Chapter 35 – An Unexpected Guest
Night had fallen for several hours and Zuko, broken with exhaustion, finally allowed himself to dismiss his men to take a little rest. This day, like the others, had been both long and frustrating.
It had been seven days now, and they still hadn't captured a single earthbender. Yet the evidence of their presence increased. Every day something new happened. Slight earthquakes, too frequent to be natural, another house engulfed in the already dried mud, a patrol fallen into a crevasse, visibly hidden there on purpose.
Rescuing these five men had occupied most of the third day.
First lodged in Master Piandao's castle from where he had a view of the whole valley and the village ravaged by the violent mudslide, Zuko had finally decided to settle in the camp with his men.
After spending the first two days talking with the villagers, bringing them survival rations himself, comforting the widows and making sure the orphans were taken care of, Zuko set out to find the criminals responsible for these heinous actions.
But they came back empty-handed from each of their excursions and Zuko felt more and more that someone was playing with him and trying to keep him here, away from the palace.
He was beginning to worry about those who'd remained there. The thought of Azula, vulnerable, left only to Master Shin and Ty Lee's care, was gnawing at him daily.
This is why he had announced to his men that they would break camp the next day for an immediate return to the Caldera. A squadron of soldiers would stay to secure the area and ensure the safety of the victims.
After nodding and bowing deeply to him, the generals and commanders walked out. Finally alone, Zuko first removed the heavy metal shoulder pads from his armor and all the pieces of his equipment, which he carefully arranged, one by one, on the dummy, placed in a corner of his private tent. Four men guarded the entrance and walked around it night and day. Zuko wasn't worried about his safety.
He took off his tunic and after a quick wash in the tub laid on a pallet some distance from his bed, he slipped into his sheets, ready to sink into a restful sleep. He stayed for a moment, his arms crossed behind his head, gazing at the roof of the tent gently waving above him.
The wind blew regularly in this valley, a veritable air corridor, and his men had repeatedly complained of its sinister howls which prevented them from finding rest.
But Zuko didn't care. He was too exhausted to be moved by the whistling of the wind.
He started thinking of Azula.
Agni, how he missed her! He wouldn't have imagined that was possible. His sister had forged such a place for herself in his life that he could no longer imagine it without her. He felt helpless without her advice and felt awkward when he gave his orders, as if he himself was unconvinced by what he was saying. It was an unpleasant feeling, like he was only half a ruler. The other half was sleeping in the palace, in silk sheets, probably dressed in a light kimono giving free rein to imagination.
Every night since he left the palace, he would replay in his mind what their goodbyes might have been if she had agreed to open when he came to knock on the door. But it had remained resolutely closed and Zuko had returned, with a heavy heart, to his own apartments. Here, far from her, he indulged himself in these fantasies. Taima wasn't there to harass him about his meditation exercises.
Zuko was quietly sinking into a pleasant reverie. The basic decor of his tent had given way to the four-poster bed in his room at the palace. The crimson curtains were closed around them, forming a protective and sensual cocoon that hid them from prying eyes. In his mind, he saw Azula's naked body move gracefully above him. His own hands raced along her exposed chest and he could almost hear his sister's gasping breath whispering his name in the semi-darkness.
"Zuko..."
Zuko jolted, sat up and opened his eyes wide. He pulled his hand out from under the sheets where it had accidentally wandered and peered into the darkness around him.
"Is there someone?" he shouted.
"Hush! Shut up, idiot. They'll hear you!" a female voice whispered.
"A-Azula?" he stammered.
"You would like that..."
Now Zuko could make out the tall, thin figure facing him in the dark. He saw it take a step to the side and lean against the table covered with unfolded maps and pieces of wood supposed to represent his troops.
Zuko ignited a bright flame in his palm that lit up the entire tent in a fleeting flash. He caught a glimpse of a very familiar face, but it faded into darkness the moment the fire died in his hand, suffocated by the shock of what Zuko had just seen.
Forcing himself to calm, he swept the air in front of him with a wave of his hand and the wicks of the candles arranged all over the room caught fire in their glass globes.
Before him, a figure he thought he would never see again stood there, rigid, arms crossed, half-sitting against the table where he had spent hours studying the geography of the region with his men.
"Mai?" he managed to articulate once the furious beating of his heart allowed him to speak.
"Glad to see me again? Did you miss me?"
A dull anger rose in Zuko's guts, dissipating the emotion that had gripped him in the first place.
"How dare you appear here? What are you doing here? After what you did!"
"Hush! Calm down! I'd prefer to keep this conversation private if you don't mind."
Zuko hesitated. Should he call the guard? He couldn't help feeling a keen curiosity. The woman they had searched for in vain just stood there in front of his eyes and he had so many questions to ask her.
"Calmer? Alright, we can talk..."
"How did you get here?"
Mai stepped to the side and pointed near a large trunk to a hole in the ground large enough for a human body to pass through. He hadn't noticed it before.
"I did not hear anything!" he grumbled, thinking back to the less than discreet blare the earthbenders made when they stirred its entrails, "have you become one of them for good?"
"Zuko, I didn't come here to listen to your complaints. I don't have a lot of time. I was able to get here thanks to a jailer whom I managed to bribe and who dug this tunnel for me. But I must be home before the round. Besides, I would need some gold when I leave to pay him."
"Jailer? Round? So you are..."
"What do you think? That I willingly joined that traitor Lu Fang? That live I six feet underground to enjoy the charming view, the company of earthworms and corpses that adorn the walls? Or for the pure air that we breathe there?"
She looked genuinely furious and for the first time, Zuko felt the urge to rush towards her.
"Don't come near me!" she warned. "I never want to feel your hands on me again!"
"I didn't mean to..."
"Oh, I believe you! You were far too busy touching yourself thinking of your sister to care about me."
"Mai-" But he couldn't think of anything more to say in his defense. Shame lit his face and that was all the confession she needed.
"Weirdo!" she spat. "I don't know why I came and why I take such risks for you."
"Mai, if you are in danger, we can-"
"Would you want to protect the one who almost killed your new mistress?" she snapped. "So tell me how it is, Zuko, now that you don't have to push her away anymore? Does she give better head than me?"
"Mai! Stop it, could you? I know I won't be able to convince you, but nothing is happening between Azula and me!"
I can do it with my mouth, if you prefer ...
It was surreal! He was there arguing over a domestic scene when stood in front of him the woman who had betrayed her nation, who betrayed him, who almost killed his sister. And the worst was that he was the one who felt ashamed and guilty.
Mai was as skilled as Azula at leading him where she wanted. Or was he the one who was weak with women?
"Yes, I am quite willing to believe you. I would love to spend hours talking with you and trying to understand the origin of your unnatural feelings for the one who shares your blood. But time is running out for me. I came to warn you."
"Warn me of what?"
She let out a small, annoyed yelp. The same sound she produced whenever Zuko interrupted her, too impatient to let her speak when she told him some unpleasant news.
"I know you are unlikely to believe me," she said, lowering her head. And for the first time since she had appeared out of nowhere in his tent, he thought he saw distress and deep sorrow in her eyes. "I also know that you think me responsible for the accident that happened to Azula."
"Because you're not, maybe?" he whispered furiously, worried that the guards would hear them. "The evidence against you is overwhelming!"
"Believe it or not, I had nothing to do with her downfall. And before that bully Lu Fang told me about it, I had no idea that that traitor Wu was slipping poison into your little treasure's treatment."
"Wh-what? You don't have- ?" Zuko stammered, taken aback. Then, coming to his senses: "Liar! I recognized the herbalist you consulted! She told me what was in the treatment! It was you who asked her for this flower instead of the nocturnal asphodel!"
"Yes, it's me," Mai confessed, as calmly as possible.
