Your girlfriend has not been harmed. Elle is slipping into a forced meditative state." Mava commented in a gravelly voice while the princess glared back at her with cold amber golden eyes.
The three noblewomen watched their young friend closely as she sleepily relaxed in the princess's strong arms.
"That had better be all. Because if not…" Azula warned in a frigid voice with her words causing her childhood friends to shiver beside her.
She allowed her small girlfriend to push her face into her bosom as she scowled down at her handmaid with her spoiled eyes conveying her protective instincts.
"Azula-sama…" Elle trailed off in a sleepy voice before she slumped in the older woman's arms.
Azula stared down at her with her mouth ajar in uncertainty.
And the three noblewomen exchanged an uncertain look of their own only for their gazes to relax when they heard the girl breathing softly against the princess's armored breast.
"The process had begun." Mava stated as she moved forward while the princess held the smaller girl in her arms.
"What…now?" Ty Lee questioned in a curious voice as she leaned forward to gaze at Elle's sleeping face only to crack a small smile when the girl mumbled into Azula's breast.
The princess just scowled down at Elle with a cold amber golden gaze.
"Set her down." Mava answered as the princess turned to scowl back at her before moving to do so.
Azula gently placed Elle upon the floor while her icy gaze never once left her young love's slumbering face.
Her strong hands braced the girl's shoulders just as Elle slumped forward in a seated position before her boots.
Only to watch in amazement to see that Elle still slept soundly even when seated!
And soon enough the four women crowded around their young friend as they gazed down at the dozing girl in confusion of what to do next.
"She's…in a really deep sleep." Mai muttered with her tawny eyes staring at Elle's face in fondness while she sat beside the sleeping girl.
"What is the next step?" Zoi inquired as she turned to glance back at the old woman from where she stood over Elle's seated form.
"Simple. All four of you must touch her hand. And then you will see what Elle sees. But only what she is willing to share." Mava responded in an aged voice while the group stared back in amazement.
Just as all four of them exchanged a brief glance before Azula turned to stare icily back at the old woman.
"How do I know that this isn't a ploy to attack us by rendering us comatose?" Azula demanded in a frigid voice with fire escaping her nostrils while she sat protectively over her sleeping girlfriend.
It was a sentiment shared by each of them.
Even the more trustworthy Ty Lee.
"You will not be rendered comatose. Elle's memories will flow into your own. You will only be out of it for a few minutes at most." Mava explained with her hands upon her staff while the group shared another glance with one another.
"Three minutes is more than enough time for an opportunistic enemy to put a blade in our throats…like that puppeteer." Zoi spoke in a cool-headed voice with her arms folded over her breasts while the princess scowled in agreement.
"There is a magical barrier surrounding this tree. And those who I do not want inside cannot enter." Mava quipped with her staff clanging on the floor while the four highborn women gazed at her in surprise.
Azula turned to share another look with Zoi as the two warriors quickly contemplated the old woman's words.
"As I told you girls before. You did not find this tree. I found you and you will only reenter if I want you here." Mava concluded with her staff settling before them while her glazed eyes met the princess's imposing gaze.
"If that's true Azula…then we should be fine. Saro and Nako are downstairs still…" Ty Lee advised while her royal friend still scowled back at the sage.
"I warn you now old woman…if this is a trap…" Azula trailed off in a threatening voice as stood up from her chair while her hardened gaze still stared at the sage's wrinkled face.
"I have no interest in trapping you. Now just get on with it or get lost!" Mava snapped while the princess stared back at her with murderous amber golden eyes.
Only to turn away not a second later as she glanced down at her sleeping companion before she crouched down beside the girl.
The three noblewomen reluctantly did the same as they exchanged a look with other another.
Just as Azula reached out to touch her hand against Elle's stationary palm.
Ty Lee reached forward to do the same.
And soon afterward Mai.
And last but not least Zoi.
The princess gazed down at her servant with her hardened amber golden expressing a great desire to learn more about her young beloved's past.
The more she knew the more she would be able to protect her girlfriend from their enemies on the other side.
And with that Azula finally made up her mind with her lips pursed into a protective scowl.
Just as her fingers lowered over her girlfriend's own.
Followed closely by the three noblewomen.
