Chapter Thirty Three
Ghosts, and infiltration.
"Still no sign of him, Princess." Said the sergeant. Azula tapped her manicured nails on the arm of the throne. She dismissed the soldier with a vague gesture, and soon she was alone with her friends. Ty Lee was braiding her hair at her left, and Mai sat to her right as she spun one of her knives around.
"Do you think the Avatar took Captain Wei with them?" Ty Lee asked, looking up from her braid to address her friends. Azula shook her head and Mai shrugged.
"I don't believe they would have done that.' Azula said, "For one thing, that's not something they would have done. None of their actions suggest that they would take a prisoner, and why would they take a random officer when any of us would make better hostages? I'm sure the Governor would gladly give up King Bumi for Mai, and I'm sure your father would pay a handsome reward for your safe return, Ty Lee."
"I guess. Not to mention what the Fire Lord would do if you were kidnapped, Azula." Ty Lee said, "I bet he'd go to Ba Sing Se himself to get you back."
Azula didn't respond. She doubted her father would do much at all to ensure that she was delivered from their enemies. Her usefulness might have run out as far as she could tell. She had been met with nothing but failure and betrayal since setting out on this sun-forsaken mission. Every endeavor she had undertaken before this had been an unequivocal success. Never before had she been dealt such… bad luck. So much for being born lucky. She wondered if this was how Zuko always felt. She chided herself for such foolish thoughts, she did not need to dwell on Zuko's struggles.
The door to the throne room opened, and Governor Ukano walked through and down the room. His face was illuminated by the slightly greenish tint of the crystals used by the former king, as they had for some reason not yet seen fit to replace them. The pale green clashed horribly with the blacks, reds, and golds of the Fire Nation.
"Good morning, Princess." The Governor said as he knelt, "I have sent a report to your father detailing how you valiantly thwarted the resistance's attempt to free King Bumi. That you managed to defeat not only them, but the Avatar and the children of Hakoda, is truly an inspiration to us all."
"Why should Sokka and Katara make a difference?" Ty Lee asked curiously. Azula raised an eyebrow. What resistance? Why had she not been told of this? She wasn't about to argue the fact, not after the Governor had just sung her praises to the Fire Lord…
"Uh… Well, Lady Ty Lee," Ukano began, "Chief Hakoda, the entire royal line of the Southern Water Tribe really, is widely regarded as a genius. He is said to be among the greatest strategists and commanders of our era, and from what I gathered the Sea Wolf mastered waterbending in a few months."
"Some of the intelligence reports I've received from the War Minister and Admiral Zhao have stated that the First Son had a major role in defense of the Northern Water Tribe, as well as organizing the rebellion at the Northern Air Temple." Ukano continued, "From those reports, I believe it is a safe assumption that he has inherited his father's intellect."
Azula scoffed. "Sokka, the genius? Governor, I hadn't taken you for the comedic type. I have faced the First Son on multiple occasions, and I assure you that if he is, then he might be the world's only stupid genius…"
Azula trailed off. That gave her an idea. She remembered the note that Sokka had left her, an obvious attempt to irritate her. A failed attempt, no doubt, but an attempt nonetheless. She decided to commission an updated wanted poster and bounty on him, and give him a new moniker. Yes, that was a fine idea. Sokka: the Stupid Genius. That would surely aggravate him.
"Oh, I see." The Governor said awkwardly, "Be that as it may, if we might move on? We've received word from the capitol. Admiral Zhao is sending someone to assist you in your operation to capture Prince Zuko and General Iroh. He's a combustion bender, though the Admiral didn't include the man's name."
Azula cocked her head to the side as the Governor's words registered. Zhao was sending an agent of some kind? A combustion bender… well, at least it wasn't Hahn.
"Oooh!" Ty Lee said while raising her hand enthusiastically, as if she were a schoolgirl who knew the answer to the teacher's question, "I have an idea! How about we call him The Combustion Man!"