"So it's you! You're the one who drove Azula crazy again and poisoned her slowly! Because of you, she may never be able to have children!"
A gleam sparkled in Mai's silver eyes and Zuko immediately regretted his words. Either that she saw in it a reason to hope, or that she rejoiced in it out of pure malice, he didn't like the demented joy his words had just kindled in her eyes.
"I plead guilty to the first charge. It's true. I made Azula lose her mind so you would realize how dangerous she was for us! And it worked! You saw who she really is. Did you see what she did to that poor Kojiro? To Suki, to Ty Lee?"
"She lost her mind! She would never have acted like this if you hadn't tampered with her medicine!"
"I only revealed her true nature, Zuko! The drug allows her to keep control over her impulses, but in the end, she is only a miserable murderer, an incestuous nymphomaniac with no morals! Sooner or later, she would have developed a tolerance to the drug, and she would have been a threat to you again! A threat to us... "
Her voice broke at this moment, her throat obviously too tight to speak any longer.
"You say you didn't try to poison her?" he asked, even though he found it hard to believe.
"No… It was Lu Fang. Wu was working for him all this time. You can't imagine how I blamed myself when I found out… Not for Azula," she added angrily seeing Zuko's eyes widen in astonishment. "I don't care what happens to that filthy bitch. But I never wanted to put our nation and my family in danger. Or hurt you. That's why I'm here tonight. To fix my mistakes and tell you something very important."
Zuko was floundering in disarray. He didn't know what to believe. It was so tempting to blame her for everything that had happened, and yet…
"I'm sure," she began, "that you and your men have figured out who is responsible for the mudslide that destroyed the village."
"Of course, it's Lu Fang ? Who else?"
"When I saw what he'd done… I was sick of it. Then I understood that he had acted thus to lure you here. He never does anything randomly."
"Where is he?" he suddenly pressed her, rushing towards her and holding her by the shoulders to shake her a little. Mai remained stoic, her impassive face reflecting no emotion.
"I can't tell you Zuko. He would immediately suspect me and it's not just my life at stake."
"What do you mean?"
"Lu Fang holds my family. He has Tom-Tom. Look."
And she took a little packet wrapped in a ribbon out of her pocket. When she opened it, Zuko saw, horrified, two small gray fingers, sharply sliced from the cut, rolling in his wife's palm. He was momentarily unable to speak, as if his ability to breathe had been taken away.
"Tom-Tom," he finally whispered in a flat voice.
His insides twisted thinking of the kid he loved like a little brother.
"You get it now? I had no choice! The night they abducted Azula and she fell off the prison wall, I realized that I no longer had control over Wu and that he had tricked me. I immediately left the palace to make sure my family was okay. And they were there, waiting for me, ready to pick us up. I could not do anything."
"Where are they now? Tom-Tom, your parents?"
"Somewhere, captives. Lu Fang refuses to tell me more. He's trying to blackmail me into helping him knock you down. That's why he tortured my brother."
Zuko suddenly felt like throwing up. His head began to spin. Why? Why did it all have to get even more complicated?
"Why is he doing all this? In order to steal Kuei's throne?"
"I don't know, to be honest," Mai replied, shrugging indifferently. "I doubt it will make much difference. All I know is that while you're playing benefactor here, Lu Fang is progressing towards the Caldera."
"Azula?" He hadn't been able to prevent the name from passing his trembling lips.
"Yes… Azula is not safe. I don't like having to say this, but if I want to make amends, I have no right to hide it from you."
"I'll call my men, we take off tonight!" he reacted immediately, turning to the dummy where his belongings were stored.
"No, you idiot! You will arouse suspicion! Lu Fang will find out and I will be exposed."
"You betrayed us!" Zuko squeaked, turning to her with a cruel look. "You don't deserve better!"
The worst part was that he didn't mean a word of it.
"I may have done wrong, but Tom-Tom had nothing to do with it! Nor my parents! Nor Ty Lee! I don't want them all paying for our mistakes!"
Mai was right. Acting in haste was never a good idea. If Azula had been there, she would have told him too.
"What should I do?" he finally asked, overcome by discouragement.
"For now? Nothing. You stick to the plan. You will leave tomorrow, as you planned. Lu Fang already knows this."
"But if something happens to Azula -"
"I bet you didn't leave her unprotected, your precious little princess? Am I wrong?"
"No… no of course."
"Then it will be fine for her. We must think about those who have no means of defending themselves. about my parents, about Tom-Tom..."
She paused, then added:
"…and about our child."
The world stopped spinning for a moment. Or it was the opposite: the ground under his feet rocked like an earthquake and Zuko had to catch himself at the first thing he found: it was Mai's shoulder.
"What did you say?"
"I didn't believe it at first either. Even after the first signs. You know that it often happened that I did not bleed for months, remember?"
Of course he remembered. Their difficulties conceiving had forced Zuko to learn more than most men about the mysteries of the female body.
"Even when I started feeling nauseous, I thought it was due to our couple issues, how I felt when I saw you tormenting yourself for Azula…I couldn't believe it anymore. I never would have thought it was that."
"It's impossible," whispered Zuko who had just regained the use of speech.
"And yet, miracles do happen. The fact that your sister survived a fatal fall proves it enough, doesn't it? Look, touch." Her voice vibrated with emotion.
And she gently grabbed his wrist, then guided his hand to her abdomen.
Zuko's open palm closed over her stomach. The usually flat, almost hollow surface he used to caress was slightly plump. It was almost nothing. No more than a little bulge. But it was there.
"When?" he managed to ask. "I mean, for how long?"
"Three months, maybe four."
He stopped himself just in time to ask if she was sure the child was his. He was sure of it. He was the unfaithful one in the couple. He had already proven it by the few adventures he had during his travels with Team Avatar. Sometimes, when he missed Mai a little too much, he let himself be tempted by a smile, by a bewitching perfume, by the softness of the skin of a young girl bolder than others. They had never talked about it, but Mai was no fool. She obviously suspected it. But after their marriage, he never had… Never.
Before Azula...
Azula… The thought of the little life that throbbed beneath his hand – although he didn't feel it yet – had almost driven her from his thoughts.
"Mai, you have to come with me. I will shelter you. I…"
"No! We will all be in danger if I follow you! Lu Fang won't do anything to me as long as he thinks I can be of any help to him. Don't worry about me… about us," she said, closing her hand around Zuko's, still resting on her stomach. "They treat me well and feed me enough. I won't leave until I find Tom-Tom."
Zuko felt upset. Suddenly, after weeks of resentment and anger, he remembered why he had fallen in love with Mai. The courage she showed, her resilience, her intelligence… how could he have forgotten? Azula had really made him lose his mind. His sister suddenly seemed so far away to him, as if she belonged to another reality, to a world in which he was not the same man. A universe where he would never have joined Aang, where he would have continued his futile quest to get his father's love, to find his place in a family that had never wanted him.
But his real family, the one he had chosen, was there, in front of him. And he had ruined everything.
From outside, they heard the noise of iron, and the voices of men who were moving fast.
Mai slipped away as Zuko wrapped an arm around her waist.
"I have to leave now, Zuko. The jailer will soon finish his rounds. If I'm not in my cell when he comes back..."
"Wait!" Zuko shout out, looking around and handing her a purse filled with gold. "To pay him. When will we meet again?"
"I don't know, Zuko."
Zuko froze when she leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek. Beneath the somewhat acrid smell of the earth that impregnated her hair, he could still guess her own scent and that carried a multitude of memories.
She disappeared as she had come. Almost silently. Zuko turned his head just in time to see Commander Thian enter the tent, holding a handcuffed man tightly by the arm.
"We've got one, Your Majesty! We caught him digging a tunnel a few feet from your tent. He says he was there for Princess Azula. We found this while searching him"
And Thian threw at the feet of the Fire Lord a knife with a sharp blade that he recognized immediately. It was Mai's favorite dagger. It sparkled in the light of the surrounding flames.
