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The Castle of the Zanoda Clan - Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four
Joza was a somewhat heavy-set man.
As the head of the Zanoda clan, he wore the usual rich red and black robes befitting of Fire Nation nobility.
He had curly graying hair that was considered long for a man, that hung down to his neck with his hair tied at the top in the traditional Fire Nation knot.
And he also had a thick beard and mustache.
He now kowtowed on his castle floor while his golden eyes stared up at the woman seated upon his throne in apprehension.
As blue fire lit the walls of the Zanoda clan throne room.
And the air had even begun to take on a terrifying chill that served as a stark contrast to the heat from the intense flames.
While utterly tyrannical amber golden eyes now glared back down at the cowering Governor Zanoda from far above.
The imposing princess now sat with her arms resting on the sides of the throne.
The serving girl bowed on the floor before her mistress's boots with her head bent in a show of unrivaled reverence.
As the two noblewomen stood off to the sides of the throne while they gazed back at the rightfully frightened man.
And the chancellor watched from the corner of the room with a malicious gleam in his eyes taking great delight in the other man's humiliation.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Azula inquired with menace lacing her livid voice while her imperious amber golden eyes stared hard down at the older man's slightly sweating face.
"Forgive me Princess! But…I nearly had the situation under control!" Joza protested with poorly hidden indignation in his voice.
The princess's amber golden eyes narrowed into incensed slits as she glared down at the nobleman.
And not a moment later blue fire sparked to life throughout the chamber while the governor shrunk back under the princess's glare.
Ty Lee and Mai just shook their heads over the man's poorly chosen response.
"Nearly under control? Upon my arrival I was greeted with a miniature insurrection! My own people tried to attack me! Is that what you call under control!" Azula boomed in a terrifyingly wrathful voice while she glared harshly down into the governor's embarrassed eyes.
She sat seething in her cushioned seat with her fists clenching in her royal fury.
As Elle chewed on her lip as she peered up at her mistress's beautifully furious face.
Just before she reached out to gently touch her princess's robed leg while she started to massage the older woman's pant covered shin.
The princess discreetly glanced down out of the corner of her callous amber golden eye as she watched her pet affectionately rub her leg.
And then she let out a foul tempered growl as she sunk back on her throne while she returned her displeased glare to the man below.
As the servant girl continued to lovingly massage her mistress's robed leg as the much taller woman sat glowering above her.
"No! It is not! And for that I offer you my apologies once more Princess. But I would like to remind you that the Zanoda clan is only in possession of a small force of soldiers as most soldiers are currently stationed in the Earth Kingdom by the order the Fire Lord." Joza stated in an insistent voice while the imposing princess glared coldly down at him.
The others watched from the sidelines as the princess continued to chew the man out.
"If you are so incompetent that you cannot govern several of our most rural outlying islands…then I can't help but question if you should even be a regional governor at all." Azula spoke in a smoothly authoritative voice as she reclined with her amber golden eyes still glaring down at the man's protesting face.
Elle still bowed on the floor with her hands submissively massaging the princess's lower leg.
As a love-struck smile graced her lips as she took her mistress's booted foot in hand.
And then she began to knead the princess's sole through the underside of her boot.
Only for the princess to gaze down once more when she felt her pet begin to delightfully massage the underside of her foot through the bottom of her boot.
And just like that she sat back authoritatively upon her throne with her amber golden eyes still forming a callous stare.
She savored the sensation of her little girlfriend's affectionate caresses through the sole of her boot.
Elle happy sat with a content smile on her lips at the foot of the princess's throne.
As the governor and the chancellor paid no mind to the sight of the young girl so passionately worshipping the princess at her booted feet.
The two noblewomen had since learned to take their adopted sister's worshipful behavior towards the princess in stride.
"I wish to also further add that it was the Crown's decision to double the wartime tax that set the peasants off in the first place." Joza informed as he steeled himself with a frown on his lips while Azula's amber golden eyes glared imperiously down at him.
