Hello,
Here we are with another update.
As always, I would like to thank everyone who favorited and followed since the last update.
And as usual, if you find the story worthy, please continue to do so. And without further ado enjoy.
Elder – Chapter Ninety-Two
The team gazed at one another in a captivated silence while the hermit sat before the burning stove.
Before the captain broke the eerie quiet.
"What…is the Elder One?" Zoi inquired with a fascinated undertone to her voice while Azula gazed on with mutual intrigue in her cold eyes.
"An ancient entity that poses a tremendous threat to this world." Mava answered in a blunt voice as the group listened in astonishment.
"And you say that the Avatar is unable to see this…evil?" Azula questioned with her brows furrowing in curiosity while Elle still shook at her feet.
"He cannot. Nor can any of you. The only one here who can see it is young Elle." Mava stated in a rough voice while Elle's amber eyes grew wider in fright.
Her four highborn friends gazed ahead in bewilderment.
"O-only me?" Elle stammered in an apprehensive voice as Azula's lips pursed into a scowl as she glared ahead.
"Explain this old woman. And with no riddles." Azula commanded with her callous eyes staring hard at the crone's aged countenance.
Mai and Ty Lee gazed on with mutual concern in their distraught eyes.
"Long ago, many thousands of years ago a creature arrived in our world. Even I do not know the full history. But I do know that it encountered…and defeated the Avatar." Mava announced in a foreboding voice with her staff pressing into the floor while the team listened in a stunned silence.
"If the Avatar was defeated by this…entity then why does the Avatar still reincarnate to this day?" Azula pondered in an intelligent voice with her amber golden eyes gazing on in grudging fascination.
"My thoughts exactly. Why not kill the Avatar for good?" Zoi queried in a marveled voice with her golden eyes staring about in contemplation.
"Because this creature benefits from the Avatar Cycle. That is why." Mava informed in an eerie voice while the team fazed on in unified disbelief.
"The Avatar Cycle…is to its benefit?" Ty Lee asked in an unnerved voice with her brown-gray eyes agape in confusion while Elle swallowed in fear beside her.
"This being saw that our world's greatest weakness was the Avatar itself. It realized that if it could deceive the Avatar…then the rest of the world would be helpless. And to that end…it cast a rune over the Avatar making the Avatar forget its presence." Mava explained with her wrinkled hand clutching her staff while her audience gazed on in a speechless quiet.
"W-what…what happened after that?" The handmaid inquired in a fretful voice with her hands resting on her knees while she gazed on in alarm.
'The Avatar…just forgot? What sort of creature would have the power to erase the Avatar's memory?' Azula thought with her elegant brows quirking in scrutiny while her girlfriend sat fretfully at her booted feet.
"It cast a cloak over the world that made it so that we would not be able to see its physical form even if it were right before our very eyes. And then it went into hibernation." Mava replied in a serious voice that had the group staring back in shock.
"Hibernation?" Mai repeated with an unnerved look in her tawny eyes while Azula also gazed on in a taken aback silence.
"I don't know much more than that. But I do know that it left the Avatar behind to continue its quest of bringing balance to the world. Therefore, leaving the population weak and reliant…so that it would not be assaulted in its slumber." Mava remarked as she leaned forward while the team gaped on with widened eyes.
"W-where is it now?" Elle asked as she gulped with her innocent eyes staring ahead while her princess sat protectively above her.
"As far as I know…it is still slumbering. But it will wake up eventually." Mava commented in an ominous voice with her tired face gazing ahead.
The four highborn women exchanged a stunned look before they turned back to the hermit in question.
"Assuming that all of this is true…where does my servant factor into all of this?" Azula questioned in a stony voice with her regal elbow resting on the arm of her chair.
She glanced down at her pet through the corner of her cold amber golden eye with her possessive gaze eying the girl closely.
"There are few things that this creature fears…. young Elle is one of them." Mava declared in a rasping voice as Elle gazed on with blinking amber eyes while her highborn friends did the same.
"Me?" Elle mumbled in a confused voice with her princess still gazing down at her in disbelief.
Only for her cheeks to turn a shade of red when Azula abruptly broke into belly shaking laughter while her childhood friends turned to gaze at her in exasperation.
"It fears my Tiger Monkey!" Azula snickered loudly beneath her well-manicured hand while her pet pouted at her feet.
"Azula…" Ty Lee chided in a sisterly voice while the princess smirked down at her pouting little sister.
"And for good reason. The Component Force is only of the only powers that can breach this entity's defenses and bring it physical harm." Mava stated in a firm voice with her words taking the group by complete astonishment.
As the princess's laughter died down as she now gazed on with her amber golden eyes flickering in surprise while her young servant gazed on in awe.
The three noblewomen were just as astonished.
They could only turn to gaze at their young friend with bewildered looks in their eyes once more.
"My servant can hurt it?" Azula questioned in a fascinated voice as she glanced down at her pet with her cold amber golden eyes conveying a possessive gleam.
"Elle is the only one out of all of you that is capable of hurting it." Mava replied with her hands over her staff while the four highborn women gazed on in disbelief.
Azula and Zoi's eyes momentarily flashed in indignation as they turned to gaze back at Elle's innocent face in bafflement.
"Only Elle?" Mai pondered with unusual surprise in her tawny eyes while the young girl puffed out her chest in a show of innocent pride.
"See Azula-sama? I really am a tiger lion!" Elle exclaimed as she peered over her shoulder up at Azula's seated form while the older girl rolled her amber golden eyes in response.
"It is so. The Component is not the strongest or the fastest. Nor can the Component cause the most destruction. But when it comes to cutting through the energy of those linked to the spirit realm or any barriers of mystical energy…there is no one more capable." Mava declared in a knowing voice while Elle gazed on with her mouth agape in wonder.
The team stared at their young companion with fascination in their eyes.
"Just like Elle did against the Avatar." Ty Lee remarked in an awed voice as she gazed at her blushing little sister with sisterly brown-gray eyes.
"Correct. The Avatar was indeed taken by surprise. But that will not be so easy to repeat a second time. He will try to attack Elle before she has a chance to do so." Mava answered in a wise voice as she gazed back with glazed golden eyes while the group exchanged an agreeing look.
"Let him try. This time I will be there to back young Elle up." Zoi spoke with her toned arms crossed over her breasts while Elle's face brightened in gratitude.
"Arigatou…oneesan." Elle mumbled in a bashful voice while the warrior sent a small smile in her direction.
And the princess turned to direct a possessive amber golden glare in the direction of her amused subordinate.
"And Elle can do the same to this…being?" Azula inquired in a thoughtful voice with a finger under her chin while she turned her cold eyes back to her girlfriend's back.
"A similar concept but not even remotely close to being on the same scale." Mava spoke in a rough voice as the group gazed back at her in bewilderment.
"What…what do you mean Wise Sage?" Elle queried in a fretful voice as she nervously bit her lip while Azula listened in curiosity above her.
"This being…it's heart…it's…core lies deep within a protective chamber that only the Component can reach by cutting through its outer shell." Mava revealed in a cryptic voice while Elle gazed on with wide amber eyes.
As the team stared on in a speechless silence.
To hear that their little naïve serving girl had the power to do something like that was just nothing short of astonishing.
The princess stared ahead from behind her servant with uncharacteristic disbelief in her callous amber golden eyes.