"Who are you?" Zuko asked menacingly as he approached the man whose face was lowered to the ground.
The man lifted his head and directed a smirking face full of cunning and mischief towards the Fire Lord, imposing and intimidating even without his full attire,
"I am an old acquaintance of your wife and sister, Fire Lord. I had just come to inquire about her. Did she recover well from her injuries?"
It was as if the dagger at his feet had come to life on its own and flown at Zuko to bury itself to the hilt in his heart.
The tent was not very well lit. But it was just enough for him to notice a detail that had escaped him at first.
The eyes of the man who was smiling in front of him did not have the same color.
Mai stood in the middle of the room, her back straight, her hands hidden in her large sleeves, to hide from Lu Fang the tremors that still agitated them and that nothing seemed able to stop since she had found herself face to face with Zuko.
She had vowed not to flinch. Though she had to pause in the tunnel that brought her back to the underground room where Lu Fang was waiting for her, impatient to hear her tale.
The feel of his cheek under her lips, the warmth of his hand around her waist, his bare, muscular chest that had reminded her of so many passionate embraces… Mai hated herself for thinking about it. Zuko had forgotten her. The tenderness he had shown at the end of their meeting, his injunction to follow him, it meant nothing.
Zuko was simply suffering from the hero complex. Seeing a woman in distress, whether she was his sister, his wife or a total stranger, invariably set this mechanism in motion. It had nothing to do with her.
Zuko didn't even have the decency to deny it when she accused him of stroking himself while thinking of his sister. The imbecile: she had launched this provocation only to make him uncomfortable and this jerk, what had he done? He had simply blushed and stood there, mute, unable to speak.
Once her tears were wiped away, Mai resumed her way through the tunnel Lu Fang had dug for her and let herself fall into the cold room where he was waiting for her, his usual smirk clinging to his thin lips.
Mai ignored him at first. Throwing the little burlap purse full of gold on the ground, which fell with a clang at her feet, she turned her back on him to remove the fake belly she had tied around her waist. She stood there for a moment, her throat tight, staring at the ridiculous tiny swell on the surface of the accessory that Lu Fang had found who knew where?
For a moment, when Zuko'd laid the palm of his hand on it, she almost believed it. She had wanted to believe that this parody of a family wasn't just a dream, that perhaps her unfaithful and incestuous husband could be a father for the child that would be given to her.
Finally, as Lu Fang quietly cleared his throat behind her, she threw the prosthesis to the floor, not caring that it finished covered in dirt, buried her hands in her sleeves, and turned to him.
"So?" he asked with a gleam of greed in his sea-green eyes. "How did he react to the happy event? Not too moved, I hope?"
Mai didn't want to give him the satisfaction of showing him how angry she was. She would remain indifferent to his sarcasm, as she had done her entire life.
Indifference was her mask. Some wore that of joy to hide a melancholic temper, others hid their misanthropy under cordial and warm attire. Others disguised their feeling of insecurity and their great emotionality under the guise of self-assurance and cruelty. Azula had worn this costume to perfection once. May herself had fallen into the trap. Mai preferred to hid herself under the veil of impassiveness. No one is suspicious of apathetic people: at most they do not notice them.
Mai had spent her life going unnoticed. Her passion for combat and sharp objects was the only eccentricity she allowed herself. It was not now, in front of this brute who threatened the life of her parents and her little brother that she was going to give in and let the mask crack.
"He believed me," she replied laconically.
"Good, perfect…" Lu Fang approved, sunk into a moldy chair that reeked of dampness.
"I did what you asked me to do," she said immediately. "Now it's up to you to keep your promise: I want to see my brother."
"Everything in its time, My Lady, everything in its time. I know that you, people of fire, are not known for your patience. But you seem to me better equipped than most of your compatriots in this field. Your chosen method of destroying both the princess's reputation and sanity speaks volume."
"I'm not the one who tried to poison her slowly, I remind you. These snake methods are more like you," Mai retorted. For some obscure reason, she felt insulted by Lu Fang's remark.
All her life, she had seen herself as a disappointment in the others' eyes. She couldn't bend fire, was too calm and stoic for some, too rebellious and cynical for others. Zuko could have chosen better, people whispered behind him. She had too narrow hips, was too thin to carry a child, not pretty enough...
Mai knew about all the ideas that crossed the minds of the people she met, including those who claimed to be her friends.
Strangely, being told that she was nothing like the people of her country, who had always disappointed her, irritated her deeply and she felt a strong patriotic impulse seize her as Lu Fang looked at her, chuckling.
"You and I are more similar than you'll ever care to admit," he smiled, pointing at the other sagging chair she didn't even glance at.
"I thought we agreed not to insult each other anymore," she answered dryly.
Lu Fang giggled but quickly regained his seriousness. Eventually, he seemed to get tired of playing with Mai's nerves. The tone he used was much warmer when he spoke again.
"Come on, ma'am, relax. You accomplished your mission brilliantly. You are an outstanding actress. Princess Azula has a real challenger! When our plan has worked, your husband will understand that he made a mistake and I am sure he will come back to you, his tail between his legs."
If it's not already stuck between his sister's... Mai completed in her head.
Lu Fang sounded almost sincere. As if her marital happiness could worry him! A man like him who didn't have an ounce of humanity in him. A torturer, a traitor, a child abuser...
"Let Wu do the task we gave him. If all goes as I imagine, this will be our mutual friend's last mission."
Finally, good news! Mai wondered what Lu Fang had promised Wu for him to surrender defenseless to a probably furious Zuko who might cut his throat right away. If anyone had recognized in him the poisoner of the princess and the person responsible for her accident, Mai wasn't betting on his life.
It was also one of the objectives of his mission: to persuade Zuko of Mai's innocence in this affair, to endorse all the bad deeds, to accuse Lu Fang instead of her. The Fire Lord would be more willing to protect her and their presumed offspring if he no longer saw her as the woman who had nearly killed his monstrous little sister. He had already seemed to believe her a little when she had claimed she was innocent.
As if reading her mind, Lu Fang got up from his chair to pick up the bag of gold that Zuko had handed to Mai before leaving. He weighed it with satisfaction and announced in a trumpeting tone:
"I congratulate you Madame for the composure you have shown this evening. You must be exhausted. I'll call the guard to escort you to your new quarters."
Indeed, half an hour later, Mai was lying on a soft, clean bed in a room with a vaulted ceiling and walls covered in colorful tapestries that almost made her forget the damp earth they were made of. A comforting light emanated from a kerosene lamp placed on a nightstand next to her bed. A silver platter filled with fresh and varied fruit was on a small table pushed back against a wall. There was also a modest bookcase filled with imposing leather-bound books surmounted a chest of drawers where clean, ironed clothes awaited their new owner. Had it not been for the heavy stone obstructing the entrance to her room and the absence of a window, she might have forgotten that she was a prisoner.
Lu Fang had kept that promise. Would he keep the others?
Mai thought of the child. If she herself couldn't hope to rival Azula in Zuko's heart, maybe the baby could.
Ever since Lu Fang had made this monstrous proposal to her, Mai couldn't help dreaming every night of a child with golden eyes and raven-winged hair, soft and smooth like hers. It now occupied all her thoughts. She wondered where it was, if it had a thought, if it was already dreaming of her in the belly of the one who carried it. Sometimes guilt forced Mai to think about the mother, already pregnant, probably unaware of the sad fate that would preside over the birth of this maybe desired child.
This woman would console herself, Mai reasoned with herself. Lu Fang had mentioned a pretty sum of money as compensation.
The promise of the formidable destiny awaiting this child could have seduced more than one parent, but gold had the power to corrupt even the purest minds. Gold, at least, was a tangible thing. They could feed the rest of their tribe with it, give birth to other children.