It was now Mai's turn to scoff. She let her head drop behind her as she reclined across her seat. Giving Ty Lee a judgemental stare, she said, "That's the worst name I've ever heard. Why would we call him that? Just wait until he gets here and ask him what his name is."
Ty Lee blushed and pouted, "It is not terrible!" Glancing at Azula from the corner of her eye, she said, "I bet Sokka would like it."
Mai scoffed again and rolled her eyes. "How would you know? You've never even spoken to him."
"Neither have you!"
"I'm not the one making assumptions about his naming practices!"
"Girls!" Azula snapped, "Now is not the time."
Turning back to Ukano, Azula said, "Governor, tell me everything that you know about the resistance. Intelligence and unconfirmed rumors both. Now."
The governor nodded, and answered her. "The city, as you know, surrendered without a fight. We believe that was a trick of King Bumi, as he's a famously devious man. We're not sure what he's planning, if anything, but we think that the resistance is part of it. They've been secreting away citizens from the city for weeks, and their numbers are estimated to be a few hundred at most, but we expect that there may be fewer than that, given the number of civilians that have been taken out of the city. The nearest city wealthy enough to support a large number of refugees is Gaoling, and we suspect that the Earth Kingdom forces stationed in Omashu are escorting the refugees to Gaoling and then on to Ba Sing Se."
Ukano waited for a response from the Princess, but when none was forthcoming he continued. "We have triangulated areas around the city where we are most likely to encounter attacks by the resistance. I would of course have a map brought in for you to observe, with these areas highlighted."
Azula nodded and tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair. "Have there been any attempted kidnappings? Robberies, intercepted correspondence?"
"Well," Ukano said uneasily with an almost imperceptible glance toward Mai, "There have been a few attempts on my life, and one attempted kidnapping of my wife."
"I see." Azula said, and her eyes flicked towards Mai. Any who did not know the girl would assume that she was unperturbed by the news, but to her friends and family the slight tension in her jaw and the pause in her breathing were practically an emotional outburst. "In that case, Governor, I demand that you, your wife, and your young son have your security detail doubled. Mai will be leaving the city with me soon, but until then I expect her to remain in the company of myself, Ty Lee, or a detail of guards."
"Azula," Mai started, "That's hardly necessary, I can take care of myself."
"I will decide what's necessary, Mai." Azula said sharply, cutting off Mai before she could go on a long tirade. She returned her attention to the governor. "As for the Omashu problem, I have a few sol-"
She stopped speaking when the door to the throne room opened. A tall woman with dark hair and makeup burst through the door. She wore a red tattoo of a snake on her right shoulder, and carried a whip at her belt. A small bald man with a drooping mustache followed her inside.
"No, Lady June, Please! The Princess is meeting with the Governor!" Said the small man, "if you would just wait in the hall and allow me to announce your-"
"Quit your blubbering! I'm already inside, and you clearly can't stop me. The Princess paid me to meet her here, so I'm here. If she's too busy then oh well, I tried." June snapped at the man.
"You must be the bounty hunter." Azula said. "I've been expecting you."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Sokka said warily. He had stiffened at Aang's suggestion, and the tension in his shoulders did not go unnoticed by the Avatar. "Why do you want to speak with him?"
Aang rubbed the back of his head with a hand. He wasn't sure how to explain this, as any mention of their intention to break Sokka free of Koh's grasp had led to him becoming unresponsive. He decided to go with the truth, or at least as much of it as he could without Sokka conking out on them. "Sokka, something weird happens every time we talk about… a thing."
"A thing?" Sokka asked, looking from Aang to Katara. Aang nodded. "Yeah, when we bring it up you kinda just lose focus, like you can't hear or see anything."
Sokka's eyebrows furrowed. "And that means that you have to talk with the Face Guy?"
"Face Guy? Sokka," Katara chided, "This is serious."
"I know that," Sokka said, "But if I say his name in the Spirit World, he shows up."