"C-cut through its outer shell?" Elle stammered in a worried voice while Ty Lee sat in shock beside her.
"Indeed, my child. But first you must find the Forge of Light...and you must do so before it awakens from its slumber." Mava answered with a nod while the team gazed on in evident confusion.
"What is this…Forge of Light?" Azula asked with intrigue dripping from her cold voice as her brows furrowed in contemplation while her handmaid sat in a confuddled silence at her feet.
"It is an ancient sacred artifact of indescribable light that holds the power to kill this malevolent force. But only after the Component has cleared the pathway to its core." Mava spoke in a weathered voice while Elle gazed on with her amber eyes blinking in befuddlement.
Azula held a flawless finger beneath her chin while her crimson lips curved into a brilliant smile.
She glanced down at her pet with an insatiable lust for power in her amber golden gaze.
As her two childhood friends shivered after they caught the look in their friend's plotting eyes.
'An ancient artifact of great power…how interesting. Just imagine how much power I will have if I possess both it and Elle!' Azula thought with an expression of boundless megalomania flashing in her cruel eyes as her smirk grew even larger.
"Is that the true purpose of the Component? To kill this entity that you speak of?" Zoi pondered with a wondered undertone to her composed voice while her golden eyes stared on in fascination.
While her companions gazed on in an equally enthralled silence.
"The Component exists to remove otherworldly beings like the Elder One from interfering in the physical world. By whatever means necessary." Mava announced in a venerable voice while the group stared with captivated looks in their speechless eyes.
Ty Lee and Mai sat with their mouths ajar in shared bewilderment as they gazed back at one another shock.
It was a great deal to take in.
Especially after hearing all throughout their lives that it was the Avatar's duty to restore the balance that was so desperately needed.
The very balance that Azula and her father stood in the way of.
And yet if the old hermit was speaking the truth…
There was much more to their world than meets the eye.
And yet after all that they have seen of the sage they could not bring themselves to doubt her.
The princess turned to gaze at her captain's equally perplexed face while the two firebenders exchanged a look of fascination.
Before they turned to glance at their young friend's apprehensive face in amazement once more.
"Y-you…. want me to kill?" Elle inquired in a distraught voice as Azula now stared down at her with deadpan amber golden eyes.
"You don't have to be the one that deals the final blow. But you must lead the one who will do so to its core. This you must do." Mava responded in a firm voice as Elle clutched her fists in her lap with her hair hanging in her eyes.
The four highborn women gazed at their friend with uncertainty in their eyes.
"Once before I almost succumbed to blind rage and negative thoughts when I nearly took my brother's life. On that day I realized that was not the way my mother wanted me to live my life…and I…cannot do that again. If I do…" Elle trailed off with her amber eyes staring down in frustration as her friends listened in puzzlement.
Azula sunk back in her seat with her amber golden eyes taking on a look of great annoyance.
Yet even so…
For reasons that she still couldn't explain she has found that she has grown fond of her servant's peaceful personality.
"My mother's spirit will surely die." Elle insisted with great emotion in her voice while Azula sat in bewilderment behind her.
"Elle…" Ty Lee whispered in a softened voice while the princess turned away to scowl at the wall.
"It is either you or it. Make your choice young one. There is no other alternative." Mava stated in a grim voice as Elle gazed on with still fearful amber eyes.
"P-perhaps if we try talking it out peaceably…eek!" Elle squeaked in surprise when blue flames flared to life behind her while she gulped under her mistress's imposing glare.
Her big sisters could only sigh over the princess's overbearing behavior.
"Foolish peasant! Do I have to punish you!" Azula barked with her burning finger pointing tyrannically in her little girlfriend's intimidated face.
"S-sumimasen Azula-sama! Sumimasen!" Elle cried out in an adorable panic as she rapidly bowed at the waist while Azula sat victoriously above her with a smug smile now adorning her crimson lips.
And even Zoi found herself releasing a heavy sigh over her princess's domineering ways.
"This is precisely why you are woefully unfit to make your own decisions. But lucky for you…I am here to choose for you." Azula spoke in a haughty voice as she reclined with her palms in her lap once more while her girlfriend beamed up at her.
Just as Elle sat back with the back of her head resting against her armored thigh once while she gazed down at the girl with strict amber golden eyes.
"Yes Azula-sama. It is indeed a very good thing." Elle agreed in a sweet voice while she peered up at her girlfriend with appreciative amber eyes.
Azula simply gazed down at her once more with a frigid amber golden gaze.
Before the two of them turned back to the others.
"You can ignore my words if you like child while you play servant to the spoiled princess. As soon as it awakens from its slumber it will notice your presence. And it will kill you without hesitation." Mava explained in a raspy voice with her words causing Elle's amber eyes to grow wide in fright once more.
The four highborn women stared on with mounting concern in their alert eyes.
"Where will I find this Forge that you speak of?" Azula inquired in a perfectly refined voice with her callous eyes staring ahead while she sat protectively over her trembling serving girl.
Only for her merciless eyes to shake in aggravation when the hermit shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. It could be anywhere in the four nations or even in the Spirit World. Or perhaps even somewhere in the young Component's homeland." Mava stated in a grumble as the blue flames in her stove burst to life while the princess glared on in frustration.
"That's descriptive." Mai snorted in a monotone voice with her tawny eyes still taking on an unnerved look.
"Are you serious? You can't give us anything more helpful than that?" Azula snarled with fire spewing from her full lips.
"If I knew where it was, I would have sent for it by now! You should be thankful that you even got what you did brat!" Mava shouted with a wrinkled finger pointing back at Azula's seething face while the three noblewomen watched in unhidden amusement.
"She…kind of has a point Azula. I mean we did get quite a lot out of this visit." Ty Lee reasoned in a kinder voice as she flinched when Azula spun around to glare a hole through her skull.
Only for the princess to let the remark slide as she turned to stare coldly back at the seated sage once more.
"Have it your way hag. I will find this artifact. And then I will kill both the Avatar and this creature. After that…I will take my rightful place on the throne as the ruler of this world and beyond." Azula declared in a beyond megalomaniacal voice with a mighty fist clenched before her smiling face.
The three noblewomen gazed on with comical looks in their eyes when their young friend swooned with a delicate hand on her blushing cheek.
"O-oh Azula-sama. I just love it when you talk domination." Elle gushed like a love-struck schoolgirl as she swayed dreamily in her seat while Azula swelled in pride above her.
She found herself shuddering wonderfully when her princess's domineering amber golden eyes glanced down at her in boundless approval.
Before they all turned back to sage once more when the old woman began to stand up from her chair.
"We will see Princess. When the time comes for this enemy to awaken. This world will need a worthy ruler if we are to have any hope to survive." Mava commented in a wise voice as the group gazed on in an unsettled silence.
The princess's haughty smile grew even bigger as she elegantly reclined in the beaten chair as if it was her throne.
"There is no ruler more worthy than me." Azula purred with her palms clasped together in her lap while Elle smiled up at her in admiration.
"As of right now. You are not. Neither is your tyrant of a father. Nor in your lost brother. As we stand now. There is no ruler in this nation or anywhere in this world worthy of being called leader." Mava retorted in a knowing voice with her hands over her staff while Azula's smile gave way to an outraged glower.
"I could have your tongue torn out for speaking such slander against your Crown Princess and your Fire Lord both." Azula hissed in a wrathful voice with her imposing eyes glaring imperiously ahead while the nobles gazed at her in exasperation.