On the other hand, gold could not help Mai to give birth to the fruit of her love for Zuko within her womb. A loan for a return. It wasn't that bad, was it?
Mai suddenly remembered what Zuko had accidentally let slip in a fit of rage: Azula could never have a child. The crazy hope this revelation had caused in Mai! The Fire Nation certainly didn't need a new degenerate one at its head. It was almost proven that mental illness ran in the royal family: what could one expect from the offspring of two beings as psychically tormented as Zuko and Azula? Such a monster would lead the nation to ruin.
But there was more. Mai's satisfaction went well beyond mere political considerations.
The former Fire Lady doubted that Azula ever wanted to have a baby, but knowing that she was deprived of this future was nonetheless an untold source of comfort.
Mai was pretty sure that Azula would have been willing to sacrifice her body to bear the Fire Lord's heir. Nothing would prevent her to get a shred of power and attention. But she knew something else: Azula wouldn't know how to be a mother. The second she expelled the brat from her womb, she probably would have given it to the first nanny and neglected it superbly, clearing her conscience by arguing that her own mother had done no better.
Mai knew that she would be a good mother, that she would be there for her child. Zuko couldn't have dreamed of a better mother to raise his heir.
If Zuko was telling the truth, one could therefore hope to avoid the risk of a bastard born of incest, which he would have tried to legitimize at the cost of his credibility and his honor.
Mai thought back to Zuko's hand on her stomach. To the sweetness in his golden eyes.
For the first time in weeks, Mai felt something vibrate in her chest, near her heart. It was sweet and exciting at the same time, like the promise of spring in the first rays, like the light of a candle in the darkness, like the first note that pierces the silence at the opening of a concert. And she understood what it was: it was hope.
"Azula! Wait!" Ty Lee shouted to an angry princess who strode ahead of her on a crowded street. "Tell me what we were doing in that damp cellar! What did you say to each other, you and that thrift dealer?"
Azula had been silent since they left the palace together. If she'd allowed her friend to follow her, the princess refused to answer her questions. And this, even after having dragged her into places all more improbable than each other. From a tea shop run by a mysterious and lonely old man, through the salon of a barber with a face covered in frightening scars, to end up in the seedy backyard of a cloth merchant.
There, a strange new man had bowed to Azula as if she were the Fire Lord himself. Then they started talking about people and places Ty Lee didn't know, obviously using coded language only they knew.
It had been like this for two days. Ty Lee was starting to boil inside. At the palace, Shin must have been fretting. What if Zuko returned to find that his beloved little sister had disappeared without a trace? Ty Lee was surprised their faces weren't already plastered all over the city walls. She reasonably assumed that Master Shin was doing everything to keep the information a secret. Seeing his head on a pike was probably not part of his plans for the future. But it was a safe bet to imagine that spies and soldiers were patrolling the whole city in search of the missing princess.
It was too much for Ty Lee. She was exhausted. The night they'd spent in an abandoned hovel on the outskirts of the town hadn't helped either. Ty Lee hadn't slept a wink, terrified that someone would find them here or some malicious men would discover them and decide to have fun with them. Azula might be an outstanding firebender, but they didn't need a new Kojiro. And the hue of her flames would betray her immediately if they needed to fight. While Azula was able to produce ordinary flames when she was lucid, they were always more fiery in her moments of instability.
"Azula! Please! Talk to me!"
Azula froze and Ty Lee almost crashed into her. When the princess turned around, a strange expression lit up her blazing gaze. She glared at her as if trying to gauge her loyalty and determine if she could trust her.
Ty Lee felt a little insulted. After all she had done for her, how could the princess still doubt her?
"Okay, fine, I'll explain. But promise me not to overreact, as usual."
Ty Lee nodded in agreement and listened to Azula who immediately resumed her walk.
"I'm looking for the Sons of Agni."
"You what?" Ty Lee almost screamed in indignation. "Are you insane? These sickos want your head!"
"Precisely!" Azula replied, picking up her pace. "They also want Zuko, and I'm not going to let them have him. Zuko's Secret Service failed miserably, and the Sages pretended to ignore the threat as long as they were in charge. I can't sit still at the palace while he takes risks with Lu Fang. It's up to me to put an end to this problem!
"But Azula, these guys are dangerous! Do you know what they do to women? To women like me who don't belong to their damned perfect race!"
Azula stopped again and turned around.
"You have nothing to fear as long as you stay with me. I won't let anything bad happen to you. Now follow me."
And she resumed her way. Ty Lee sped up to keep up with her.
"This merchant we left is actually a former agent of my father," Azula explained. "He took over this textile business to launder the money Ozai gave him in exchange for valuable information about his enemies within the Nation. Or some... side missions... This guy has an impressive network all over town. It is mainly thanks to him that my father flushed out his opponents and foiled terrorist attacks against my family when he reigned.
Popeyed, Ty Lee listened to her, trotting beside her, panting. It was as if Azula had never been seriously injured. She walked with a confident and rapid step, as if an expert hand had miraculously replaced the damaged bones of her skeleton. The impression of acting, of doing something useful seemed to have cheered up the princess. But Ty Lee also suspected that the wineskin she carried in her shoulder bag and regularly wore to her lips didn't contain only water. Ty Lee had a hunch that if she asked Taïma to check on her supplies, she would discover an empty spot where the poppy milk normally was.
Poor Taïma… She must have been freaking out too.
Ty Lee had observed Azula's behavior well over the past two days. Although the princess seemed animated with a new vigor and a menacing anger that nothing seemed to quell, she remained even-tempered most of the time. Very far from the hysterical fury that Ty Lee had to calm down the other day, in her palace bedroom.
During the multiple meetings they had with various informants, Azula had been attentive, discreet, speaking little as if she were analyzing the situation. She'd looked more than ever like the quiet, cold, manipulative young strategist Ty Lee had once known. Before the Black Sun, before the comet and before the asylum.
"So all this time you knew?" Ty Lee asked breathlessly as she turned the corner of the street behind Azula. "Your father still has supporters and you haven't said anything? But how can you be sure that they are loyal to you?"
Azula stopped. They had just come to a dark and dusty dead end. The houses around them presented only blind walls. Here, no one would hear them.
The princess turned her head in all directions, as if to assure herself that they were alone, and spoke:
"You're going to get us in trouble with your questions! Well, I'll explain but promise me not to cause a scandal!"
"I promise!" Ty Lee replied, quivering with curiosity.
Despite her concern, she felt like she had gone back five years. Following a commanding, confident, and cunning Azula reminded her of the good old times. Ty Lee was not proud of this period of her life when she worked for Ozai and contributed to the destruction of the Avatar. Aang was now a friend and such a nice boy. Ty Lee bitterly regretted everything she had done after leaving the circus troupe Azula had snatched her from. Yet she also kept lasting memories of those few months. At that time, Mai, Azula and herself formed an inseparable trio. And despite the setbacks, the endless days on the road, the nights spent under the stars on hard, dusty ground, they'd had a lot of fun.
"Two years ago, after my return, when Zuko took me back to the palace" Azula began in a secretive tone, "I didn't know if I could trust him, or what plans he had for me…"
Ty Lee nodded. She remembered this sad time when Azula, more isolated than ever, would spend her days alone in her room, speaking to no one, barely admitting the presence of her maids. More than once, Zuko had confided in Ty Lee, helpless, not knowing how to communicate with this wall of coldness that his younger sister had become.
"I didn't tell anyone but at that time the voices were still talking a lot in my head. And they would warn me, whispering to me that Zuko was soon going to get rid of me, that he hated me, that he had only taken me back with him to better watch me since he knew that I was doing better. Or that he was going to have me killed in my sleep. I couldn't even sleep at night."