"We're not in the Spirit World." Katara stated. Sokka nodded his agreement and explained, "Yeah, but I don't want to get in the habit of calling him by name, just in case I do it by accident and a bunch of spirits get their faces pulled off."
"Wait," Aang said, "You mean he steals actual faces? Like from the front of your head?"
Sokka nodded. "Yeah. Why did you think he was called that?"
Aang threw his hands up and began to pace, "I thought that he just copied faces and pretended to be other people! Why would I think he literally stole faces?!"
"Why would you make a deal with something like that?" Katara asked. "For a smart guy, you can be really stupid sometimes!"
"Yeah, I know!" Sokka said, "Trust me, I figured out that it was a mistake and I regret it plenty! But what's done is done, and there's no going back. It's better to accept it and move on."
"What, you expect me to believe that you're okay with dying and just not existing anymore?!" Katara bit out scathingly. Sokka shrugged.
"I've been thinking about it a lot lately." He said, "As far as I can remember, nothing came before this life. So what, if nothing comes after? Why should I let it bother me? I'm sure there are worse things."
Aang stared at Sokka in disbelief. So what if nothing comes after? That was absurd. "Well, now I'm definitely going to speak with him!" He said with finality.
That idea was so completely unlike Sokka that it was strangely frightening, to think that his friend would just go quietly into the night, and accept the unmaking of his soul. Aang suspected that the Face Stealer's influence was having a stronger effect on him than they had thought, even if his personality had at least somewhat returned to normal.
"What, like now?" Sokka asked, looking around their camp. The sun was moving steadily through the sky, and the morning was nearly spent. "Here?"
Aang looked around the camp, taking note of how open it was. He grit his teeth, but Sokka spoke again before he could say anything.
"I don't think that's really a good idea," He said cautiously. "I know that you guys are worried and all, but we've got a war to fight, and then this whole evil chaos spirit situation to deal with. We've got responsibilities to take care of, even if there are other things that we want to handle."
Aang sagged and felt as if the wind had abandoned him, letting him fall from the heavens unaided. Responsibilities. Obligation. Duty. He wished that he had not been born the Avatar, that his burden had fallen to another. He sat on the ground and his friends saw his struggle as easily as they might a mountain beneath the summer sun. After a while, he spoke.
"I know. I have to defeat the Fire Lord. I have to master all four elements, and I have to stop Vaatu from escaping and wreaking havoc on the world. I have to do all of it before the comet comes, and I'm sure there will be more problems after that. And then more, and even more are sure to follow." he looked at Katara, "But I promise you this, we will find a way."
Katara nodded, and Sokka looked a little confused, and then suspicious. He looked between the pair of them and narrowed his eyes. "Is there something going on here that I should know about?"
"What? No." Aang said, "At least, I don't think so." he looked at Katara again. "Maybe?"
"No. At least, not now anyway." Katara said, confused. It dawned on her what her brother was implying, and she flushed. "Sokka!"
"Hey, all I'm saying is that I should know if Aang becomes your boyfriend. It's my prerogative as the older brother."
Aang turned bright red, and Katara started shouting at her brother. Aang decided to change the topic before things got out of hand. "Sokka, that's not what we were talking about. And anyway, it's time we head out. I've got to learn earthbending and the comet is only getting closer."
The others paused in their newfound argument, and called a temporary ceasefire. They began breaking down their campsite and loading their supplies on Appa. Once they were airborne, Sokka unrolled the map of the Earth Kingdom. Aang sat beside him as Katara guided the bison to the northwest. Momo was draped across Aang's shoulders, napping peacefully.
Aang marked the map at various points around the desert, using random small objects. "These villages are the closest, but I don't know if they're going to have the right people to teach me."
Sokka nodded. "Yeah, I agree. We need the best, especially given our time constraint."
"We could go to Gaoling, it's pretty close. Plus, it's big enough that I'm sure they would have some pretty top rate earthbenders." Aang suggested, placing his finger next to the point marked by his bison whistle.
"Let's try out these other spots first. We might get lucky. If not, we can try for Gaoling or Ba Sing Se." Sokka countered.