Only for her amber golden eyes to boil over in even greater fury when the elderly woman scoffed as she turned away.
"I was alive back when your great-grandfather sat the throne. If I didn't fear the Royal Family then, then I certainly won't start now." Mava scoffed as she turned away from the princess's enraged face while callous amber golden eyes bristled in anger.
"By the time I am through with you. You will fear me." Azula spoke in a ruthless voice as she proudly straightened in her seat with her hands folded gracefully in her lap.
Just before the sage turned to stare back with her haunting glazed eyes once again.
"You would be wise to remember that I saw a great many roads. In some you were worthy. In others you were not. In many you face defeat at your scarred brother's hand and it is he that proves worthy. I caution you to look deep within yourself and decide what you wish to make of your future." Mava advised in a foreboding voice as Azula now gazed on with her amber golden eyes agape in unbridled paranoia.
Her lifelong friends listened in a fearful silence beside the simmering leader.
Just as an enormous wall of blue fire flared up behind the seated ruler and her young servant while the princess now stared on with an unforgivably merciless gaze.
"I will not lose to Zuko. I will never lose to such a coward that would betray his own nation. I will crush my brother like the subpar firebender that he is. Just you wait." Azula sneered with her fists clenched over the arms of her chair while Mai averted her sorrowful tawny eyes.
And Ty Lee once more found herself shuddering outside of her friend's line of vision.
And the captain just stared on with a look of cold approval in her gaze with a small smile on her lips.
'She is the only ruler…that I bend the knee to.' Zoi thought with indescribable respect in her golden eyes while she gazed at her princess's inspirational callous face.
"Azula-sama is worthy Wise Sage! I know so! Just give her a chance and she'll prove it!" Elle exclaimed in a faithful voice as she sat at her mistress's boots while her princess gazed down at her with a smile already returning to her beautiful lips.
"We shall see young Component. We shall see." Mava stated in an unconvinced voice while the princess still glared back at her.
"What will happen if this entity awakens before we find this Forge…before Elle is ready?" Zoi questioned in a searching voice with her arms folded over her breasts while the others gazed at the sage in anticipation.
"That is a question that you best not ask because there is no pleasant answer to give." Mava replied in an ominous voice while the team gazed on with alarmed looks in their eyes.
"A-and this all hinges on m-me?" Elle asked in a terribly intimidated voice while her highborn friends stared at her in growing worry.
"I would like to tell you otherwise child…but if I did, I would be lying." Mava remarked in a grave voice while Elle shook with her eyes agape in fear.
"W-well I'll do my best not to let everyone down." Elle stammered in a mousy voice as she gulped while her princess gazed down at her with unconvinced amber golden eyes.
"You still haven't told us how you came to know all of this." Azula spoke up in a cold voice with her hardened eyes staring back at the hermit once more.
"That is a question for another time. It is best if you get going." Mava answered as she leaned on her staff while Azula gazed back at her with narrowed amber golden eyes.
Only for the sound of a distant gunshot to echo faintly throughout the Sentinel Tree while Team Azula gazed over their shoulders with returning alertness to their widened eyes.
"The soldiers Princess…" Zoi stated in a stony voice with her cold eyes gazing ahead while Azula's lips pursed into a regal scowl.
"Old hag! Are we finished here?" Azula snapped in an authoritative voice as she rounded about to stare hard at the crone's ancient visage.
"For the time being. I will return you to the surface to allow you to do what you must. But before you go. I will prepare a chi restoration potion in the event in the event that you face another grueling battle." Mava remarked in a wise voice with her words taking the group by surprise as she made her way forward.
"A chi restoration potion? Interesting…" Azula spoke with a finger under her chin as her lips pulled into another smug smile.
It went without saying that the old hermit truly was an invaluable resource.
And she did not serve her brother or her father.
No. Now, she serves Princess Azula.
Just think of all of the advantages that this sage would grant her in the war to come!
'It matters not if the old crone despises me. All that matters is that she serves me well.' The princess thought with a conceited smirk adorning her beautiful lips.
Only to be torn from her thoughts not a moment later by the sound of the old hag's rasping voice.
"Of course, the only reason why I even care is because if you were to die the young Component would almost certainly be lost without you. It's not like I give a damn what happens to you." Mava grumbled in a grumpy voice while Azula's amber golden eyes twitched in returning wrath as she glared a hole through the back of her head.
Only to spin around to glare frigidly at her subordinates when she heard the sound of poorly stifled chortles flowed into her ears.
"Is it safe to go back out there?" Ty Lee questioned in a cautious voice with a hand on her hip while Mai frowned in agreement.
The princess and the captain exchanged a quiet look as they glared ahead with cold looks in their eyes.
As the sage opened a drawer of jarred ingredients that were terribly disorganized from the artist's attack on the tree.
She muttered angrily under her breath as she sorted through the items in question.
"Silah has already left the valley. You should be more concerned about what will happen outside of the valley." Mava answered in a grouchy voice as she set items down on a damaged table while Ty Lee shuddered as she nodded her head.
"Let her. It will save me the trouble of hunting her down." Zoi stated in a vengeful voice with her golden eyes taking on a focused look once more.
Just as the four highborn women turned to watch with returning disgust in their eyes when the old hermit began to pour ingredients in a bowl.
"Tell me Elle. Is your beloved princess vegetarian as well?" Mava inquired in a smug voice as Azula stiffened with her amber golden eyes glaring murderously back at her.
"Oh no! Azula-sama eats all sorts of funky looking meats." Elle chirped in a cheery voice as she smiled while Azula now sat glaring down at her back with imposing amber golden eyes.
"How dare you insult my refined palate! If anything is 'funky' it's your sour vegetarian chow!" Azula barked as she stomped a boot on the floor while she pointed a finger down in her girlfriend's intimidated face.
The three noblewomen watched the scene in amusement.
"Y-you don't like sour patch kids Azula-sama?" Elle asked in worried voice as her big sister's gazed at her fondly while her princess let out a haughty scoff.
"I loathe sour patch kids." Azula snorted with her arms folded over her armored chest only to feel a tiny sliver of remorse when her serving girl's shoulders slumped.
"But…. you told me that you liked sour patch kids…" Elle mumbled in a deflated voice as Azula let out a heavy sigh behind her.
"Elle, it's just commoner candy." Azula sighed in a voice that nearly verged on fondness while she stared down at the younger girl's disappointed back.
"I can't believe that you lied to me…" Elle trailed off in an innocent voice as all but the princess stared pointedly at the back of her head.
Azula gazed down at the back of the young girl's head with something akin to amusement in her cold eyes before she turned to glare over her shoulder at her childhood friend's reproachful faces.
"And that surprises you Elle?" Mai asked dryly from where she sat beside the girl while Azula turned to direct a foul stare her way.
"Cheer up little sister. Azula didn't mean it like that. What she really meant to say is that she loves sour patch kids." Ty Lee assured in a supportive voice as she set her hand on Elle's back while Azula spun around to glare daggers at her.
"Ty Lee." Azula warned in a terrifying voice as her young girlfriend peered up with brightened amber eyes.
As the old sage stood off to the side mixing her potion together.
"Really?" Elle asked as she gazed up with admiration in her eyes at Ty Lee's kindly grinning face while Azula glared at the both of them.