Ty Lee's heart clenched in her chest. Poor Azula! To imagine her struggling alone against those voices that haunted her, tormented her with such heinous lies! It must have been terrible for her.
"So, when I was lucid enough to act, I started to glean information. Zuko thought he had cleaned up my father's enthusiasts. He even replaced half of the staff for safety. He completely changed his advisers, ministers and his ranking-officers. All those who were notorious supporters of our father. But he never found out about his secret networks, the ones he was already using during Azulon's reign, when he was plotting against my uncle and my grandfather."
At that moment, Ty Lee held her breath. Azula rarely mentioned her family, much less the troubled times when Ozai was conspiring against his own family.
"After his coronation, my fath-Ozai decided to keep his networks of informants secret outside the palace, in order to more easily spot potential opponents. He used the Yuyan archers to hunt down and assassinate his enemies and eliminate anyone who posed a threat to him. When Father banished Zuko and started considering making me his first heir, he introduced me to some of them. The man you just saw is one of them. And also is-"
"Master Roshin!" Ty Lee exclaimed, thinking of the man who taught Azula archery before she fell from prison. "Is that how you met him?"
"Yes," Azula confessed. "When I said I wanted to learn archery, I submitted a list of names to Zuko. I tweaked the list to make sure he hired Master Roshin. If he had known who he was, Zuzu would never have agreed. His real name is Yuzao. But don't even think to tell Zuko about that!" Azula warned her. "Thanks to him, I have been able to collect valuable information over the past few months. And he was the one who told me where to find the man we just left. And luckily, the latter knows where to find the men we are looking for! It seems that many of my father's former followers have turned to the Sons of Agni out of spite."
Unease crept into Ty Lee. Did Azula just confess that she's been scheming behind Zuko's back all this time? Her concern must have shown in her eyes, as Azula pinned her against the wall and brought her face close to hers, her amber eyes red with anger.
"If you say anything to my brother, Ty Lee, you can say goodbye to our friendship. I never used this information to harm him. On the contrary, I used it to protect him and ensure his place on the throne. From the moment Zuzu gave me back my crown, everything I did was for him! I am faithful to him!" she hissed in a threatening voice, as if Ty Lee had questioned her words.
"O-of course Azula, I believe you."
The princess seemed a little reassured. Her features softened. She released Ty Lee and resumed her tale.
"For the past year, I've used their loyalty to me to keep them away from Zuko. I let them believe that I was still on Ozai's side. They thought I was visiting my father in prison and giving them his orders. That's how I controlled them. And with lots of gold too…" she finally admitted. "As for them, they made sure to put Zuko's secret agents on false tracks. None of the networks they've taken down in the last year were really related to Ozai. But they were a threat to Zuko anyway, so it doesn't make much difference," she added as if to excuse the fact that she had allowed innocent people to be condemned.
"But how did you do that?" Ty Lee couldn't help asking, torn between dread and admiration. "You would never leave the palace!"
"I didn't wait for you to use the secret passages," she replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "But you're right. Most of the time, I avoided going out. I had contacts at the palace."
"Who? It wasn't just Master Roshin?"
"Of course not. There was also a guard. But that idiot Zuzu had him locked up one day without me really understanding why. I think it's related to what happened between us after the political summit," she said, her cheeks suddenly flushed. "I never dared to ask him. If Zuko finds out I had my own network, he'll never trust me again. He will never believe that I only did it for him."
Bitterness replaced excitement in her voice.
"As my relationship with Zuko was improving, I gradually stopped seeing them. They didn't seem to pose an immediate threat, and I was too afraid that Zuko would find out and reject me, marry me to some imbecile, or send me back to the asylum. Zuzu and I were finally friends. And then, after that night, everything got out of control. I didn't see anyone for three weeks, until you arrived, and I lost all contact with my informants. And then… and then you know what happened next. You were there."
An awkward silence fell between them. It was the first time Azula hinted at what had happened with Suki. Tears began to roll down Azula's cheeks and she wiped them away furiously.
"Azula-"
"When I think of all I've done for that bastard!" Azula's voice cracked with emotion and her chest began to heave dangerously. Her breathing hitched and her jaw clenched.
Oh no! Ty Le thought, recognizing the signs of an impending crisis.
"And he's cheating on me with the first peasant girl he found!" Azula continued, her voice vibrating with overflowing rage. "I am devoted to him, more than I have ever been to anyone. More than to my father, Ty. I would kill for him! I would kill! You know that, don't you?"
The demented glint was there again, dancing in her eyes like a flame flickering in the wind, and Ty Lee thought it was time to intervene.
"Yes, Azula, I know that. You did everything right! Zuko is so lucky to have you and he adores you. I'm sure he misses you and can't wait to see you again. I think we've had enough information for today. The sun is setting. Let's go back, we'll go to that place tomorrow."
Azula clung to Ty Lee's arm now and stared at her with wide pleading eyes. Her lower jaw was seized with uncontrollable tremors. Ty Lee stifled a cry as Azula compulsively dug her fingernails into her arm.
'We will annihilate his enemies, Ty Lee. You and I! And when he finds out what I've done for him, he'll have to no choice but choose me. You'll see! He'll be forced to love me, me alone."
"Yes, Azula!" she reassured her, patting her shoulder awkwardly. "He will only love you, I'm sure of that."
"I would kill for him..." Azula repeated weakly, as if she hadn't heard Ty Lee, but she let herself be dragged out of the dark alley where they had been hiding.
There was no longer a trace of the confident young woman who forced Ty Lee to run all over town. The tide had just turned once more, obeying the fluctuation of Azula's madness. Ty Lee would have bet the princess had forgot her treatment. Or was it an effect of the poppy milk? If she wanted to bring a safe and sound princess to Zuko, better fulfill her wishes. The sooner they completed Azula's mission, the sooner they would be back at the palace where the princess could heal.
Ty Lee grabbed Azula's hand and pulled her behind her, turning her head to find the direction of the hovel where they would spend another night.
The next day, a few hours after dawn and a restless night, they entered a sort of almost empty waiting room. The only furniture here were a few chairs lined up along a stone wall, a vase adorned with intricate patterns on a side table, a banner hanging on one wall.
The door closed behind them and the masked man who had opened it the moment they said the password invited them to sit down.
"Wait here," he ordered sharply. "The High Recruiter is busy. I'll see if the Matron can see you."
Without another word, he slid the wooden door on its track and disappeared behind the panel, which closed with a snap.
Ty Lee sat down in one of the chairs and watched Azula pace the room, her arms crossed behind her back, like a general inspecting his troops.
So there they were.
Ty Lee could not believe with what easiness they had found this clandestine place the imperial guard and Zuko's secret police themselves had not managed to locate after weeks of investigation.
The Sons of Agni tricked them and escaped them like water running through the fingers of a man who tries in vain to hold it back. Whenever these sickos committed murder or disturbed the public order, the criminals magically evaporated the second law enforcement arrived on the scene.
But it hadn't taken more than forty-eight hours for Azula to find the address of one of their famous Recruitment Centers. Only a trusted Insider could deliver the password allowing access to one of these secret places.
Insiders, High Recruiter, Matrons, The Guide…
All these pompous words with which these fanatics draped themselves would have been comical, had it not been for all the chilling promises they hid.
For two days, Ty Lee and Azula had been discovering these new substantives supposed to become customary in the New Order, a new fantasy invented by the Sons of Agni to describe the "world after". After what, exactly? It was to get the answer to this question that the princess had led her into this trap.
Ty Lee was counting the seconds, stomach knotted with apprehension, in the small, sparsely furnished room where they had been asked to wait.