And that was all it took for the flames to shoot to towering heights while the nobleman paled in fear once more.
The serving girl's amber eyes took on a worried look when she heard that the tax on the peasants had been doubled.
As she sat obediently at the foot of her mistress's throne unbothered by the older woman's flaring temper.
The noblewomen and the chancellor wisely kept their mouths shut so as to avoid becoming a target of the princess's wrath.
"Governor Joza…are you blaming my father for your own inability to manage our people?" Azula pondered in an effortlessly intimidating voice with her frightening amber golden eyes staring oppressively back down at the man as he rapidly shook his head.
She exhaled fire through her angrily pursed lips with her fists imposingly resting on the side of her throne.
Only for another low growl to escape her lipstick covered lips when she felt her handmaiden rub her robed ankle.
It went without saying that the girl's lovely little hands were the only thing keeping her lethal temper in check.
"Of course not! I am just saying that all I do is collect the amount that I am told to collect by the Fire Lord." Joza explained in a hurried voice as he began to sweat when it felt as if the princess's merciless amber golden eyes were staring through his skull.
Just as the flames rose up on all sides once more while the blue fire accented Azula's unforgiving glaring countenance.
"This isn't a discussion about the tax rate or how many guards you have under your jurisdiction Governor Joza. This is about you not feeding your people…and if that large stomach of yours is anything to go by it would seem as if you have been eating rather abundantly." Azula remarked with a mocking edge to her cruel voice while she propped her elbow up on the side of the throne.
She stared back at the man's reddening face with her amber golden eyes taking amusement in his shame.
As Mai and Ty Lee suppressed a snort of laughter as they stared accusingly back at the nobleman's embarrassed countenance.
"Princess you must understand that I do not have enough food in this castle to feed all of Shung Wu!" Joza exclaimed in an insistent voice while Azula stared imperiously down at him from where she sat behind her blue flames.
"Really? Because I would have thought otherwise…judging by how fat your family is." Azula commented in a ruthless voice with a sneer on her lips while the unfortunate man shrunk back even further under her glare.
The two noblewomen once again exchange an amused look as they watched the terrorized nobleman squirm under their leader's interrogation.
As the chancellor stood off to the side of the castle chamber watching the exchange with entertainment in his golden eyes.
While the serving girl still sat at her mistress's feet with her hands holding onto the older woman's pant leg.
"M-my stores may keep the peasants abated for maybe a week or two…but no longer than that. But perhaps if the Crown were to help…" Joza trailed off with a suggestive implication to his shaken voice.
Only for the flames in the throne room to burst upward to intimidating heights while he backed away with fright in his eyes.
As Azula's amber golden eyes had now boiled over into an absolutely infuriated stare with all of the patience in her gaze having long since faded away.
"I grow tired of hearing your endless excuses for your incompetence! My servant girl took swifter action than you when she distributed our lunch to calm your hungry citizens!" Azula bellowed in a vastly intimidating tone while her blue flames rose up in unison with the volume of her raised voice.
The governor in question swallowed quietly as he shook under the woman's frightening glare.
The princess angrily sat back with the girl still bowing faithfully before her on the floor before her throne.
As Elle gazed on unafraid of the most recent display of the older woman's explosive temper.
"Perhaps upon my return I should speak to Father about appointing her governor. I am confident that she would deliver us better results than you and I am certain that she would not allow her princess to be assaulted by a mob of angry peasants upon her arrival." Azula hissed with fire spewing from her seething lips while she clenched her mighty fists on the arms of her throne.
The serving girl now puffed out her chest with an innocent smile making its way onto her lips from where she sat at her mistress's feet.
As the ashamed governor now began to glare up at the smiling servant girl with annoyance in his eyes.
Only to find himself sweating in terror not even a moment after his gaze had landed on the young girl when he found Azula's amber golden eyes burning a hole through his soul.
The powerful princess remained seated on her throne with her murderously possessive amber golden eyes glaring down at the intimidated man.