"Really. She's just too proud to admit that she likes a commoner candy better than all of the sweets in the Royal Palace." Ty Lee stated with a smile on her lips as her adopted sister beamed up at her while the princess's amber golden eyes narrowed into slits.
"Oh, I see! She likes it she just doesn't want to say it." Elle concluded with a finger under her chin while her girlfriend's moody eyes glared at her.
"No. Ty Lee. No, I do not." Azula snarled in a frigid voice while her captain listened in amusement.
"That's right. So, don't pay Azula any mind when she says otherwise. Because they're really her favorite." Ty Lee commented in a playful voice as she turned to smile back at her friend while amber golden eyes burned with the fires of war.
"I understand now. This is another one of those image things that a princess has to worry about. Well, don't you worry Azula-sama. Your secret is safe with me." Elle remarked as she turned to smile up at Azula's scowling face while amber golden eyes glared down at her.
Only for all five of them to turn back to the sage while elderly woman finished with her mixture.
"When you leave here…head to the four spirit pools at the center of the valley." Mava instructed in a voice of tremendous insight while the group gazed on with shared intrigued.
"The four spirit pools?" Elle asked with childlike fascination in her voice while her princess furrowed her regal brows over her.
"Yes, young one. That…is where all of the recent activity in the forest is originating from." Mava stated in a raspy voice while the princess and the captain's eyes grew wider in realization.
"That's where the soldiers are coming from? The spirit pools?" Zoi inquired in a thoughtful voice as she turned to gaze back at her princess's livid face while Azula's callous eyes glared ahead.
"It would seem that it is the case…considering that the spirit pools act as a portal to the Spirit World. Perhaps…these foreign soldiers are coming through from somewhere beyond the Spirit World?" Mava replied in a suggestive undertone as she stirred the potion while Team Azula exchanged stunned looks with one another.
"My…my homeland is beyond the Spirit World?" Elle wondered in a confused voice with her amber eyes agape in fascination.
"Azula…does this mean that there is a portal to Elle's homeland somewhere in the Spirit World?" Ty Lee questioned in a taken aback voice as she turned to gaze at her leader's coldly thoughtful countenance.
"I will investigate this matter. And then I will crush these invaders beneath the wake of my flames." Azula spoke in a merciless voice with her amber golden eyes taking on a monstrous stare while her childhood friends shivered beside her.
"At any rate. The Spirit World is your next destination anyhow." Mava commented in a vague fashion while the princess stared at her back with searching amber golden eyes.
"Elaborate old woman." Azula commanded in a spoiled voice with her authoritative eyes gazing harshly ahead while her loyal handmaid sat at her boots.
"As I said before. Every holder of the Component must expose themselves to the energies of the Spirit World before they can begin to master its power. Elle received a small dose of its energies when her mind briefly drifted into the Spirit World…but now she must journey there in the flesh to receive a larger dose." Mava explained in a patient voice as she gazed over her shoulder with glazed golden eyes.
The team gazed at their young friend's bewildered face with rising intrigue in their eyes.
"I-I have to go there again? What if I run into those horrible monsters that I saw in my vision?" Elle pondered in a fretful voice with returning fear in her worried eyes while her princess's lips pursed into a protective scowl.
"You won't. That was a vision of the future. Not of the present. And the entity is still asleep anyhow." Mava assured with a wise nod while Elle swallowed as she numbly nodded her head.
"W-what if the Avatar comes for me again?" Elle asked as she chewed on her lower lip while Azula's amber golden eyes took on a coldly possessive gleam once more.
"This time you will have your friends with you. You will be fine child." Mava answered in a rough voice while the servant girl still bit her lip in uncertainty.
"It will be alright Elle. We'll be with you." Ty Lee stated in a tender voice as she offered her young friend a comforting smile while Elle's face brightened after hearing those words.
"Yeah. We will." Mai agreed as she reached over to pat the girl on the head while Elle smiled shyly up at her.
Only for her tawny eyes to take on an annoyance look when the princess swatted her hand away.
"Get your hands off my pet! I own her and only I may fondle her!" Azula barked in a tyrannical voice as she glared hard at her annoyed friend's face while her young girlfriend swooned with a dainty hand on her cheek.
Mai and Ty Lee could only gaze at their friend in exasperation as they let out another sigh.
They both knew by now that it was useless to argue with Azula about the status of Elle's 'pethood'.
"O-oh my princess charming you are so romantic." Elle gushed in a love-struck voice with a cute blush on her cheeks while her princess smirked as she arrogantly puffed out her armored chest.
"Tell me something that I don't already know. Peasant." Azula snorted in a pompous voice as she haughtily scanned her perfect fingernails.
Her refined smile grew when she felt her serving girl lean into her thigh once more.
"Ty Lee and Mai speak the truth. We'll be with you. Although some of us in this group are more capable protectors than others…." Zoi trailed off with a small smirk on her lips while her two fellow nobles turned to glare back at her.
"If the tiger monkey ventures into the Spirit World…this will serve to help her hone her power?" Azula questioned in a stony voice with a lovely fingertip under her chin while she surveyed her pet through the corner of her cold eye.
"It will. A physical trip to the Spirit World will be of a great benefit to Elle. Though I will caution you to avoid interacting with certain malevolent spirits…such as Koh the Face Stealer." Mava responded in an eerie voice once more while the highborn women gazed on with attentive eyes.
"K-Koh the Face Stealer?" Elle squeaked in an already frightened voice with her hands turning clammy while Azula sat above her with her amber golden eyes paying close mind to the old hermit's words.
"He is a highly dangerous spirit with the ability to steal the faces of victims that show even the slightest hint of emotions. None of you must show any emotion if you encounter Koh. Otherwise he will take your face." Mava informed in a blunt voice with her words causing Ty Lee to shudder beside the wary markswoman.
"W-well if I see him I-I'll try my best not to show any emotion then." Elle stammered in a fearful voice while her princess rolled her unconvinced amber golden eyes behind her.
The noblewomen exchanged a mutual glance before they turned to survey their young friend.
'Hiding emotion isn't a problem for any of us…but it will not be so simple a matter for Elle.' Zoi thought with her golden eyes gazing down in contemplation.
"Please. If we run into this spirit. I will do the talking. Understand peasant?" Azula spoke with her callous amber golden eyes staring dominantly down at her girlfriend's grudgingly adorable face.
Only for her regal lips to almost pull into a smile when her serving girl bowed her head in respect to her dominance.
"Yes Azula-sama. I do." Elle agreed in a devoted voice as she bent her head in reverence before the seated woman while Azula's cold eyes gazed down at her in approval.
As Mai let out another gloomy sigh over the girl's habit of bowing before the princess with her every breath.
"This is precisely why you have a master in the first place. You are woefully unfit to handle far too many matters on your own. And it is obvious that there is no woman more qualified to rule over your little life than myself." Azula declared in a voice practically dripping with arrogance while she clasped her palms in her lap.
She sat back with a smirk forming upon her crimson lips while she gazed down at her hurriedly bowing girlfriend.
"As you command Azula-sama. Always as you command." Elle stated in a lovable voice as she bowed once more while her princess stared down at her with stern amber golden eyes.
Only for her amber eyes to widen in delight not a moment later when a strong palm lowered into her plush hair.
She raised her eyes to find herself gazing up at Azula's cold face while the older girl patted her head with a scowl adorning her full lips.