Aang nodded, and in short order they chose a town not far from the desert, a small farming village.
"Unhand me this instant!" Azula roared. "Do you know who I am? By the time my father gets through with you, this city will be littered with ash and shattered bones!"
An earthbender placed a gag made of solid rock over her face, keeping her from making more protestations. Azula kept up the struggle for appearances sake, but she grinned internally. Everything was going according to the plan, and even now she was fully confident that she could free herself and annihilate these men with little struggle. But, that would defeat the purpose of allowing them to capture her. She needed to be brought before their leader, at which point she would give the signal for Ukano's forces to begin the attack. With the arrival of June and her shirshu, it was quite easy to devise a plan to ferret out the so-called resistance. All that she had to do was allow herself to be captured, and then once she was in their den she would smash the vial of perfume that would signal the Fire Nation to begin their campaign to capture the resistance.
They were taken into an alley and down into a sewer system, something that Azula was not particularly pleased with, and from there they headed down a series of convoluted tunnels. They passed no sentries, which Azula found odd. Perhaps these earthbenders simply didn't think anyone would think to look down here? A needless oversight on their part. It was a miracle that the city had managed to stay unconquered for as long as it had.
Soon, they stepped out of the sewer and entered a long corridor. One of the men ignited a torch to light the way. The earthbender who had gagged and bound her closed up the entrance behind them, and that gave Azula pause. Could the shirshu track through solid rock? She wasn't sure, but she decided it was best not to take that chance. She kicked out with her feet at the earthbender, the only one in the team of four who had captured her. Using her bending to charge her strike, she launched the man directly into the barricade he had just made, causing it to crack. She heard the slight sound of water from the sewer coming through the stone wall the man had created, and then proceeded to run down the tunnel and away from the would-be kidnappers. She wasn't intending to get away, but she wanted to put as much distance between them and the now weakened wall as she could.
A few hundred yards down the tunnel, she allowed herself to be caught. This earthbender wasn't very good. He had no subtlety, and he projected his attacks and traps so obviously that Azula wondered if he had just learned to earthbend the previous day. It took some effort on her part to make her own capture appear natural, and not an obvious ploy.
"Aren't you a fighter." The earthbender said. He placed restraints around her ankles and pointed to one of his companions. "Tzun, you carry her. We're nearly there, but we can trade off if you get tired."
"Why do I have to carry her?" Tzun asked. He was enormous, and the other men present came up to his shoulder. The earthbender shrugged. "You're the biggest, and therefore the strongest. Best suited to the task, I'd say."
"What if she burns me?" He said nervously.
"Make sure you fall on her." Quipped a man wielding a quarterstaff. The earthbender and the last man laughed. Azula gave him a scathing look. Not because of the laughter, but because the last man had nunchakus. She was of the opinion that they were perhaps the least useful weapon in all of existence, and that their only value was in an exercise of coordination. Seriously, she thought, even a stick would be better. You could at least hit someone with a stick and not worry about if the stick would rebound and hit you in return.
The giant of a man picked Azula up, and he was surprisingly gentle about it. He placed her over his shoulder and said, "I am sorry, Princess, but you have been a tad difficult. We'll get to headquarters soon."
The groups started walking again and soon crossed an intersection in the tunnel. They hadn't moved far past it when they were stopped in surprise.
"Hey!" A new voice said. Azula and the four men turned their attention to the newcomer. The man stepped into the torch light and everyone paused at the sight. The newcomer had moss green hair, and his right eye was scarred shut. He wore an odd green robe that wasn't fastened fully closed, leaving his massive chest exposed. A scar ran diagonally across it, until it disappeared beneath a red sash, in which he had tucked a trio of katanas. He had a headscarf tied around his right bicep, and wore an earring from which three swords dangled.
"Have you seen a moron with a straw hat, and a long nosed guy with a slingshot?" The swordsman said. All present shook their heads in mild confusion. The earthbender regained his wits first, and asked, "Who are you, and how did you get in here?"