Standing near the wall in front of her, Azula, her arms folded across her chest, gazed at the only ornament that decorated the room: a black banner on which was represented a red crown turned upside down and crossed by a bloody sword. Ty Lee would have liked to talk but her friend had been immured in a mysterious silence since the masked man dressed in a blood-red toga had made them enter. The calm and placidity she displayed contrasted strangely with the attitude she had shown in the alley the day before.
Ty Lee had sacrificed herself to let Azula sleep through the night, giving up on asking her to take her turn. The princess had woken up rested and in a better mood, no longer talking about Zuko, nor about torturing his enemies. Ty Lee on the other hand, couldn't say the same. She stifled a yawn and slumped a little in her chair, but straightened up immediately. She couldn't afford giving in to fatigue: they had to remain vigilant until the end.
They were throwing themselves into the dragon's mouth. And Ty Lee had no idea what awaited them.
The acrobat was terrified at the idea of them being unmasked. There were few realistic portraits of Azula in circulation, except for the propaganda posters which were nothing more than vulgar outrageous caricatures. These obscenities could have represented any young woman with somewhat similar features. While Azula was renowned for her beauty, major aspects of her physiognomy weren't rare in the Fire Nation. It's also thanks to them that they were here now, in this antechamber.
The very simple dress the princess wore didn't betray her royal origins. Had it not been for her haughty bearing and her proud aura, nothing could emphasize her belonging to a noble family.
But these considerations did little to reassure Ty Lee who only saw the reckless side of this mission in which the princess had thrown herself headlong.
Ty Lee kept blaming herself for the moment of weakness that made her confess to Azula what she knew about her brother's nights out. Never would the princess have taken such reckless risks without this burning revelation.
Now there they were, on a futile suicide mission, relying only on their martial skills. No one knew where they were and no one would come to their rescue if things went wrong. And considering the people they had invited themselves to, one could safely bet on a dramatic outcome.
Ty Lee mused on the possibility of expressing her thoughts aloud. Maybe she could try one last time to convince her stubborn friend to give up?
"Azula-"
But even before her friend had time to turn around, the heavy wooden panel slipped on its tracks and the hooded and masked man who had greeted them reappeared.
"The Matron will receive you before introducing you to the High Recruiter," he announced in a solemn voice. "Follow me."
Ty Lee desperately tried to exchange a last look with Azula, but the latter, more determined than ever, followed the man in the hallway he was silently pointing at them.
You damn stubborn girl! she thought to herself. Zuko would never forgive Ty Lee if she ran away. And she had made a promise to herself by climbing this gigantic tower weeks before. Ty Lee was a loyal friend and she meant to keep her promises.
She took a deep breath and followed Azula, leaving the room empty behind.
"This way!" the masked man ordered, opening an armored metal door. Behind it, a narrow and steep staircase plunged into darkness.
Ty Lee felt Azula freeze beside her. She knew how much her friend hated underground and enclosed spaces. The memory of the horrific punishment inflicted on Azula at the asylum continued to haunt her. Sometimes, at night, Ty Lee heard the princess mutter in her sleep and beg invisible jailers between hearthbreaking sobs:
"Let me out, please! I can't breath!"
"What's wrong?" thundered the man who was waiting for them to come down, holding the door. "Do you want to meet the High Recruiter, yes or no?"
"Is it really necessary to go down?" Ty Lee asked, flying to Azula's aid. The latter was shriveling in place. "Can't he receive us in the room where we were waiting just now? My friend isn't comfortable in enclosed spaces and-"
She was interrupted by a cold laughter.
"Is this a joke?"
"Yes, she's joking," answered an authoritative and firm voice next to Ty Lee.
It was Azula. She glared reproachfully at Ty Lee, clenching her jaw and setting her foot on the first step. "Let's go."
But the man didn't move. Azula got impatient.
"What are you waiting for?" she shouted at him. Obviously, the efforts to keep countenance seemed to make her more aggressive. "Do you want us to tumble down the stairs? We need light."
"Neither of you is a firebender?" the man asked suspiciously.
"Obviously not," Azula retorted. "I believed that the Sons of Agni accepted every child of fire, master or profane as long as we came from the pure race. Or have I been misinformed?"
"You have been properly informed. But be aware that the Guide prefers firebenders, and the High Recruiter may refuse your candidacy"
"We are aware of that," Azula said firmly. "Now, if you could just walk past us and show us the way."
But the man did not move. Azula was really starting to lose her patience. Ty Lee noticed the small crease forming between her eyebrows and the way the corner of her lip curled up in a menacing scowl. How she looked like Zuko right now! The air around them changed imperceptibly, and Ty Lee could have sworn Azula's aura had turned red.
"What else?" she growled.
"Here, women like you know their place. If you wish to serve the Great Cause, you must show more respect to your natural superiors."
"Our natural superiors?"
"Alright, sir!" Ty Lee interrupted, lightly pushing Azula in front of her. "We'll try to remember that. Forgive my friend, she's anxious to finally meet the Great Recruiter!"
"What are you doing?" Azula hissed furiously.
But Ty Lee just gave her an eloquent look and Azula capitulated.
"Excuse me. Please forgive my insolence," she said humbly, bowing to the looming form of the man who was still waiting behind. His shadow stretched over the first steps and seemed to swallow the two girls who were standing a few inches below.
"So let's go!" he commanded as he walked past them, a flame rising in the palm of his left hand.
As Azula wasn't moving, Ty Lee took her hand and squeezed it gently. Finally, Azula allowed her to guide her and they both descended into the darkness. The flame in the man's hand made their shadows dance against the stone walls, giving them the appearance of elusive, ghostly silhouettes.
A dead silence reigned in the atmosphere as they went down into the depths of the earth.
A bunker, Ty Lee thought, dried throat. These madmen are hiding underground.
This sounded so unlike the mores of Fire Nation people that Ty Lee had to refrain from commenting. An intuition warned her that it was best not to ask too many questions. If they got out of here whole and safe, she and Azula could consider themselves lucky.
Now that they had discovered the address of one of their Recruiting Center, Ty Lee highly doubted they would be let out as easily as they had entered.
Finally, after a descent that seemed to last an eternity, they stopped in a large cellar leading to a barely visible metal door. High-pitched squeaks betrayed the presence of rats and bats, and Ty Lee resisted the urge to shield her head with her hand, giving in to the absurd belief that bats sometimes cling to people's hair to feast on their blood.
They're just innocent little flying beasts. Like Momo! she reassured herself, summoning the memory of the adorable lemur that accompanied Aang everywhere.
The three of them crossed the large vaulted cellar and the man opened the door to lead them into a large corridor. They passed several metal doors, identical to the first. The man finally opened one of them and pushed them inside. Azula's hand quaked in hers and Ty Lee held it tighter. She knew her friend didn't fear bats. Azula's terrors were of another nature.
"Wait here with the others. The Matron is coming to see you."
Ty Lee and Azula entered a large space that looked like a classroom. Other young women, - half a dozen in total, Ty Lee quickly counted - waited silently, seated on chairs behind the desks, each carefully avoiding the gaze of the others, staring straight ahead. They didn't even turn their heads when they arrived.
All of them had the same sleek black hair, the same golden eyes with slightly different shades, and a pale complexion like Azula's. Ty Lee suddenly felt like an intruder with her chestnut hair and big gray eyes. Anguish gripped her throat little by little.
A huge blackboard, devoid of any inscription, covered a section of the wall and faced the students' desks. Ty Lee thought of a dark monster swallowing up the entire universe.
The other walls were all covered with smaller metal boards on which were pasted various posters. On each of them, one could see schema of anatomy representing different parts of the human body with legends written in small prints. One of them particularly caught Ty Lee's attention. It showed a smiling woman, in profile, lovingly caressing the swell on her abdomen. Her belly was cut in half and a fetus could be seen, curled up there, its adorable baby face as serene as its mother's. A legend inscribed in red and black letters said: "Blessed are the children born in the womb of the Daughters of Agni" and further down: "Be part of the New Order hegemony by giving birth to the new generation of Soldiers of Agni."