As Elle still bowed with a devoted expression on her face while the light from her mistress's blue flames accented her gentle face.
Ty Lee and Mai also stared down at the man in judgment just as soon as the nobleman had dared to glare at their little sister.
Only for everyone to find themselves turning towards the curtains of the throne room when the captain parted them aside.
And just like that the tension rose even higher when Zoi entered the room.
The captain now swiftly strode in with an aura of unspeakable anger emanating off her body.
Her golden eyes stared coldly ahead with a focused glare in her eyes that was not unlike the persona that she took on in battle.
It was evident to all of the noblewoman's companions that she was in no mood to be trifled with.
Even to the Fire Princess.
The only person who seemed oblivious to the captain's fury was the governor himself.
And then the warrior came to a stop with her back turned to the nobleman.
She took a drink from a flask as she breathed angrily with the gaze of her golden eyes betraying her unimaginable fury.
While the princess watched carefully as her strongest soldier attempted to contain her anger.
Just before the captain turned to gaze up at her princess while the younger woman stonily met her gaze.
"Princess…the situation has been contained…for the moment. However, if urgent action is not taken to remedy the problem, then I imagine it will not be long before the people riot again." Zoi stated in a composed voice as she held her flask in hand while her princess scowled in the direction of the man behind her.
As Joza now turned to gaze at the captain's back as the woman drank from her flask once more.
"I heard that you hesitated out there. They were just peasant farmers and fisherman. A warrior of your skill level with a royal force should have been able to put them down with ease." Joza remarked with something akin to accusation in his voice.
The princess and her subordinates turned to stare back at the nobleman in disbelief over his gall.
Ty Lee and Mai shared a stunned look as they glared back at the older man in annoyance over how he was placing blame on everyone but himself!
Only for the captain to seemingly pay the governor no mind when she swallowed down another drink from her flask.
She still stood with her back gracing the man while her golden eyes frigidly stared back at the nearest wall.
As the princess still stared down at the governor's foolhardy countenance with coldly narrowed amber golden eyes.
Only to find herself turning to gaze in her chancellor's direction when the conniving politician's voice rang out into the air.
"Just peasant farmers and fisherman? In enough numbers those commoners and peasants have the power to tear the fabric of this nation apart. Only a fool would treat their anger lightly." Terak chastised with his robed hands folded before him while the princess listened with a curious look in her ruthless amber golden eyes.
His cruel golden eyes watched the older man spin around to glare at him from over his shoulder
Azula turned to glance down at her serving girl through the corner of her amber golden eye as she contemplated the chancellor's words.
It was an almost laughable to her…
The concept of mere commoners and peasants being a force to be reckoned with was something that she would have previously scoffed at.
And yet the incident in this rural city told her otherwise.
It could prove problematic if they had to combat a growing peasant uprising while they were in the middle of a war with the Avatar and the Earth Kingdom resistance.
No.
It was clear to her that prompt action must be done to squash this little insurrection before it was allowed to grow any larger.
And with that the princess reclined with her head resting against her cushioned neck rest while her callous amber golden eyes glared down below once more at the inattentive governor.
As she allowed her young girlfriend to hang onto her pant leg from where Elle sat at the foot of her throne.
Only for the sound of Zoi laughing to resonate into the throne room air while all turned to gaze in confusion at the noblewoman's clothed back.
The warrior wiped several droplets of drink from her lips with her fist as her bitter chuckles continued to flow into the ears of her bewildered audience.
"I don't take orders from you and I certainly don't appreciate having to come all the way here from the Forgetful Valley just to wipe your ass because you are too stupid to do it yourself." Zoi commented with derision lacing her stony voice.
As an expression of profound rage now overcame the nobleman's outraged golden eyes.
All the while as the princess's amber golden eyes now flashed with a cruel amusement as she watched the proceedings from above.
Both Mai and Ty Lee stared down in humor at the other noblewoman's back.