"I'm Roranoa Zoro, and you didn't answer my question." The man said. He placed a hand on one of his swords.
The giant, Tzun answered him. "No, we haven't seen either of the men you described."
"Gah, those idiots got lost!" The man said with a groan. He looked around, as if noticing the fact that they were underground for the first time. "Do you know where the exit is?"
"Uh, it's down that tunnel, you can't miss it. I can let you out, I guess. You don't work for the Fire Lord, do you?" The earthbender said. Zoro shook his head.
"No."
"Uh… okay." The earthbender looked to his companions, "I'll be back in a minute."
The earthbender and the swordsman took off down the corridor, and they remained visible as the earthbender had taken out a second torch. "It's just a straight shot from here, so- Hey! Not that way, that's a dead end!"
Zoro had taken a left turn at the intersection, and the earthbender followed him. A few moments later, the earthbender returned. He looked extremely confused.
"He just… disappeared." The man said.
"What?" Quarterstaff - that was how Azula decided to refer to him, as she didn't know his name - asked.
"That turn led into a broom closet. There was nothing else in there, but somehow he just… vanished."
"Do you think it was a ghost?" Nunchakus asked. Azula decided that the man was, in fact, an idiot, as he believed in ghosts. The three other men shivered.
"Let's just keep going," Tzun said. The earthbender nodded and the group continued on their way, with the gentle giant gingerly carrying Azula over his shoulder. They kept walking, if just a bit faster than before, and soon they arrived at the headquarters of the resistance.
Tzun took Azula from his shoulder, and placed her in a chair in front of the commander of the remaining Earth Kingdom forces in Omashu. The commander removed her helmet and looked at the princess carefully. Azula met her eyes and could tell she was intelligent, even now thinking of new ways to defeat the Fire Nation.
"I am Major Wen. I'm in charge of this force, or what's left of it. I have some questions for you, Princess Azula." The woman said. Azula rolled her eyes at that. She made inarticulate noise at her captor, and Wen frowned. She raised a hand and snapped her fingers. Azula's restraints crumbled away into dust, and she was left completely unbound. The act gave Azula pause, for she had never heard of an earthbender with such fine control over their element. Major Wen seemed to recognize this, for she said, "Ah. I think we're starting to understand each other."
The sun was setting over the horizon when team Avatar landed to make camp. Sokka idly noticed the fur scattering the ground around the bison, he picked some of it up and then let it fall again. He wondered if he could use it in a pillow or bed stuffing. Perhaps he could line a coat with it? He cast aside the random thought. It was springtime, and he didn't need clothes with such a strong aroma. He began setting up the tent for himself and Katara, but thought better of it. It was a clear night, and their proximity to the desert made it rather warm.
He took out some rope and a tarp, and set up a canopy between some trees. He took care to stake it down, and then went to join in for the evening meal. He had managed to catch some fish when they stopped for lunch, so he and Katara ate that for dinner while Aang munched on some rice from earlier that day.
"We're pretty close to the first town." Katara observed. Aang nodded. Sokka remained silent as he gobbled his food like an inhuman maniac.
"I think we'll be there by tomorrow. Probably around mid morning. If we don't find anyone good in one of the villages around the desert, we'll try Gaoling and then Ba Sing Se." Aang said. Katara smiled at him.
They didn't say much else after that, and the pair of them turned in. Sokka, however, stayed awake for a bit longer. He sat up as the first stars appeared in the sky, and the moon rose above the horizon. When he saw it, a knot formed in his throat, and he bore a sad smile. Moisture filled his eyes, and he felt that his heart would break all over again.
"H-hey." He said to the moon, in a hoarse voice. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I miss you. A lot."
"I-" He stopped speaking and tears flowed silently down his face. He wiped his eyes and took a few slow breaths. "It must be pretty boring up there."