"Aww. Now that is so cute Azula." Ty Lee commented with a grin on her lips once more while her friend glared at her from the corner of her eye.
And her little sister smiled as she sat with her head underneath the princess's controlling palm.
Only for all five of them to turn back to the hermit when they saw her pouring an unpleasant looking liquid into small wooden cups.
And just like that once by one their eyes flashed with disgust as they watched the strange concoction fill up each cup.
"Come. Drink up. Restore your chi." Mava instructed with a small trace of smugness in her voice while the four highborn women stared at the drink in revulsion.
"Ugh. I would rather just die of exhaustion." Mai stated in her typical monotone while Ty Lee grimaced beside her.
"Hag! I demand that you tell me the ingredients of this filthy concoction." Azula ordered in a spoiled voice with her lips forming a repulsed thin line as she glared at the potion in question.
"Drink it or don't! It's not like it matters if you kids are too tired to fight in your next battle." Mava scoffed with a dismissive wave of her hand while the princess's amber golden eyes stared hard through her skull.
Just before they turned to the captain to notice the warrior wordlessly step forward to grasp one of the wooden cups.
"Foul taste or not. Only a fool would spurn recovery." Zoi remarked as she strode ahead while her princess stared coldly after her back.
Before the three highborn women turned to their handmaid when Elle sprang to her feet.
"Worry not friends! You don't have to get up. Your loyal servant will go get it for you!" Elle announced with cheer that had her three companions stiffening in their seats before she scampered off to collect the potions.
"Now that is dedication Your Highness." Zoi taunted with a small smirk on her lips as she grasped onto a cup while Azula sat glaring callously in her direction.
"Shut up Zoi!" Azula growled out as she watched with distasteful amber golden eyes when her servant girl collected three cups.
As her captain smiled back at her as she scowled while the girl hurried back over to their side.
Only for the three women of Team Azula cringed when a cup was set in each of their hands.
While Elle now stood smiling brightly back at their cringing faces.
As Azula glared imposingly at the handmaiden's joyful face.
"Drink up friends! It's for the good of the team! I'll be here to support all of you through every step of the way!" Elle chirped with her hands cutely folded behind her back while her two big sisters winced as they sunk back in defeat.
"Don't you dare give us orders peasant. I suggest you remember that we are the masters here. Not you." Azula snarled as she pointed a domineering finger in her girlfriend's adorable face while fire spewed from her beautiful lips.
Mai and Ty Lee sighed as they raised the cups to their lips.
"It's only fair Azula. Elle did it for us." Ty Lee reminded as she offered the younger girl a fond smile while Azula scowled in her seat.
"May as well get it over with." Mai muttered as she tried to avoid gazing down in the cup.
"I could never forget Azula-sama. For I serve Team Azula with pride. On this day…for all of my days." Elle spoke in a faithful voice as she bent her head in respect while the three older girls gazed at her with varying levels of emotion in their eyes.
The captain gazed at Elle through the corner of her eye before she tipped the drink back without so much as speaking another word.
And then Ty Lee chugged her own with her brown gray eyes gazing at Elle with great affection in her gaze.
Which was followed up soon by Mai as she wordlessly downed her own potion.
And then last but never least.
The ruthless princess gulped down her potion with a still present stony expression on her lips while she gazed back at her bowing servant in recognition.
And then not even a second later all four highborn women widened their eyes in disgust as the unpleasant liquid quickly ran down their throat.
Mava stood with her hands grasping upon the handle of her staff with her old golden eyes gazing back at the now choking girls.
As the servant still stood diligently before the coughing princess as the older girl's tongue recoiled in revulsion.
"Disgusting! What…did you put in that drink?" Azula sputtered in uncharacteristic discomfort as a shudder traveled down her spine while she raised her callous eyes to glare back at smirking hermit.
"Many things Princess. Many things." Mava answered in a purposefully mysterious voice as Azula gracefully wiped her lips while her amber golden eyes narrowed into murderous slits.
And the three noblewomen did the same as their tongues flipped about in protest.
And even the mighty warrior found herself grimacing over the horrible flavor with her disgusted golden eyes now gazing down into her empty cup.
"See Azula-sama. You should have taken the vegetarian version. Then you wouldn't have had to eat crushed beetles." Elle quipped in a helpful voice as her highborn friends winced.
"Elle." Azula began in a cold voice as she turned to regard her serving girl with a disciplinary stare.
"Yes Princess?" Elle replied in a loyal voice only to find herself gulping when Azula's beautifully imposing eyes sent a shiver down her spine.
"Shut up." Azula grunted as she swallowed what remained of the vile drink in her throat while she shuddered once more.
About ten minutes later…
After the team finally shook off their disgust from ingesting the foul-tasting potion.
They were now all standing up as they listened intently in renewed fascination to the sounds of the Sentinel Tree returning to the surface.
'Is it just my imagination or do I feel…stronger than before…' Azula thought as she gazed down at her open fist while she clenched it before her cold amber golden eyes.
She shared a look with her stoic captain as the other woman did the same.
Before they turned back to the hunched over sage with amazement flashing in their eyes once more.
"When you are finished with your business outside. Return to the Sentinel Tree. There is more that I wish to tell you. But it will have to wait until after." Mava announced in a low voice while the princess stared back with coldly searching amber golden eyes.
The three noblewomen glanced at their leader as they waited for the princess's next order.
Only for their young friend to step in front of the princess while they turned to the teenage girl curious of what she had to say.
"Wise sage? I have something else to ask you." Elle spoke up in a courteous voice as Azula gazed down at her back with callous amber golden eyes.
"And that is?" Mava asked in a venerable voice while Elle chewed on her lip in deep thought.
As her highborn friends gazed at her with inquisitive looks in their eyes.
"You told me…that I would see both my own memories…and the memories of the previous holder which was…my mother. So why…why did I also see my brother's memories?" Elle pondered in a noticeably unsettled voice as she bit her lip while she gazed on with worry in her amber eyes.
Her companions stared on with returning concern in their eyes as they recalled their disturbing glimpse into Felix's twisted mind.
Just as the old sage turned around with her glazed over eyes seeming to widen in some unspoken alarm.
"What? You saw your brother's memories?" Mava queried in a voice of puzzlement that unnerved the team while the young girl nodded her head in response.
In all of the time that they have spent with old Mava this had to be one of the few times that they had seen her taken by surprise.
And that did not bode well…with any of them.
"T-that's so Sage. I did. Although I wish I hadn't. I…didn't know that he killed fellow survivors of Rosa." Elle muttered in a disquieted manner with her innocent eyes taking on a glum look once more that had her older girlfriend protectively baring her teeth.
Ty Lee and Mai exchanged another shivering look as they remembered watching Elle's brother kill those boys.
And once again even though they did not have the courage to state it aloud.
It almost reminded them of a male Azula.
"Yes. I wondered the same thing myself." Zoi stated in a thoughtful voice as she pushed herself off the wall with her stony golden eyes gazing down at her young friend beside her.
Only for all five of them to turn back to the old sage as they watched her hastily hobble over with the bottom of her staff clanging urgently upon the floor.
As Elle stared ahead with her amber eyes agape in a rising fretfulness as Mava came to a stop before her.
"Stay still child. There is something that I must check." Mava spoke in a withered voice as she raised her wrinkled hand to touch Elle's trembling forehead once more.