"How dare you Generalkiller! You are not Princess Azula! In my household you will speak to me with respect! You do not have the authority to talk down to me!" Joza exclaimed with sudden fury in his emboldened voice as his face turned red in anger.
The Fire Princess turned to glare imperiously down at the man's back with an unforgiving glare in her harsh amber golden eyes.
Only for the captain to turn to face the red-faced nobleman with her focused golden eyes conveying a greatly furious gleam.
"I will talk to you however I please. I have no respect for people whose only notable trait is the wealth that they were born into." Zoi spoke in a scathing voice while her companions listened from their various places in the room in an astounded silence.
The now enraged governor almost seemed to forget the princess's presence as he began to slowly stand up.
His golden eyes glared in outrage back at the captain's expressionless visage.
The others stared on with trepidation in their eyes as they watched fire began to burn from the large man's fists.
"You…you take that back." Joza snarled with his teeth bared as he glared daggers back at the woman while icy golden eyes stared back at him.
"And what are you going to do about it if I don't? You fat fuck." Zoi replied in a tone of dismissive contempt oozing from her infuriated voice while a stunning silence swept over the throne room.
Azula now held an annoyed hand over her forehead as she let out an aggravated groan.
As Ty Lee and Mai stared on with their mouths dropping open in surprise over the captain's brutal insult.
While Elle sat at her girlfriend's feet with her mouth agape in an expression of innocent shock.
And even the sadistic chancellor stared on with blinking golden eyes as he watched veins begin to burst forth from the governor's forehead.
And not an instant after that a shout of reckless anger resounded into the air.
And just like that the large governor broke out into a mindless run towards the unintimidated warrior.
Zoi stood with her fists falling to her hips as she glared back at the man charging towards her.
Just as she easily side stepped the man's poorly aimed swing.
And not even seconds after that the sound of the nobleman keeling over in pain rang out into the ears of all present when the warrior's fist ruthlessly connected with the governor's belly.
As spit now flew out from the nobleman's lips as he gasped in pain.
Only to find himself being seized by the collar of his shirt before he could even so much as have a chance to react.
And then he cried out in surprise when he found himself being launched across the distance of his throne room!
Zoi's shouts of anger rumbled into the air while she shoved the stunned governor through the curtains in the doorway.
The others still stared on with surprise in their widened eyes.
Only to find themselves watching the furious captain tackle the man into the castle hallway!
And that was all it took for the two to disappear from their sight while the protesting yells of the humiliated governor echoed into the air.
As the princess swiftly stood up from her seat with shocked handmaid still sitting at her feet.
Only for her annoyed amber golden eyes to glare ahead when she heard the sound of ceramic shattering echoing from down the castle hall.
Which was followed up with the sound of the governor's pained screams.
The sound of the footsteps of the guards rushing to aide their governor echoed throughout the castle halls.
"Zoi!" Azula called out in a disciplinary voice while she began to stomp down the staircase with her childhood friends following after her.
As the serving girl sprung to her feet as she rushed after her highborn friends.
"Well, that went well." Mai snorted with a twinge of amusement in her otherwise bored voice.
Ty Lee just smiled as she strode alongside her scampering little sister.
As they listened to the sound of the gluttonous man's yells emanate from further down the hall.
While Terak still stood at the further end of the room as he watched his princess and her companions rapidly exit the throne room.
And not even a minute later…
Azula and her team came to a stop at the end of the hall.
Only to find their jaws dropping in astonishment at what they found.
A handful of guards stood gazing on with widened eyes at the sight before them.
The terrified governor lay on his back panting in the remnants of a shattered antique table.
As Zoi stood over the trembling man with her back turned to her shocked companions.
Her golden eyes now stared down at Joza with a monstrous glare that surpassed that of even the princess herself.
And then without so much as even speaking a single word she bent down to grasp the frightened man by the collar of his shirt.
Her eyes narrowed into a truly terrifying stare as she leaned in to gaze uncomfortably close back into Joza's intimidated golden eyes.
