The restlessness and the noise within the catacombs were nerve-wrecking. The tension in the atmosphere increased in a chain reaction: as soon as someone lost his patience, others were sure to follow. Zuko didn't want to succumb to the anguish that was taking over the noblemen around him, but it was proving rather difficult to keep his cool in these circumstances. All the Capital's citizens were currently inside the tunnels, complaining over the quality of the food they had been given, or about how distressing it was to hide underground. Some people even panicked over being locked in closed spaces, and their despair was, to Zuko's irritation, quite contagious.
It was what ought to be expected from locking up so many noblemen in the same place, he assumed. These were vain people, selfish and arrogant, who spent most their days thinking about how to earn more money, how to increase their properties, how to dress to outshine everyone else in the city. The vicious competitiveness that existed amongst them was rather sickening, and holding so many highborn within these tunnels for hours on end promised chaos would ensue eventually.
"I don't know why they're complaining so much," said Toph next to him, sitting comfortably on a rock she had bent a while ago. "Being underground is a blast."
"Of course it is, if you're a badgermole in a human's body," said Zuko, sighing.
"Did you know badgermoles are blind too, Prince Cranky?" said Toph, beaming.
"That's why I compared them to you in the first place," grunted Zuko. "I'm not as much of an ignorant as you might think."
"That's surprising" said Toph, smirking "I thought all you had ever studied in your life was a manual on 'How to catch the Avatar'… though I guess you didn't read it all the way to the end, did you?"
"So funny coming from someone who can't even read," Zuko snapped.
"Oh, so you're saying I'm the one who's an ignorant because I can't read?" asked Toph, tapping her fingers on the rock she was sitting on. "Making fun of my condition… you really are awful, aren't you?"
"I'm not…! You were making fun of me first!" Zuko exploded, and Toph smirked.
"Gotcha again. You're getting better at arguing, but you still have a lot to learn about comebacks."
"Ugh, you're unbelievable," said Zuko, rolling his eyes.
Iroh was sitting beside her on the floor, his legs crossed under him. His eyes were closed, which made Zuko wonder if he had fallen asleep amidst the noise and restlessness of the catacombs, yet the troubled expression on the retired general's face said otherwise.
"Uncle?" he called him.
The heavy frown on Iroh's face let up, and he smiled amiably at his nephew.
"Yes, Prince Zuko?"
"How long do you think this is going to last?" asked Zuko. "I could use some fresh air… and getting away from her would be great as well."
"Learn to get along with the people around you, Prince Zuko. You never know when you might need their assistance."
"You heard it," said Toph, smirking. "What will you do if you ever need my assistance and I don't feel like giving it to you?"
"Fetch a better earthbender than you," Zuko retorted.
"Ha! Tough luck doing that! I'm the best earthbender in the world, and you should know it by now… unless you need a demonstration?" said Toph.
"That won't be necessary," said Iroh, raising his hand to stop their bickering. "There is no need for you two to fight underground during as dire a situation as this one. To answer your question, Prince Zuko, I don't know how long this will last. It ought to be over by daylight, that's the only guess I can venture."
"It better be," said Zuko, sighing. "What's happening? Do you know anything?"
"I believe a break-out from Prison Tower," said Iroh. "It is where the alarm rang from. But who escaped? How? Where might they be? What is their purpose…? Such knowledge escapes me, Prince Zuko. I cannot know."
"People can escape from Fire Nation prisons just like that?" asked Toph, surprised. "You people have some serious issues in your security systems, don't you?"
"If this situation is to be taken into account, it seems so," said Iroh, sighing.
"Won't this be a signal for rebels all over the world?" asked Zuko, frowning. "Won't it tell them we're not as powerful as we say we are?"
"Perhaps…" said Iroh.
Zuko frowned, worried. This wasn't good, not in the slightest. Perhaps he didn't agree with everything about the Fire Nation nowadays, but he had still thought they had the upper hand when it came to the war. But breakouts from jails in what should be the nation's safest city said otherwise.
For a breakout to require a complete evacuation of the city was unprecedented. At least, it seemed to him that it was. Was everyone truly safe down here? Had everyone gone underground? His mind instantly went to Suki as he thought about these matters. How was she faring in these circumstances? Well… he didn't have to make blind guesses about that, did he? He was underground, amongst all the citizens. If he wanted to make sure she was fine, then he might as well go look for her and appease his doubts, right? And if finding her would help him get away from the irritating earthbender, even better.
"Where are you going?" asked Toph, when she sensed Zuko was walking away from them.
"Just… to get some food," he lied, and Toph raised an eyebrow.
"Say hi to the 'food' for me, then," she said, and he stumbled. "So, you're off to find someone after all? Zuko actually has friends?"
"Just… ugh," said Zuko, rolling his eyes and walking away. He owed her no answers or explanations. She didn't need to know whom he was looking for, and he didn't need to tell her either.
"Maybe he's going to find his sister, huh? Wants someone else to pick on him for a while," said Toph, shrugging once Zuko was out of earshot. But she frowned after speaking, as she realized she hadn't sensed Azula's familiar powerful but graceful footsteps while they were down below. She hadn't sensed her presence at all for quite a while… "Speaking of which, Iroh, where is your niece?"