Azula stared down with her ruthless amber golden eyes observing each and every movement in a manner similar to a mighty dragon looking out for her hatchling.
The three noblewomen stood in an uncertain silence when the sage's fingers touched the young girl's quivering head.
Just as the old hermit's hand emitted a dim glow yet again.
And then not even seconds later Mava's hand fell from Elle's forehead while the sage now stared ahead with her golden eyes widened in unvoiced mortification.
"W-what does it mean Wise Sage?" Elle inquired in a bothered voice while Mava still gazed at her with unsettling golden eyes.
The three noblewomen gazed on in silent worry only for their silence to be broken when the princess stomped her boot upon the floor.
"Out with it already. Tell us what it means." Azula hissed in an imperious voice as she glared down at the sage with imposing amber golden eyes.
"You should have only seen the memories of those connected to the Component bloodline." Mava began in a foreboding voice while the team gazed on in a worried silence.
Elle's amber eyes grew even larger as she audibly swallowed the lump that was in her throat.
"T-then does mean that Felix…" Elle trailed off in a fearful voice while her princess stared on with her callous eyes expressing her surprise.
"Your brother possesses a yet to be determined link to your power." Mava announced as her hand clutched her staff while Elle's eyes widened in aghast horror.
Team Azula stood in a speechless state gazing at their friend in incrementing trepidation.
"H-he has a link?" Elle mumbled in a mortified voice as she chewed on her lip while Azula stomped up beside her with her callous eyes glaring ahead.
"What does that mean he has a link to her power?" Azula demanded in an aggressive voice with her cold eyes forming a piercing stare.
'Her brother is tied to her power?' Ty Lee thought with her usual smile having given way to a concerned frown.
Mai narrowed her tawny eyes in a sisterly stare as she gazed down at the younger girl's back.
"As of this moment I do not know. Make no mistake. Elle is the Component. That I know without doubt. But as for what this means. I need more time before I can answer that." Mava concluded with a sigh while Elle fearfully nodded her head.
"Okay. I understand." Elle answered in a distressed voice while her friends gazed at one another in concern.
"That's all? You can't tell us any more than that?" Azula complained in a haughty voice as she tapped her boot on the floor while her girlfriend lingered beside her.
"I have told you far more than you knew before you came here! You ought to be thankful that you got what you got!" Mava yelled out as she waved her staff in Azula's glaring face while the princess's face grew red in anger.
Just as another gunshot rang out into the hollow tree while they gazed over their shoulder in alarm once more.
"She is right Princess. We didn't know anything before we came here and now, we know a great deal. Perhaps she will be able to tell us more after we handle matters outside." Zoi advised in a stoic voice with her golden eyes turning back to her princess's cold face while Azula angrily folded her arms over her breasts.
"Fine. But for your sake you had better know before I return hag." Azula spoke in a merciless voice as stared hard at the old hermit's wrinkled face.
Mai and Ty Lee simply gazed at their leader in exasperation over her persistent rudeness.
"And I hope that you enjoyed drinking slug worm brat." Mava snapped back in turn as all four girls faces turned green in revulsion.
"Ugh. I think I'm going to be sick." Mai groaned with a hand over her belly while Ty Lee shuddered beside her.
"I'll make you pay for this treatment peasant. Just you wait." Azula snarled as she pointed a tyrannical finger in the old hermit's direction while her amber golden eyes glared after her hobbled form.
"As disgusting as it is. It seems that it was worth it. My chi truly seems that it has recovered." Zoi stated as she flexed her fist with a more unbothered expression than her companions.
"Let this be a lesson to you friends. Next time drink the vegetarian version. That way you won't be drinking slug worm." Elle commented as she swung her backpack over her shoulders while her four friends stiffened in discomfort.
"Rub it in one more time Elle. And next time I will ensure that you are drinking slug worm alongside me." Azula remarked in a sadistic voice as she turned to glance down at her girlfriend's gulping face.
Only for another round to echo in the distance as she turned to stare at the wall with her callous amber golden eyes narrowing into slits.
The Sentinel Tree reemerged at the surface as they listened to the ground lightly rattle all around them.
Before the tree finally came to as top as it balanced itself upon the ground while the group prepared to depart.
"Before I leave Wise Sage. I have one final question for you. What is your name?" Elle questioned in a polite voice while her highborn friends turned back to her.
And the old hermit paused as she turned to gaze back at her from over her hunched shoulder.
"My name is Mava." Mava revealed in an enigmatic voice with her old eyes staring ahead while Elle clutched the straps of her backpack with a smile returning to her lips.
"Arigatou gozaimasu Mava." Elle spoke in a courteous voice as she bowed at the hip while her big sisters gazed over her shoulder with fond looks in their eyes.
All while Azula rolled her eyes as she pompously scanned the fingernails on her clenched fist.
And even though it was barely noticeable.
It almost seemed as if the old sage was smiling.
"You are most welcome Elle Turner. Now you best go. The Spirit World awaits you." Mava replied in a mystical voice as she took a seat beside her stove once more while Elle nodded in understanding.
And then Elle stood up as she felt a hand touch her shoulder while she smiled as she turned to gaze up into her princess's cold amber golden eyes.
"Come servant." Azula commanded in a stony voice as she turned to walk off with her fingers slipping off her serving girl's shoulder.
Mai and Ty Lee gazed over their shoulders with softened eyes as the teenage girl skipped after them.
"I'll see you later then Mava!" Elle called out as she waved over her shoulder while her highborn friends made their way out.
Only for all of them to pause for a final time when the sage called back out to them.
"Keep an eye on your mother's bracelet Elle. You may find that it will come in handy one day." Mava advised in a vague voice as Elle's amber eyes blinked in confusion while Azula rose a curious brow.
Before the team walked out as they gazed at each other in bewilderment.
"I…wonder what she meant by that." Elle muttered quietly as she padded beside Azula while the older woman gazed down at her with cold amber golden eyes.
"Who knows little sister. Maybe she really is watching over you." Ty Lee remarked in a tender voice as she smiled down at Elle's brightening face.
"I…just hope that this connection with Felix isn't anything bad…" Elle stated in a soft voice while her companions gazed at her in concern.
Not a single one of them was pleased to hear that the girl's demented brother had some type of unspoken link to her power.
One thing was for certain.
It most definitely did not please Azula.
Azula's lips curled into a protective snarl as she strode over her girlfriend with her icy eyes never leaving the much shorter girl's lovely face.
'One way or another when I meet him…I'll find out. Mark my words.' Azula thought as she gazed down with methodical amber golden eyes.
And that was a promise.
Ten minutes later.
Saro and Jiao were still putting things back where they belonged while Nako gazed up from where she sat with a book in hand to see Azula striding towards her.
"Have you found anything of interest Nako?" Azula questioned in a strict voice with a hand on her shapely hip while she watched her subordinate bow with her hands forming their hand symbol.
"Possibly so Princess! Although I haven't had much time to read with all of this cleanup…" Nako answered in an articulate voice as she met Azula's approving amber golden gaze.
"I am going to teach those foreign soldiers a lesson. In the meantime, I am leaving you in charge of research. Understand Nako?" Azula commanded with her hands clasped behind her tall back while she studied her bowing pilot with a cold gaze.
"Yes, Your Highness. I will not fail you." Nako assured as she arose from her bow before the pleased princess.