Until their foreheads were almost touching one another as her gaze penetrated the governor's petrified soul.
As beads of sweat now dripped down the nobleman's cheek as he shook under the famous warrior's piercing death stare.
The captain's teammates still stood behind her with their eyes gazing on in shock.
"If I should ever receive word of you neglecting the people of the Fire Nation again…I will come back here with the full military might of the Song clan and then it will be me that you will fear. Not the Fire Lord. Not Princess Azula. But me." Zoi spoke in a dangerously low voice with her breath brushing against the nobleman's terrified cheek.
She raised the paralyzed man into the air with his back pressed against the wall.
The others stood in a taken aback state of silence as they watched the man cower when he was savagely slammed into the wall.
As the warrior stooped over to glare eye to eye with the disgraced nobleman as he swallowed in terror under her stare.
"And when I do… I am going to hang you up from a rope like a sack of meat in the city hall." Zoi whispered in a voice of unfathomable wrath while she raised the petrified man up even higher.
All the while as everyone else in the castle hall stood speechless.
Just as the captain's eyes loomed in to stare back into the governor's terror-stricken golden eyes as a malicious snarl made its way onto her seething lips.
"And then…I am going to watch as they beat you to death. Understand?" Zoi declared in a stunningly brutal voice with her chilling golden eyes gazing back into Joza's paralyzed golden eyes.
As the princess and her subordinates still stared on with stunned looks in their eyes.
It was apparent that the warrior was more furious over the plight of the people of Shung Wu than they had ever imagined!
Mai now stared at her fellow noblewoman's back with an expression of newfound respect in her widened tawny eyes.
The other woman's unwavering dedication to the people of their nation was just nothing short of stunning.
And it only served as even further confirmation that the woman wasn't anything like she had first thought.
Ty Lee stood staring on with a shuddering expression in her brown-gray eyes.
It was a striking reminder that if pushed to it…Zoi could be even more terrifying than even Azula!
"O-oneesan Zoi…" Elle stammered in a mousy voice as she gulped from where she stood behind her mistress.
The princess's taken aback amber golden eyes watched the scene closely as the governor continued to pale under her strongest soldier's glare.
"I-I…understand Captain Zoi." Joza sputtered as he let out a cry as he was roughly dropped to the floor below.
And then he shrunk back with his eyes as wide as can be to find the renowned warrior's sword being thrust into his frightened face.
Zoi now stood over the terrified nobleman with her katana in hand as she glared down into his panicked golden eyes.
"Now give the order to distribute the food stores…or I will do it myself after I open you up." Zoi commanded in a merciless voice that was devoid of compassion while her sword pressed into the terrified man's neck.
Her golden gaze burned right back into the governor's scared golden eyes as he audibly swallowed down his fear.
"Dispense…dispense the food stores to the commoners." Joza ordered in a fearful voice as he sunk back against the wall while the warrior stared stonily down at him.
The guards in the hall quickly nodded their heads as several rushed off to fulfill the order.
And then Zoi finally lowered her blade away from the governor's still startled neck.
Before she turned to walk away without saying another word while her companions turned to gaze after her.
As her golden eyes still glared ahead as she stomped past her teammates.
What infuriated her more than anything was that the bastard had put her in a situation where she had to use force on fellow suffering country men and women.
It truly was a shameful display and it was one that she would not allow to happen again.
And with that the warrior strode down the hall while the princess watched her walk off with cold golden eyes.
Before she glanced out of the corner of her eye when she saw her handmaid scamper after the captain in the hopes of calming her down.
The two noblewomen stared after their little sister as they watched the girl run after the warrior.
Only to find their attentions regained when they saw the princess step up to stand over the frightened governor.
As Azula now loomed over the terrified nobleman while she stared down at him with utterly tyrannical amber golden eyes.