Iroh was surprised by the question, and he frowned heavily.
"I… I don't know. Perhaps with her father. She has always been closer to Ozai than Zuko ever was. She might be with him, in the royal safe chamber."
"Huh… really?" asked Toph, uncertain. "Where is that safe chamber anyways?"
"It is a safe chamber for a reason," said Iroh, smiling. "Not many know where it is"
"Well, you should know."
"And I shouldn't share such crucial knowledge so freely, even with my own gladiator," said Iroh, smiling at her.
"How about sharing it with a trustworthy friend?" asked Toph, raising an eyebrow.
Iroh chuckled and shook his head, making her pout towards him.
"You truly needn't know. I'm sure Azula is fine, Toph. Why are you so worried about her?"
"Because I haven't sensed her in hours," muttered Toph. "More than that, even. Where's the dragon? She would have kept it safe… wouldn't she have dragged it down below with her?"
"I wonder if the dragon would have wanted that…" said Iroh, thoughtful.
Toph frowned. No sign of Azula or her dragon, and there was no sign of her gladiator either… what was going on here? There was something really troublesome about those disappearances in the middle of this incident. Suddenly being stuck underground, unaware of what happened above, wasn't as comfortable as it had been…
Zuko walked by the crowds of bickering noblemen quickly, trying not to attract attention. Nevertheless, he was stopped by them several times. For whatever reason, they believed that the Prince would have been briefed about what was happening, and that he held the answers to their questions… which irritated him. Most of the time he was ignored, his sister was favored over him, and people would just glare at him sideways because he was the disgraced member of the Fire Lord's family. Yet today they had conveniently forgotten all about their contempt for him as they clung onto him, some asking him if they might be granted permission to return above ground to retrieve their great-grandmother's china set, or a golden vase that was valued in a million yuan, and a few simply asking him if he understood what they were facing. And he held answers for none of them. He tried to appease them, assuring them there was no need to fret, that they would return to their homes shortly, but there seemed to be little to no effect to his words. The noblemen remained as frantic as they had been before he interacted with them.
After shaking off a particularly annoying man, who was complaining about the soldiers who kept him from bringing his cabbage cart underground with him, Zuko began wishing he was wearing his hood. Even if Azula was right, and people still recognized him if he wore a disguise, at least they knew better than to pester him when he hid his face…
"Zuko? Zuko!"
The Prince groaned in irritation. Now what?
It took him a moment to realize that, for once, it wasn't some unknown person trying to coax answers out of him. Ty Lee was waving at him enthusiastically, a tall man with long hair and tan skin standing next to her. And on her other side…
Zuko was shocked to see Mai again. When had he last seen her? When had he last thought about her…? After spending such a long time brooding over how their relationship had failed, he had almost forgotten all about Mai during these months… until now. Seeing her standing there, with a small boy held to her chest, made his chest ache a little, but not as much as it used to. And that was a relief.
He approached them, nodding towards Ty Lee, since she had been the one to call out to him.
"Good to see you here," said Ty Lee, smiling at him.
"You all made it down safely?" he asked, looking at Mai. "Where is Ruon Jian?"
"He's gone to find food," replied Mai. "Are you well, Zuko? You look… irritated."
"I am," Zuko admitted, grimacing. "A single one of these noblemen is already annoying, but when you have to deal with them in packs…"
"Hey, I'm a noblewoman myself! And so is Mai!" squealed Ty Lee, offended.
Zuko would have apologized to Mai and assured her he wasn't referring to her… but he would have only excused her from his harshness. Ty Lee was different from the rest of the noblemen, no denial, but that didn't mean she didn't annoy him in her own ways.
"Who is he?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow as he regarded Ty Lee's companion.
"Oh, this is Haru," said Ty Lee, smiling cheerfully. "He's my gladiator!"
"Wha-…? You too?" asked Zuko, staring at her in disbelief.
"What, you're going to keep pretending you don't like the Gladiator Business? I've seen you enough times at the Arena to know that's a big fat lie, Zuko," said Ty Lee, crossing her arms over her chest. Zuko grimaced again.
"I don't sponsor anyone, though."
"The only thing I found was this gruel," said Ruon Jian, returning to the group on that very moment. He handed the bowl over to Mai, taking the child from her so that she could eat comfortably. "It's not bound to be too tasteful, but…"
"It sure doesn't look like it will be," said Mai, sighing and staring at the food with disgust. The things she had to do to stay strong and feed Yuudai…
"Any sign yet?" asked Ruon Jian, looking at Ty Lee.
"Not really, but at least we found her brother…" said Ty Lee, smiling uncomfortably.
"Huh?" said Zuko, frowning and looking from one to the other. "Any sign of what?"
"Princess Azula," said Ruon Jian, frowning.
"We've been looking for her, but we haven't seen her at all," said Ty Lee, looking worried. "Not her or Sokka. Which is pretty strange… I mean, maybe she's with her father, as Mai thinks she might be, but Sokka wouldn't be allowed to go into the Fire Lord's safe chamber, would he?"