The last wall was entirely covered by a gigantic mirror. Above it, a large fabric banner hung. It contained the following words:
"Vanity is the mother of all vices."
Ty Lee quickly looked away from the mirror. She had the strange feeling that someone was spying on them behind the mirror. The citation sounded like a warning, and she gave up her habit of glancing in the mirror to straighten her hair or check her makeup.
Azula, whose hand she still held, led her to two side-by-side desks and they sat down without a word a good distance from the other girls who didn't give them a look, each staring at the empty board which they contemplated in an almost religious silence.
Unease and anxiety swelled in Ty Lee's chest. What had they just stepped into? They had voluntarily come to throw themselves into this hornet's nest, this lair of fanatical firebenders with Azula's bending as their only defense. And she could not even use it without betraying herself.
They didn't have to wait long.
The door opened again and a strongly built woman entered. She wasn't wearing a mask, unlike the man who escorted her. Her hair was pulled back in a strict bun from which no strand escaped. Her stern face told that she must be in her fifties. She wore a high-necked brown dress that went down to mid-calf, black pointy-toed boots peeking out from under the rough fabric of her outfit, and a red armband adorned with the symbol of the Sons of Agni, wrapped around her right arm.
All together, the other women rose, their heads lowered, in an attitude of obvious submission. After a second of hesitation, Ty Lee and Azula imitated them, earning a disapproving look from the newcomer.
The woman kept her arms folded behind her back and looked hard at the small assembly.
"Sit down ladies," she ordered in a surprisingly soft voice, unexpected in a woman with her build.
They all sat down at the same time and silence fell.
The woman shared a brief look with the masked man who nodded and turned back to the students – Ty Lee had just figured that was how she saw them – before beginning her speech.
"Ladies. You are here because the Guide's word has touched you and you came here freely, to offer your most precious treasure to Agni and to the creation of the New Order. Be blessed for your sacrifice. By entering here, you agree to get rid of all the ties that keep you in the old world and to become the God of Light's faithful servants."
Ty Lee glanced at Azula who was standing, her arms crossed, a look of contempt clearly spread out on her face. At that moment, Ty Lee wished she could communicate by thought with her friend to warn her to change her attitude quickly. Better not to mess around with these people, she thought. The man who had led them here earlier and who was now standing in the background next to the stage, was already casting his blind gaze on them.
Ty Lee lightly kicked Azula's foot under the table and the princess looked at her, indignant. Then she caught the man's gaze and immediately understood. She uncrossed her arms and laid them quietly on the table, fixing her attention on the woman who continued to spout her nonsense.
"Carrying in her womb the children of the New Order is the highest honor a Daughter of Agni can dream of. The obvious superiority of your genes over your peers gives you an additional responsibility that you can't refuse. But it will also bring you an immense satisfaction. Each of you came here with the hope of producing a future Soldier or a future Life Bringer. I am here to guide you on this light path. My name is Rin and I am a Matron. I will teach you the doctrines of our movement and the sacred word of The Guide. If the High Recruiter deems you worthy of participating in the program, you shall call me "Mother". Those who don't meet the criteria will be obliterated."
The Matron's gaze slid to Ty Lee as she uttered those last words. If she understood correctly, the High Recruiter took care of selecting the women he deemed suitable to give birth to the most beautiful specimens of the pure race. What happened to the others? What did it mean to be obliterated? What if the High Recruiter decided that Ty Lee's gray eyes were a threat to the race standards?
Azula had nothing to fear at the moment. She corresponded in every way to the type. The other girls too. One might have thought them sisters. It was strange for Ty Lee, who had grown up with six identical sisters, to feel different. She who had dreamed all her life of distinguishing herself, she would have liked to look like the others at this moment.
"A Servitor will now receive you. He will ask you a few questions, examine you, and make sure that you don't have any excluding criteria. You will then pass a medical test with the High Recruiter who will decide on your destiny. The lucky ones will then come and find me. I will lead you to your new quarters where your education will begin."
The Matron insisted on the last word, Ty Lee had a sense that this so-called "education" wouldn't sound like a pleasant walk. These people were crazy. They recruited girls to serve as matrix for their aberrant purebred project. These girls had all come here, on purpose it seemed, to get seeded by complete strangers. Ty Lee was willing to bet that their baby would be taken away from them as soon as the delivery arrived. These girls were destined to become sexual slaves, mere brood mares without value. The thought choked Ty Lee for a few seconds and she didn't immediately notice the other girls had stood up.
Azula, standing in front of her, extended her hand.
Come on, her eyes seemed to say. Let's not separate for a second.
Tears of anguish filled Ty Lee's eyes and a lump formed in her throat. She straightened on her shaky legs and accepted Azula's hand.
Together they left the classroom, following the Matron and Servitor who led them back through the maze of metal doors. Behind one of them, she knew, a man was waiting, ready to decide which of them deserved to be among the servants of the New Order.
The eight young women were lined up facing the Matron and the Servitor, whose face was also concealed by a white mask with yellow-rimmed eyes. The man had just finished inspecting the girl to Azula's left. Back and shoulders straight, she braced herself for what was to come.
"Look at this one," the Servitor said, approaching Azula.
Resisting the violent urge to bite his cheeky fingers, Azula let the masked man lift her chin to examine her features, as he just did with the others.
Rin, the Matron, snorted dismissively.
"A beautiful specimen, indeed," she conceded.
"Magnificent!" the Servitor enthused appreciatively, manipulating Azula's face between his calloused fingers. "Write down, Rin, write down. Look at those pure amber eyes. And this unified and pale complexion!"
"She may have purebred traits, but I don't like the sparkle in her eyes!" Rin interjected. "I saw her roll her eyes earlier in the classroom. She's cheeky!"
Azula swallowed hard, but didn't flinch when the man tugged hard on her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"Is the Matron telling the truth?" he asked sharply.
"I don't know," Azula replied, trying to give her voice a terrified inflection. "It wasn't on purpose."
"Young lady!" Rin suddenly said, snapping her fingers to get Azula's attention. "Here, we like discipline and honest, respectful women. If you want Agni to choose you as one of his daughters, you better put out that fire in your eyes, okay?"
"Yes ma'am," she replied obediently, doing her best to ignore the furious flames ravaging her insides.
The Servitor resumed his inspection. He forced a big calloused finger between Azula's lips to examine her teeth, as if she were a common ostrich-horse at a cattle fair.
Calm down…
Have you seen what he's doing?
He should know better. She doesn't like to be touched.
Except Zuzu. She likes it when Zuzu touches her.
She will kill him.
Yes! Yes! Go ahead! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!
And it was a concert of voices that exploded in Azula's head, like the grand finale of a grandiose firework. She had to close her eyes to focus and keep a grip on reality.
"Impeccable personal hygiene," he commented. "Note Rin! No need to prolong the inspection. "This one will interest the High Recruiter, no doubt. Are you a firebender?" he asked her without transition.
"I'm not."
"Never mind," the man commented in a smooth voice. "With such a physique, she will give birth to perfect sons of fire. Let's go to the next one."
He suddenly let go of Azula's chin, her head fell back on the side. She fought the anger that was seeping through her and consuming what was left of her composure and reason.
Azula was beginning to regret using too much poppy milk. Yet, Taïma had warned her against this medicine, very effective for suppressing and taming pain, but which could seriously alter the effects of her treatment. Treatment that she had been stupid enough to forget when she left the palace with Ty Lee… More than ever, she had to remain lucid. She blamed herself for her stupidity and her temerity. And she'd led Ty Lee into this ambush. Ty Lee whose Servitor was now approaching.