No response came, and to be honest Sokka hadn't been expecting one. He let out a mournful, choking laugh. It was silly, she couldn't hear him. As far as he could tell, she was gone. He wished that he had been faster, or that he knew more about the threats they were facing. Vaatu and the Fire Nation both, and he didn't want to wait until they made it to the Spirit Library. He wondered if there was any way that he could get the information before then. It was in that moment, under the moonlight cast by his fallen lover, that he had an idea.
Reaching down, he picked Momo up from his lap and held the lemur at eye level. "Momo, if anything happens in the next hour, bite my hand."
Momo tilted his head at him curiously. Sokka shrugged and placed the animal back on his lap. He closed his eyes, and brought forth the image of Koh's lair in his mind.
"Koh." He said.
Sokka wasn't sure if it had worked. He looked around, but he could still feel the log he was sitting on. He tried to open his eyes, but it felt as though they were already open.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" A foul voice whispered in his ear. Sokka jumped and whirled on the spirit.
"Don't do that! It is seriously creepy!" He snapped. Koh laughed, and Sokka felt as if his bones might jump out of his body.
"Have you come for more power already? I didn't expect you so soon." Koh said. Sokka shook his head in denial.
"No, I'm here for information. I need to know more about Vaatu, and how to stop him. Also, if you have any ideas about how to defeat the Fire Nation, that would be pretty neat."
Koh hummed to himself and wound his way around Sokka. His many legs sounded an endless cadence across the floor. He tapped his stolen chin with his mandibles, and eventually he spoke again. "Vaatu is trying to break free, as I have told you before. Now you wish to know more on how to prevent it."
Sokka nodded and motioned for the spirit to continue. Koh stopped his spiraling and stared at Sokka, switching faces rapidly. "There exists an order, dedicated to freeing him. Without them, he cannot escape his imprisonment. All you must do is find and destroy their members, and detach the anchors."
"What anchors?"
"Those who have been taken by his influence."
"You mean…" Sokka trailed off as it dawned on him. "The Rot."
Koh changed his face to that of a wizened old airbender. He cocked his head to the side."The Rot? Yes, that sounds right. Corrupted souls, decayed chi. The Rot."
"Who are the members of the order?" Sokka asked.
"You have met some of them already. The Admiral, and the spies."
Sokka grit his teeth. Zhao. Laluk. Hahn.
"These anchors. How many must be- How many?"
Koh cocked his head again. Sokka was beginning to grow annoyed by the motion. "Do you doubt still? You know the price paid should you put aside your duty. You have already begun to cut away the anchors."
Koh switched faces again, and this time it was a face that Sokka recognized. It was the Fire Nation soldier he had fought in Omashu, the one he had hoped got away. The one he killed. Sokka shuddered and stepped away, fighting the urge to wretch.
"How did- Why do you have his face?" Sokka managed to say, still revolted. Koh laughed again, and the cavern was filled with the sound of a hundred broken things crashing together.
"It is the nature of our bond, as I told you when first we met. You shall take them, and they will fall to me."
Sokka fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around himself. He stayed there for a minute, panting as if he had just run for miles. Eventually he spoke again. "What happens to them?"
"They're separated from Vaatu, and their spirits go on. Well, most of their spirits. I keep the rest."
Sokka stood, and placed a hand on his sword. He was prepared to put an end to this foul creature at that very moment, but Koh spoke again. "They will be reborn, and become whole once more in time."
Sokka sagged in relief. Koh eyed him curiously. Whatever thoughts were running through his head, Sokka couldn't say, but at least he hadn't doomed anyone to a fate of eternal suffering.
"Is there anything more you can tell me about Vaatu? And the Fire Nation? You haven't said anything about them."
"I have given you all I know of how to defeat Vaatu. Wan Shi Tong knows secrets that even I do not, and when you find your way to his treasury of knowledge, he shall provide you with the answers that you seek, about Vaatu and the Fire Nation both."
Sokka nodded and began to turn back, but Koh called out to him before he returned to the mortal world.