"For your abysmal failure, you are hereby stripped of your title as regional governor and upon my return, I will see to it that you and your entire clan are immediately stripped of the rank of nobility." Azula announced in a callously imperial voice as she glared hard down at the older man's disgraced face.
The now former governor sunk down into a bow on the floor with an expression of resignation in his ashamed golden eyes.
As the two noblewomen gazed on with unsympathetic expressions in their eyes from behind their leader.
"Naturally, if you have any grievances with my ruling, you can always file an appeal with my father. Perhaps he will be more forgiving." Azula spoke in a voice of casual cruelty as she watched in sadistic delight as the nobleman frantically shook his head.
And then she turned to stride away with her hands clasped behind her back while the sound of her footsteps echoed throughout the halls.
Ty Lee and Mai followed after their princess.
As the chancellor soon followed suit as he quietly strode down the hall past the defeated nobleman.
While Joza sat up as he slunk back against the wall in a shame so deep that he never even heard the sound of his daughter's footsteps coming his way.
"Father! Father! Are you alright?" Tulu exclaimed as she approached her unmoving father.
Only for the nobleman to never reply.
It was all the head of the Zanoda clan could do to just stare dejectedly off into space while his daughter shook him by the shoulder.
Not too long afterward in the streets of Shung Wu.
A long line of people stood in the center of the rural city.
The captain knelt with her hand patting a young boy's head while she grinned down at the smiling child.
Elle stood beside her as she eagerly assisted the older woman in handing out handfuls of a great many foods to the grateful mother.
Before the pair watched the mother and child walk away while another citizen stepped forward to the front of the line.
Just as the warrior stood up while she reached out to set her hand on the petite girl's shoulder.
Zoi now turned to glance down at Elle with a small smile on her lips as the younger girl smiled back up at her.
Mai and Ty Lee also stood helping to distribute food to the people with Nako, Saro and even Jiao.
As Azula stood at the back supervising the scene with coldly assertive amber golden eyes.
Only to find herself turning to stare on with a hardened look in her eyes to see a little peasant girl of no more than four years of age was running towards her.
The small child ignored her mother's frantic calls to get her attention.
"Nai! Get back in line! Leave the princess be!" A mother's voice called out through the crowd while the little girl rushed up to the princess.
The princess now turned to glance down with an authoritative stare in her amber golden eyes to see that the child was now smiling happily up at her.
"You're pretty!" The little girl greeted in an admiring voice while the princess stared down at her with slightly surprised amber golden eyes.
The princess relaxed her posture after she realized that the child approached her to compliment her beauty.
As she gazed down at the smiling child with a stony countenance.
Only to watch as the mother apologetically pulled her daughter back by the shoulder of her shirt.
"Please forgive her Princess! She doesn't know any better." The mother spoke in a hurried voice as she bent over in a deep bow while the princess stared back with stoic amber golden eyes.
Only for the princess to let out a sigh as she waved a dismissive hand in the air.
"It's fine." Azula responded in a regal voice while her amber golden eyes stared back at the little girl now being led away by her mother.
"You can't just walk up to the princess like one of your friends at school." The woman scolded in a hushed voice as she held her daughter's hand in her own.
"But Mom I just wanted to tell her that she is pretty!" The child exclaimed in an innocent voice while her mother pulled her away.
Azula watched the mother and child walk away with a flicker of something akin to a pleased gleam in her amber golden eyes.
Just before she turned her stern gaze back to overseeing the food line.
While Ty Lee now smiled at her friend's back after having witnessed the princess's interaction with the child.
Several hours later after food had been distributed to the people of Shung Wu.
The chaos in the city had been abated at long last.
The princess and her subordinates were now preparing to head back to the royal sloop.
Azula strode up the steps into her palanquin while Elle loyally held open the cloth for her once more.
She glanced out of the corner at her faithful servant girl in approval while she stepped inside.
And then she sat down with grace on her cushioned throne in her palanquin.
While her girlfriend gravitated to resume her position standing as closely to her as she could outside of her palanquin.