And with that…
The four highborn women knelt surrounding their young friend just as they placed their palms over Elle's motionless hands.
And just like that as soon as their skin touched Elle's they felt a strange warmth flood over them in unison.
Azula, Ty Lee, Mai and Zoi all exchanged a baffled look with each other while they knelt on the floor around Elle's prone body.
Only for their eyes to widen collectively when a white light flashed before their eyes.
But before they had a chance to react, they watched in disbelief as the old sage and her tree began to fade away before their very eyes.
And then they were seemingly swept away while they watched the world flash before their very eyes.
"What's…is this?" Azula pondered in uncharacteristic bewilderment she gazed down with stunned amber golden eyes as the wooden floor disappeared beneath her feet.
Only to spin around as she gazed around with beside her mutually perplexed companions as they watched the world morph around them.
Almost as if they were being transported somewhere else.
And soon enough the world began to take shape around them.
Only for their eyes to widen once more when they saw a familiar person in the distance.
"That's…" Zoi spoke in an amazed voice with her golden eyes gazing on in shock at the person standing before them.
"Elle…" Mai answered in a soft voice with her tawny eyes watching the girl run across a flower field.
"But she's…" Ty Lee trailed off in a moved voice as her hands fell to her sides.
A child.
The little blonde ran very their perplexed eyes never once stopping when Azula turned to gaze down at her small form with her amber golden eyes still agape in wonderment.
Before they all watched when the child came to a stop before a crouched woman of Eurasian descent.
One that that all knew by now.
It was…Elle's mother.
Lana knelt over the child with her golden hair swaying in the wind as she reached out to accept the flower with a bright smile gracing her lips.
The four highborn women were so stunned that they were rendered completely speechless.
And with that the memory began to play out before their amazed eyes.
Little Elle laughed happily when her mother playfully poked her nose while her friends observed in a stricken silence.
Lana smiled with her hand on her daughter's shoulder while Elle reached up to offer her a hug.
And just like that Team Azula found themselves in a foreign land that was not their own.
They were no longer in the Fire Nation or even on the planet that they called Earth.
They were in another world.
In another time.
In the world of an innocent little girl that was about to have her entire world cruelly destroyed before her very eyes.
AN:
Before I go to my afterword. I feel compelled to address one line in a review that I received. Feel free to skip if you don't want to read it.
And that is that I have not shown any of Azula's dangerous personality traits other than her strength. I completely disagree.
First, this story is primarily a romance between Azula and Elle, it is a slow moving romance, because I find their bond heartwarming to write. At this point in their bond, Azula shows her soft side around Elle. And her more sadistic side when Elle is either not present or Elle is hurt.
I strongly feel that I have shown both Azula's intelligence and her manipulation skills. In chapter 24, Azula manipulated the Mechanist, into working for the Fire Nation once more. Granted, it was for Elle's medicine. But he has no proof that he won't be building weapons for the Fire Nation in the future. That was all Azula's word. And as Zuko says, Azula always lies.
Azula, tracked and hunted down Team Avatar two weeks in advance. And then she corralled them in an enclosed ravine with no source of water available for Katara to use other than what was in her gourd. On top of that, she kept her improved powers a secret from even those closed to her. Not even Ozai or Ty Lee knew about her new techniques.
Azula showed a cruel manipulative side when she toyed with the two bullies back in chapter seven. She raised their hopes, dashed them and their scarred their faces worse than her father did to Zuko.
As for Terak, the presence of a second manipulator does not take away from her own skill. Azula rightly pegged him for a psychopath even before Zoe stated her mind on the matter. And she is watching him closely.
Additionally, plotting against Ozai shows her cunning side. She is biding her time and waiting as she gains followers. She showed ingenuity and foresight when saw the value in Nako's invention of the radio and that the construction of communication lines would prevent the rebels from ambushing her ships ever again.
Bringing up canon Azula's feat of taking down Ba Sing Se in one day is an unfair comparison. Because canon Azula only appeared in nine episodes in book two, and her scenes compiled together are probably less than forty minutes, if that. She only had one goal in canon, kill the Avatar, and conquer Ba Sing Se, and she was not a main character.