"I will give to you one final warning: Do not shirk your duty, for the price will be paid not in blood alone. More than one life hangs in the balance."
"What have you done with Captain Wei?" Azula demanded of the Major. Major Wen raised an eyebrow. She looked to her officers and they merely shrugged.
"I do not know who that is."
Azula rolled her eyes, but she could tell that the woman was speaking truthfully. "He disappeared last night while I was fighting the Avatar, and foiling his attempt to rescue King Bumi."
The Major's head rocked back in shock. Azula realized that she was truly ignorant, and had no idea about the Avatar having been in the city. Well, that didn't matter. She had them where she wanted them. She took the small vial of perfume from her sleeve and smashed it discreetly against the arm of the chair. She didn't notice any difference in scent, but June had assured them that it would work.
"The Avatar tried to rescue King Bumi?" The major said. She seemed like she was about to say more on the subject, but thought better of it. "It doesn't matter now. What matters is that we have you. Once it reaches full dark, we're going to leave this city. We'll travel underground to Gaoling, and unite with General Long to deliver you to Ba Sing Se. From there, we'll negotiate your safe return to the Fire Nation. I doubt that it will end in peace, but perhaps we can at least get our city back. Who knows. Maybe Long Feng will arrange the end of the war with a marriage contract to the Earth King, though I doubt-"
Wen was cut off by the sound of an explosion from down the passage through which Azula had been delivered. The second Wen looked away, Azula leaped from her seat and rained a barrage of fire at Wen and her men. The man with the nunchakus rushed at Azula and she released a breath of fire at him, incinerating the cord connecting the stick of his weapon in addition to his eyebrows. The man paused and looked at his sticks. He spoke, and the random thought he voiced nearly made Azula laugh.
"I think my cousin was right. I should have gone into the cabbage business with him."
Azula, instead of laughing, punched him in the face. "Nunchakus are stupid, they match you quite well!"
A rock whistled towards her, and Azula had to boost her evasions with her bending. She wished she had time to charge a lightning bolt, but she was not yet fast enough to generate one in active combat. Commander Wen appeared behind her and placed stone cuffs around her wrists and hands. She reached towards Azula's mouth to cover it with more stone, but was stopped when the Princess broke free of her restraints.
She was surrounded by Earth Kingdom forces, and when she was beginning to fear that she would be unable to overcome them all, her reinforcements arrived. There was a terrific cry from the entrance. Dozens of soldiers poured through the tunnel and fought their way into the cavern, led by Mai, Ty Lee, as well as June and her shirshu.
In mere seconds it was over. June's beast had paralyzed the entire force of resistance fighters, and the Fire Nation soldiers were restraining the immobile fighters and carrying them out of the cavern. Ty Lee ran up to Azula and punched her on the arm.
Azula stared at her in shock. "Why did you do that!?"
"Because you went into enemy territory alone! What if something had happened to you? Azula, you could have been killed. And what about Mai?! She was so worried, she was practically crying."
Azula looked at Mai, who seemed no different than her usual self. She looked back at Ty Lee, and said, "I'm fine, Ty Lee. And don't punch me."
She flicked Ty Lee in the forehead to punctuate her message, and the Chi-blocker's eyes started to water. Before she could say anything, Governor Ukano walked up to the group.
"All of the resistance has been restrained, and are now being taken to a holding facility waiting for transport to a prison in the Fire Nation."
"Good work, Governor. Please have Major Wen brought to me before she is taken away, I have some questions for her."
"Uhh… I don't believe that any women were captured, Princess."
Azula rounded on the man. She glared at him and then went to inspect the prisoners personally. Ukano was right: Major Wen had gotten away.
Author's Note:
Roronoa Zoro is a One Piece character. A popular meme in the One Piece and anime community at large is Zoro getting lost and winding up in different shows, stories, or manga. I had the idea when writing chapter seven, and decided that now would be a fun time to put it in.
It might affect the tone of the Azula POV, but I still had fun with it.
Also: remember Major Wen.
1/7/2023