As she now gazed around in search of her strongest soldier.
"Where is Zoi?" Azula questioned in her usual commanding voice while her servant girl now stood beside her palanquin.
"Zoi said she would meet us back at the royal sloop shortly. She went to go give her condolences to the mother of one of the soldiers that lunatic killed." Jiao announced in a calm voice from where she stood leaning against a wall gazing off into the distance.
The princess and the two noblewomen turned to gaze back at the seductress with surprise in their eyes.
Azula furrowed her brows in perplexity over the captain's inclination to honor those that have fallen in battle.
Ty Lee gazed on with a moved expression in her brown-gray eyes.
All while Mai stared on with a grudging look of respect for the other woman's respect for the families of fallen soldiers.
Elle now stared on with a sorrowful expression in her gentle eyes once more.
'So then…people really did die after all…' Elle thought while she grasped at her sleeves in sadness.
While elsewhere on the other city of the city…
The captain now stood in the doorway of a modest Fire Nation house with a bouquet of flowers in hand.
While the noblewoman now held out her hand to offer the flowers to a tearful older woman.
The very same woman who had been asking about the fate of her son from just hours before.
Wordlessly the woman reached out to accept the bouquet in her shaky hand.
Zoi now gazed down at the floor with a solemn expression in her golden eyes as she listened to the older woman let out a heartbreaking cry.
"M-my son…did…did he…d-die an honorable death?" Nelise whispered in a barely perceivable voice.
The captain raised her eyes from the floor without hesitation to meet the grieving woman's gaze.
"Shidan fought valiantly to protect the people of the Fire Nation against a dangerous rogue. He died Fire Nation strong and it is thanks to his sacrifice that we are now one stop closer to bringing down this killer for good." Zoi spoke in a somber voice with her golden eyes taking on an up most serious countenance.
While the older woman emotionally nodded her head as she stood rooted to her spot in her open doorway.
As the remorseful younger woman gazed down at the sorrowful mother in sympathy.
"I am not going to pretend that there is anything that I can say that will erase your loss. But I…have arranged for you to be taken care of financially…and if you need anything else…please do not hesitate to ask." Zoi remarked in an awkward voice as she swallowed down her regret while she shifted nervously in the doorway.
The older woman stared up at the young woman's taller visage as tears of gratitude fell from her moved eyes.
Only for the heartbroken mother to fall into the captain's arms without any warning.
As the warrior gingerly set her hands on the older woman's shoulders.
She stood there patiently as she allowed the crying woman to cry in her arms.
"T-thank you!" Nelise sputtered in a nearly inaudible voice while strong hands steadied her shoulders.
'I should have been there.' Zoi thought with an expression of contrition taking over her face while she gazed over the woman's shoulder in lamentation.
"I promise you…I will avenge your son." The captain assured in a committed voice as she held the woman while she quietly cried in her arms.
She glared off into space with the fires of war burning in her determined golden eyes.
And some time after that…
While Zoi now walked through the street with her steely focused golden eyes gazing ahead.
"I make no excuses for myself. I have killed more people than I can count in service to my country. But you…. you don't kill for comrade and duty. You kill…because you enjoy it." Zoi commented in a low voice with her hand falling down over the hilt of her sheathed sword.
Her golden eyes narrowed into a beyond wrathful stare as she envisioned the face of the masked puppeteer once more.
"No matter what it takes Silah. I swear upon my honor as a soldier of the Fire Nation that I will have your head." Zoi stated in an unimaginably resolute voice with a glower adorning her enraged lips while she clenched her fists over her hips.
And that was a vow that she would see fulfilled.
Even if she must give her life to achieve it.
AN:
King Zilla, you are right. The language used by the peasants in the impoverished village is similar to real life revolutions. I intended for there to be similarities there to many revolutions that have occurred throughout history, not so much just the French revolution.
And you are correct, it is bad news for Azula.