"See to it that you don't Nako. You know how much I dislike failure." Azula stated in a smooth voice as she turned away while Nako hurriedly nodded her head.
Just as she paused in her tracks when the commoner spoke to her once more.
"Please be careful Princess." Nako spoke in a nervous voice as she met Azula's taken aback amber golden gaze while the princess's lips parted into a moved expression.
Only for Azula's signature scowl to recover just as quickly as it had vanished.
"Just focus on your work Nako. And try not to get killed while I am gone." Azula sighed as she regarded her pilot with a strict stare before she resumed walking away.
"I won't Princess!" Nako responded in a relieved voice as she watched her princess walk away.
Truth be told.
She was glad that she was remaining behind.
'I have had enough battle to last me for a long time.' Nako thought with a shiver traveling down her spine before she turned to resume her reading.
Azula's amber golden eyes flashed with a hidden gleam as she walked off.
'Being loved…it feels…strangely rewarding.' Azula thought with her stoic gaze peering ahead while her strict eyes honed in on her admirer's youthful face.
Zoi now stood before the other two as she gave orders to her nodding subordinate.
"Saro. I want you to stay behind and look after the others." Zoi ordered in a composed voice with her toned arms folded over her chest while her subordinate nodded his head.
"Understood Captain." The lieutenant agreed just as he glanced down with curious golden eyes when his leader handed him a wooden cup.
"Drink it. It's a chi restoration potion." Zoi commented in a steely undertone while Saro accepted the potion without hesitation.
"A chi restoration potion…" Saro trailed off as he tipped the drink back while Zoi held one out in offering to Jiao.
"What's in it Zoi?" Jiao inquired in a skeptical voice as she scrutinized the potion while her partner's face remained unexpressive.
The two noblewomen watched from the rear with shuddering eyes as Saro promptly downed the drink.
As the princess's amber golden eyes flickered with a momentary sadistic gleam.
Only for the sound of the soldier recoiling in disgust to ring out into the air while the captain cleared her throat.
"Slug worm. Among many other ingredients." Zoi answered in an aloof voice as Jiao's blue eyes now gazed up at her in revulsion.
"Slug worm!" Saro exclaimed in a shudder as he cringed while drinking what remained of the potion.
Nako also shuddered from where she sat with her brown eyes gazing ahead in revulsion.
"Slug worm…how appealing. I trust that you drank it Zoi?" Jiao pondered as she gazed up at her lover's momentarily revolted face.
"I did yes. We all did." Zoi informed in a calm voice only to sigh when the younger woman pushed the drink away.
"I'll pass Zoi. But thank you for drinking it for me. That was sweet of you." Jiao spoke with a smile on her lips while all but her partner and Elle glared back at her.
And Azula's callous eyes now stared at the back of her head in unhidden annoyance.
But she knew that she didn't have any time to waste bickering with the aggravating woman.
Now when foreign soldiers were encroaching into their domain.
"I am a soldier Jiao. I don't flinch from my duty." Zoi stated as she set the drink down while her companions turned to head for the door.
"I know you don't Zoi." Jiao replied in a softer voice as she stood unmoving while a strong hand raised her chin upward.
She now gazed up into unbelievably strong golden eyes as the older woman allowed herself to crack a small smile.
"You be careful now while I am away. And stay inside. Okay Jiao?" Zoi instructed in guarding voice as she watched the younger woman placed her hands upon her belly.
"I will Zoi. And…. make sure that you don't take too long." Jiao muttered with rare affection in her voice while Zoi smiled down at her.
Just before she found herself being pulled forward into muscular arms.
Until her face hit the noblewoman's chest while she gazed up with widened blue eyes into the warrior's sanguine golden gaze.
"I won't Jiao." Zoi assured as she placed one hand on the smaller woman's back while Jiao nodded her head as she momentarily relaxed in her arms.
A few minutes after that.
The four highborn women and the young girl were making their way to the Sentinel Tree's exit once more.
"Azula-sama?" Elle pondered in a thoughtful voice as Azula glanced down at her with a stern amber golden gaze.
"What is it Elle?" Azula answered as she strode closely to her girlfriend while the younger girl frowned as she chewed on her lip.
"I have been thinking…both about what the sage said about…about my brother and of the visions that I saw of the older me." Elle confessed in a reflective voice as she held onto the straps of her backpack while her friends listened attentively.
"Don't worry your little mind about your brother. I will handle him for you." Azula commented in a glacial voice with her imperious gaze staring back down at her handmaiden's perturbed face.
As a cold scowl graced her regal lips.
"Yeah Elle. Just leave it to us. We won't let him hurt you ever again." Ty Lee declared with her brown-gray eyes briefly losing her characteristic kindness while Elle still bit her lip.
"And I have been pondering if maybe this means that I need to face him myself." Elle announced without warning as all four of her friends turned to gaze back at her with shock in their eyes.
A state of speechlessness once again swept through the air as Elle stared at all four of her highborn friends with a worried look in her amber eyes.
"Face him yourself?" Mai queried in a taken aback voice while the princess's amber golden eyes narrowed in disapproval.
"That is out of the question servant. You are far too weak to face battle on your own accord." Azula snapped with her boot tapping on the floor as she fingers grasped at the underside of her elbows.
"But…he's my brother Azula-sama. And like it or not…he…he is the last blood relative that I have left." Elle mumbled while her companions gazed at her with speechless looks in their eyes.
Even the princess was finding herself taken aback by her admirer's slowly growing bolder side.
She could only gaze down at the girl with her amber golden eyes observing the shorter girl closely with an ever-possessive stare.
She wasn't certain if she liked or disliked this new side of her servant.
Perhaps a mix of the two.
"I…can hide from him all I want. But…I know that he's out there hurting people. And when he hurts someone…I hurt." Elle admitted in a quiet voice with her tresses overshadowing her eyes while Azula's beautiful lips parted in surprise.
The three noblewomen gazed at their young friend with recognition in their eyes.
"Elle…" Ty Lee spoke in a gentle voice as she set a caring hand on Elle's shoulder while a frown returned to her lips.
The girl really was too sweet for her own good.
"You really do have a good heart Elle." Zoi stated with great respect in her golden eyes while she gazed down at the younger girl's sensitive face.
Only for all of them to turn to their leader when the princess let out an arrogant scoff as she stomped her boot on the floor.
"Soft hearted peasant! Your weakness will be your undoing!" Azula snarled as she pointed a domineering finger in her girlfriend's lovely face.
"Maybe so Azula-sama. But that's the way I'll flow." Elle replied as she raised her eyes to meet her mistress's glacial gaze while the princess sighed once more.
"How many times must I tell you that your only concern is serving me. That is your one and only priority. Just focus on me and me alone Elle. And I will take care of the rest." Azula commanded with her arms cross over her armored bust.
She stared down at her serving girl with a fixated look in her cruel eyes.
Just as a pleased gleam flashed in her cold gaze when the girl nodded her little head.
And then her trademark regal scowl pulled upward into a gratified smile when her serving girl bounced in another respectful bow.
"Yes Azula-sama. As Her Highness commands." Elle chirped with her hands tucked in neatly at her sides while she bent her head in reverence while Azula smiled in approval.
All the while as Mai let out another sigh as she fondly shook her head.
And Ty Lee grinned beside her once more.
Zoi stood at the door with a small smile on her lips.