In my story, Azula has to handle her new feelings for her new love interest, as well as trying to figure out Elle's health problems, plus deciphering Elle's strange powers. On top of putting down the Avatar and his friends for good, ten chaotic noble houses, in addition to finding her destiny out from her father's shadow. Plus the emergence of an Earth Kingdom Princess as a new rebel leader.
On top of that, she is finding herself in a game of minds with a psychotic stalker in Silah. As well as brewing peasant rebellions, and last but not least. There is an interconnecting world with people and technology that she has never met before, that seek to capture her love interest.
Needless, to say, there is a lot more here that Azula has on her plate. In the next arc, we will return to the war, and we'll see some more of Azula's battle genius in action.
I also disagree that Azula's character is stagnant. She has had more development than canon Azula. In fact, I have been developing all of the characters.
She apologized to Ty Lee, she learned to show appreciation for her most loyal soldiers/workers, and she even made a real friendship with Nako, a commoner. On top of that, thanks to Ty Lee's urging and Chancellor Terak's selfish move. She is finally stepping out of her father's shadow.
Despite her growth in power, Azula was remaining loyal to her father because she felt as if his approval somehow equated to love. Only to find out that he would betray her by making her into the first Fire Lord to kneel to another monarch.
And most recently, she is learning about Elle's past as one of the few survivor's of a genocidal attack. That alone is huge. Azula was raised as a war monger, and she would have never batted an eye if it was anyone but Elle. But after Elle has given her the love that her friends and family never gave her. Azula can't help but be displeased, instead of pleased by Elle's suffering.
The fact that Elle is a pacifist, who sympathies with a war loving spoiled princess, and that Azula is all of that, and she is learning to feel for a peasant that suffered at the hands of war speaks volumes of their bond.
And I also feel the need to state that Naoki is not comparable to the Dai Li. The Dai Li for all intents and purposes, are nameless mooks. They are not established individually named characters. Their training is very impressive. But the way Naoki conceals her inner conflict is different than the Dai Li's stoic demeanor.
Naoki's emotionless personality comes from being abused, much like Elle. And as a result, she no longer expresses even a hint of emotion like a normal person. She no longer responds to conventional fear. And that's what makes her so deadly. She doesn't ask respond to attempts at intimidation. She just skewers.
Also, Azula bowing to King Kuei is not really comparable to treating a former slave as your equal upon first meeting. Azula is royalty, so it makes sense that she would presume that a former slave wouldn't be too hard to sway. Especially, when she has said friend of the former slave as her loyal servant.
And in addition to that, you have to know someone to effectively manipulate them. Azula knew about the Earth Kingdom, she doesn't know much about Naoki's land yet. And in this arc Azula will start to gain a more solid understanding of the mechanics of Elle's world.
Now, there is a time and place for everything. And Azula showed intelligence by not starting a fight with Naoki. The most important dilemma on her list was Elle's power, as that correlates to her becoming exhausted. And then having breathing problems. Talking with the sage was more important than brawling with a combatant who is currently a non-hostile.
This is all basically one massive journey for Azula to undertake with Elle towards what she feels is her rightful place on the throne.
Thus far, there has only been one major battle so far, and one side skirmish. However, there will be at least one major battle in this current arc. And in that battle we will see Azula's intelligence in action once more.
And Azula will have several schemes in the several arcs that follow after this current arc ends.
Anyway, I had to get that off my chest. I am a massive fan of Azula. And I know that no writing is perfect. But I am trying my hardest to write her as in character as I can. Azula will get multiple big moments in the first book, that show that she is still the badass that we loved in canon.
As for the chapter itself, I'll keep this short.
Regarding Terak's visit, we got a taste of what he is planning. And it seems that despite six years passing by, Suki is not buying his lies. But perhaps, someone who didn't know Team Avatar as well will be more pliable.
As for the potion, Elle and Team Azula as well, are going to be able to see both Elle's and those connected to the lineage of the Component, that being her mother Lana. The purpose behind this is so Elle can get a deeper understanding behind how the Component works.
Next chapter we will begin seeing Elle's past first hand. As well as a glimpse of the world that they lived in, over the course of the flashbacks. We'll meet Lana, Elias (Elle's father), Felix, child Naoki, Strados, and one or two others.
Writing the chapters is taking longer than it was before, so I just ask that everyone be patient.
Well, that's all for now.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter seventy-eight! Paradise Lost!