It was all Zuzu's fault! If that traitor hadn't gone wallowing with some common whore, Azula would never have acted so impulsively. She wouldn't have needed to put herself in danger to prove her loyalty to him. But it was too late for regrets now. If they managed to get out of this hornet's nest, she would bring valuable information to Zuko, and he would be forced to show her his gratitude.
"Hey! That's new!" scoffed the Servitor, whose amused voice brought Azula back to reality.
"Yes," the Matron replied, staring at Ty Lee's face, her hands crossed behind her back, tightened around a leather riding crop. "I admit I wondered myself what that one is doing here. These two girls came together. What could have prompted you to come and seek the High Recruiter's approval, young lady? Have you seen yourself?"
Ty Lee replied in a shaky voice that made Azula feel like her insides had been sucked out.
"I-I want to serve the God of Light at the sacrifice of my body."
"Aha!" The Servitor chuckled. "We heard that story before, sweetie! You're not the first one to show up here, hoping that by showing yourselves spontaneously, we'll turn a blind eye to your genetic flaws."
"That-that's not it. I really want to take part in the cause! I want to carry the soldiers of Agni!" Ty Lee trumpeted. "I'm a true daughter of Fire!"
Guilt grips Azula's guts. Ty Lee was not the type the Sons of Agni were looking for. And if they decided to… how did they say it? To obliterate her?
"She has good hips," Rin pointed out, tapping Ty Lee in the designated spot with her riding crop. "But her hair and her eyes…Almighty Agni! Looks like- "
"Tell them Ty, tell them where you come from!" Azula interjected.
Ty Lee and the others sharply turned their heads towards her, Rin's eyes wide with dismay. Azula vaguely heard the gasps of surprise coming from the other girls, visibly shocked by the audacity of their comrade.
"How dare you-"
But Azula didn't let herself be disheartened.
"My friend doesn't want to tell you because she fears your reaction. She comes by her paternal branch from the last Sons of the Air. This is where she gets her gray eyes and great agility. If you saw her perform aerial acrobatics, you would be amazed!"
"A crossbreed!" the Servitor exclaimed disdainfully. "How many generations has your family been connected to the Fire Nation?"
"I-my great-great-grandfather was indeed an Air Nomad," Ty Lee replied, swooping down the lie with an ease that made Azula both proud and impressed. "He married a firebender. Their children were all firebenders, except for my great-grandfather. None of his children were masters. Since then, my ancestors have married between profane people. But I know that the fire of my ancestors still lives in me!" she added fervently.
"Is your friend telling the truth when she praises your sporting prowess?"
"I know bragging is wrong: vanity is the mother of all vices," Ty Lee recited, indicating that she also had been caught up by the citation they noticed in the classroom. "But I'm indeed quite skilled in my aerial work. My father was a warrior who fought valiantly under Fire Lord Azulon's reign. He taught me everything. He died in the battlefield, unfortunately."
Azula couldn't have hoped for better. Usually, Ty Lee wasn't a good liar but she found her quite convincing for once.
"Since then," Ty Lee continued, her eyes shining with tears, "I dream only of serving my nation and helping it regain the greatness it lost because of the current Fire Lord and his incestuous sister."
Azula knew Tylee was acting, but it still hurt, like someone had stabbed her in the heart. Could there be some sincerity in Ty Lee's words?
"I dream of reconnecting with the purity of my origins. My great-great-grandmother met all the criteria that Agni seeks and I'm sure that, deep inside me, there remains a trace of this past greatness!"
The Matron had listened attentively to her story and seemed meditative.
"Brother," she said finally, addressing the Servitor who was forcing Ty Lee to lift her chin, as he had just done with Azula, "Maybe we should consider introducing her to the Great Recruiter. I have studied The Handbook of Racial Anatomy The Guide gave us. The Sons of Air, though an inferior race, are our natural allies unlike Water and Earth peoples, those filthy cockroaches."
"Really?" The Servitor asked, suddenly interested.
Azula held her breath. Could it be that their stupid handbook buttressed her words?
"Yes, of course. As a firebender, you know that combustion results from a chemical reaction with air. A fire deprived of air is bound to die. What if this girl's genes could help to strengthen the breed in some way?"
"Mmm… I must say that I hadn't thought of that. Do you mean that the Great Sozin was wrong in annihilating the race of the Air Nomads?"
Rin looked indignant.
"Oh Brother, no! It would be such heresy! Sozin was the greatest Fire Lord our nation has ever known. Unfortunately, we didn't have modern knowledge of genetics back then. No doubt he could have reconsidered things from another angle, if he had been instructed in those subjects."
"Very well," the Servitor conceded, finally freeing Ty Lee, whose teeth he had just checked. "Let's give her a chance. Come on, ladies!" he commanded, turning to the young women lined up silently along the line drawn on the floor. "The High Recruiter will now receive you one after the other for a physical examination. I have the great joy to announce to you that at first glance, you all correspond to the type. Except for you of course," he mocked Ty Lee, his voice filled with amusement. "But I'll let the High Recruiter study your case."
"May I suggest we start with that one?" the Matron asked sharply, forcefully grabbing Azula's arm.
"She's far too bold for my taste. The Doctor will no doubt explain her how she has to behave and teach her respect."
"As you please," the Servitor replied, shrugging.
And just like that, Rin dragged Azula behind her. The princess glanced at Ty Lee, then was led down a new hallway. At the end of the corridor, was another room with white walls. It was furnished with a metal desk, an examination table and various medical equipment. Strange instruments intended to measure different parts of the body were arranged on metal shelves.
Sitting at his desk, a bald man was hastily scribbling inscriptions in a notebook.
Rin cleared her throat to announce herself.
"High Recruiter, I send you the first recruit."
"Thanks, Rin," the man answered without raising his head.
Something about that shiny bald head and that soft voice sent a jolt through Azula's mind, a signal yelling at her to run away. Her heart began to beat without her understanding why.
Then the man lifted his head. A face with a narrow jaw and small piercing eyes rimmed with half-moon glasses faced her. A brown goatee covered in gray hair adorned his already pointed chin.
Azula felt her legs give way under her weight and memories she had wanted to bury forever flooded into her foggy brain. The voices in her head started screaming all at once.
"I think you'll appreciate this specimen, Doctor Huan-Li," the Matron said, pushing Azula towards him. "But be careful, she's a rebel! You!" She yelped wickedly at Azula. "Look up so the Great Recruiter can see you!"
The doctor got up, walked around his desk and approached. As his small, keen eyes scanned Azula's face, a glimmer of understanding lit his visage. In five years, Azula had changed. Her face had lost the last vestiges of childhood. Her cheeks had given way to elegant, slightly protruding cheekbones. But she remained easily recognizable to anyone who had known her long enough.
"Almighty Lord!" he whispered in disbelief. "Rin, my sister, explain to me what this little whore is doing here?"
"Excuse me?" Rin stammered, visibly taken aback.
Azula couldn't breathe anymore. Too stunned to react to the insult, she felt her features crumble down her face, as if it was made of wax and had been brought too close to a flame. The Doctor, on the other hand, seemed to have already recovered from the shock of seeing her here.
"Princess Azula!" Huan-Li uttered slowly, an ugly smirk stretching his non-existent lips, revealing tidy, immaculately white teeth. "What a surprise! I didn't expect the honor to see you again one day! It's very kind of you to pay us a little visit. You seem to be doing better since we last met, five years ago! Am I right?"
The doctor snapped his fingers, and before Azula could figure out what was going on, a sharp pain traveled her skull. She only had time to turn her head and notice the iron bar the Matron had just hit her with.
Then she collapsed and thick darkness enveloped her little by little.
Her last coherent thought, as the rat-faced doctor and bulldog-jawed Matron bent over her, was for Ty Lee.
Please, she begged in a silent prayer, don't let them hurt her!