However, I don't believe Azula can be called the monarch yet. As far as I know, the monarch is the reigning ruler of a nation or kingdom. Originally, when I first started writing the story, I occasionally referred to Azula as a monarch.
But then I looked up the definition of a monarch, and it got me thinking that she isn't technically a monarch yet. She is a member of a monarchy and the direct heir to the throne. For the current time though, Ozai is the monarch.
With that said, despite the gravity of the situation. With Ozai as the ruler and Azula as the next in line to succeed the throne, this grants Azula an opportunity to distinguish herself from her father.
If she plays her cards carefully, and handles the people with caution. She may be able to win over the support of the people in the event that she has to challenge her father.
As for the afterword.
Azula has punished Joza, and stripped him of his regional governorship.
Despite Joza's ineptitude, he was correct that this all started with Ozai's cruel tax increases in order to fund his long term occupation of the Earth Kingdom that began six years ago when Azula launched her coup of Ba Sing Se.
Joza was just too prideful about surrendering his comforts and his lavish lifestyle.
As the story goes on, we'll see a wide variation of Fire Nation nobles with differing personalities and motives. There will be incompetent nobles like Joza, more compassionate nobles like Mai and Ty Lee's families, nobles that are colder but loyal to their country like Clan Song, and some who are quite cruel.
We saw that Zoi was possibly even more livid with Joza than Azula. As she felt shamed that she had to use force on impoverished rural villagers.
We also witnessed an evolution in Azula's character in this chapter and how she reacted when faced with someone in poverty.
Azula's reaction to the plight of the villagers in this chapter was completely different in comparison to her cruel dismissal of the beggar woman from the fishing village in chapter 27.
I am trying to demonstrate, that while I feel that Azula's true character will always be that of a cold, rigid, prideful and largely selfish woman.
She has the ability to evolve in small yet meaningful ways while still staying as the woman that we all know and love.
My intention is to portray an older Azula as true to her canon character as I can. And that is why in my story she is still a mostly cruel and ruthless woman.
Because I feel, that the stories that make her become too compassionate and overly apologetic to everyone that she meets, aren't true to who Azula is as a character.
It is my opinion that Azula will never and should never become outwardly kind and warm like Zuko.
But at the same time, I feel that she can gain the ability to care for her people and her subjects, even if she is too cold and proud to show it on the surface. Deep down she still cares for her country, and the people in it. She just doesn't know how to show these people that she cares about them, because of how Ozai raised her to be rigid and cruel.
And as a perfectionist who places a high value on efficiency, Azula encountering peasants that have genuine grievances helps to motivate her to improve the inner functions of her nation. While staying true to who she is as a person and not making her into an altruistic person like her brother.
What we saw with Azula distributing food to Shung Wu and calming the city with a stern hand is how I see how she would be as ruler. She didn't brutalize them, she didn't send them off to Boiling Rock, but she also didn't show weakness in front of them. She mediated their concern, and saw to it that everyone got fed. She didn't grace them with a kind face like Zuko would, but she still took care of them all the same.
And that is how I see how Azula would be as the leader of her country. She wouldn't act openly friendly like Zuko or Iroh, her presence would serve to give an aura of strength, leadership and reassurance to her people as it did here.
While more compassionate people like Elle, Ty Lee and Zoi would show compassion to the people and help temper Azula's harsh orders.
And as for Zoi, at the end of the chapter we got to see a bit of her softer side when she delivered flowers to the mother of the soldier that Silah killed.
Zoi has a huge vendetta for Silah, because while Zoi is no stranger to killing. What disgusts her about Silah is that Silah killers for sport. Zoi knows that she herself has taken many lives on the battlefield, but Zoi does not kill for pleasure.
Basically, Zoi is the perfect soldier who cuts down everyone who stands in her way to bringing glory to her country and Silah is more similar to a serial killer.
There will be two more chapters left to the Shung Wu mini arc and then we will start an arc in the Fire Nation Capital.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter one hundred twenty-five! Bounty Hunters, Old Comrades and Alliances!