"Hm. Very good. Now listen well servant. I have orders for you." Azula stated in an ever-controlling voice with her authoritative amber golden eyes staring down at her bowing girlfriend.
"What are your orders Azula-sama?" Elle asked in a courteous voice as she stood bent in a bow while her princess's imposing eyes gazed down at her.
'What a bizarre couple.' Mai thought as she gazed at her two friends in bewilderment.
It took some time.
But by now she was mostly used to the two girl's strange way of interacting.
"As my servant it is your duty to represent me with any and all foreign officials from this homeland of yours. You will obey only me and no matter what you will serve only me." Azula spoke in a dictatorial voice with her dominant gaze never leaving her servant girl's bowing face.
Her crimson lips twitched upward once more when the girl bent her head to her in respect.
"O-only you Azula-sama. Your loyal girl serves you and you alone." Elle stammered in an adorable voice as she bounced on her feet while Azula's lips curved into a pleased smirk.
"That's right peasant. Only me. And it goes without saying that I expect you to assist me in coaxing this friend of yours to serve me as well." Azula remarked with charisma lacing her domineering voice while her pet bowed at the hip once more.
"I-I promise you that I will do all that I can Princess. I…I will do my best to make you proud." Elle declared with her emotional eyes closing shut in a faithful bow while her princess gazed down in recognition.
"Now rise servant and follow your princess. The time has come for you to defend your nation from these foreign invaders." Azula ordered in a commanding voice as she waved her hand in in the air while Elle's amber eyes snapped open in surprise.
The three noblewomen were also gazing on in unspoken surprise to hear those words.
And Ty Lee's jaw could only drop open as she marveled over how deeply the two's bond had grown.
To hear a woman as wicked as Azula openly induct a foreign girl as a Fire Nation citizen was nothing short of astonishing.
Of course, she knew that Azula had already decided on doing so long ago.
But it was still quite stunning to hear the Fire Princess say as much aloud.
"M-my n-nation Azula-sama?" Elle stuttered in a moved voice with her amber eyes gazing up at her princess in appreciation while Azula rolled her lovely eyes over her.
"I'm not even going to answer that Elle. You'll just have to interpret the rolling of my eyes." Azula snorted as she turned to walk away while Ty Lee smiled as she followed after her.
Just as a cry of joy rang out into the air as Azula strode with her hands behind her back while Elle broke out into a hasty sprint after the older girl's footfalls.
"Arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama! Arigatou!" Elle cried out in an emotional voice as she ran in step alongside her much taller caretaker.
Her princess surveyed her through the corner of her cold amber golden eye.
"The Fire Nation is your home. And it always will be." Azula spoke with just a twinge of fondness permeating her strict voice as she gazed down at the younger girl's overjoyed face.
"Yes Azula-sama…my home." Elle agreed as she eagerly nodded her head with a joyful tear trailing down her cheek.
Azula gazed down with stern amber golden eyes before she turned her hardened gaze ahead.
And then in that very moment her ruthless gaze narrowed into a truly intimidating stare as she listened to distant sounds outside.
As her serving girl rushed alongside her.
And then not a second later the captain pushed the door open.
The Sun shined above the Sentinel Tree as they all gazed out with determined expressions in their eyes.
Before the princess set one boot outside the reddened barrier with her hand falling to the hilt of her sheathed sword once more.
While the peasant girl stood diligently beside her as she turned to gaze down into the younger girl's gentle eyes once more.
The princess and the commoner gazed into each other's eyes as they silently communicated by gaze alone.
And then the duo stepped outside of the vast barrier.
And shortly after that they proceeded into the dense forest as a team.
AN:
So, we learned a great deal in this chapter. In the past, the Primordial One defeated an Avatar, and ever since all Avatars are helpless before it because of the rune it cast over the Avatar cycle.
That means that since Aang cannot see it, it will be difficult to convince him of it. If you look at it from Aang's perspective, after all that Azula and the Fire Nation has done to him. He would most likely view it as an attempt to distract him from restoring balance by defeating the Fire Nation.
This also means that Elle is the only one on Team Azula who can see it as things stand right this. This is because her Component power has the ability to cut through energy linked to the spiritual plane and mystical barriers set up by otherworldly beings.
The power of the Component can be best described as an ability that cuts through energy, and because of that, the Component has the ability to see beyond even powerful runes.
The Primordial One fears the Component because a power that can cut through otherworldly energy is one of few forces that can harm it.
We also learned a bit of the journey that lies ahead beyond the war with the Avatar. Elle and Team Azula will eventually have to find the Matrix of Light which once activated can be used to destroy this being for good.
However, the Matrix cannot destroy the Primordial One without the Component power, and vice versa. It will take both combined to accomplish what Mava speaks.
Also, when Mava says that she has seen many roads, she is telling Azula that there are some timelines where she becomes a respected leader of her people. And in others, it is Zuko who becomes Fire Lord.
That basically means that you could look at this as an alternate time line to canon, and that in the story line that I am presenting here. The canon story that we know of is one of many time lines where Azula suffered a tragic fate.
And when Mava tells Azula that she must prove she is worthy, what she means is that she is well aware that Azula is for the most part only looking at how this will benefit her and to some extent Elle.
Azula isn't yet looking at it as her responsibility to protect her people from a dangerous otherworldly threat, as we saw when we got a glimpse of her thoughts. Azula is more elated that she may be able to obtain another great power in addition to already possessing Elle's Component in her service, than being concerned of what this threat may entail.
However, Elle is taking it more seriously than Azula. Because as we saw, Elle was visibly frightened during the discussion with Mava.
However, thanks to Elle's presence she is there to help serve as Azula's moral compass. And as we saw when Azula previously lied about not liking Elle's candy, for better or for worse Elle's trust in Azula is absolute.
This means that Elle isn't even considering that Team Azula may be hiding major details about the Fire Nation from her. And that she may feel hurt when she learns of the Fire Nation's cruelties. If Elle didn't anticipate the candy lie, that also infers that she isn't expecting to find slaves in the Fire Nation. And sooner or later in one of the arcs to come, it will all blow up in Azula's face.
On the more comical side of the chapter, we saw that Elle is not above holding a humorous grudge when she got Azula and the others back by making them drink the repulsive potion.
We also learned through Mava that Felix has a mysterious link to Elle's power. As for what that means, we will find out by the end of this arc. We also saw some more of Elle's growth at the end of the chapter when she expressed a desire that perhaps she should be the one to face Felix and stop him for good.
At the start of the story she wanted to run away from Felix forever, and now she is growing bolder, and she instead wishes to take him down.
And finally, Elle is now a Fire Nation citizen. This serves to solidify that Team Azula and the Fire Nation is now her home.
Team Azula are now leaving to face the military and Naoki. Before you see the military, I want to remind everyone that Elle's world endured a widely destructive World War Three that killed off much of the planets population. In some respects you could even consider Elle's Earth post-apocalyptic
That means that resources are more scarce in Elle's world than they are to us today and as a result, the military has less men and women at their disposal. So, essentially the military as a whole is possibly less powerful than before World War Three because soldiers are harder to come by.
And lastly, I want to state that some of the chapters from here on out will be shorter than others. Some will be the usual 8-10k in length, others will be shorter at 6k words. That is because I was going through a lot of pain when writing the later portion of this arc and some chapters didn't turn out as long as I expected they would.
Anyhow, that will be all for now.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter ninety-three! Interlopers!