"Would be quite surprising that my father would appreciate a slave's safety far more than the one of his own family," grunted Zuko. Iroh hadn't been allowed into the safe room, and neither had he. If Sokka was really in there with Ozai and Azula…
"Well, you could go find out, right?" asked Mai, after gulping down a spoonful of gruel and scowling at its taste. "If anyone can figure out if Azula is in there or not, it ought to be you, right?"
Zuko gritted his teeth. Perhaps that would have been true, eleven years ago… but his father still hadn't even looked at him ever since he had returned. He had passed by Zuko on the hallway a few days ago, and Zuko had greeted him as formally as he could… to receive no response. Zuko wasn't invited to meetings, Zuko wasn't granted guards to flank him wherever he went… Zuko seemed to be nothing but a bad memory for Ozai, if he was even a memory at all.
"I… I don't know if I'll be allowed inside the room," he muttered. "But even if my father doesn't want to deal with me, Azula might answer if I call for her, even if only to mock me. I… I'll see what I can do."
"You will? Thanks!" said Ty Lee. "We're really worried about her."
"Sure," said Zuko, nodding and wondering if they would have felt the same way if only the situation had been reversed. Would they ask Azula to find him if he were missing…?
He walked away, frowning. He'd find Suki first, Azula could wait. There was absolutely no way the Fire Lord's beloved daughter would end up in a troublesome situation of any sort, was there?
Ty Lee watched Zuko walk away, hands in his pockets, until he was gone from sight… and her gaze fell upon something else as she watched him disappear within the crowd.
"Uh… Mai?" she asked, as her friend told her husband she wasn't eating another mouthful of that revolting food. "Mai?"
"What?" she grunted, irritated.
"Aren't those two old ladies over there…?" said Ty Lee, jerking her head towards the people she had seen. "Aren't those Lo and Li? Azula's old advisors?"
Mai seemed to forget her food for a moment as she looked at them. Twin old ladies, their hair tied in high braids, the lobes of their ears freakishly huge even for people their age…
"It's them alright," said Mai, frowning. "Why are they here? Hadn't Azula sent them away?"
"People had said they had gone to Ember Island. They were staying there… right?" said Ty Lee. "That's what I heard."
"You're the queen of gossip, I don't know where they went exactly," said Mai. "I just know they had left the Capital. Why would they be here today?"
"Maybe visiting a relative?" suggested Ty Lee. "It was bad luck to drop by just when this happened. If only they had come on another day, they wouldn't have wound up locked underground with the rest of us…"
Mai didn't want to make up excuses for them, much unlike Ty Lee. Conjectures would get them nowhere… those women weren't supposed to be here, that was the only solid information they had. So why were they underground? And why did it seem Azula wasn't?
The rock didn't move fast enough to reach her, even when Azula wasn't at her full capacity. It seemed her agility was still too much for her enemies to keep up with.
But even so, Azula knew she didn't have the upper hand in this battle at all. Fighting in bare feet, and in such baggy clothes, was too much of a hindrance. Her hair fell on her face as well, compromising her vision at times and making it hard for her to defend herself from her enemies' attacks. And defeating earthbenders might have been easy… but she hadn't expected one of her foes to be a waterbender instead. The man was bending water out of a pouch he had been concealing under his armor, attempting to defeat the Princess through his element's advantages.
Azula's head throbbed more powerfully with every brusque movement she had to make to avoid the attacks. She couldn't let that water whip touch her, she couldn't let those rocks strike her, and she couldn't miss out on any opportunities to strike back at her opponents whenever she had an opening, no matter how small it might be.
Her fire wavered, to her irritation, between blue and orange. When the fight had begun, she was still capable of producing her usual brand of fire. But now her power was failing her, just when she couldn't let herself falter.
It wasn't fair. It truly wasn't fair. That was the single thought in her mind as she jumped and kicked twice while in midair, sending blazes at her enemies. She had spent her entire life training, molding herself into becoming the strongest fighter she could be, so that she could defend and protect her nation if it were ever endangered, so that her father could be proud of her when she took down all those who dared challenge her. All the talk about being a prodigy, about being the greatest firebender in the history of the Fire Nation… had it been nothing more than empty words? Was it simply nonsense she had relied on to convince herself that she was better than everyone else? She wished she could deny it… but how could she, when she was being bested by a pair of pathetic rebels who weren't even all that skilled in the first place?
She grew desperate as she tried to triumph. Her attacks became as reckless as she was at the moment, and she had more openings than she would have allowed if she had been fighting with her usual composure. A rock found its way to her stomach, and she lost her breath when she stumbled back. She was met with a water blast straight to the face right after, to keep her from recovering from the previous blow. Firebenders drew their power from their breath, and these two obviously knew it.
She stumbled and fell to the ground, too weak to stand up again. The water dripping from her face and hair made her feel freezing cold, even when she knew she had a fever. Her body shook, and she gasped as she rolled onto all fours, telling herself to find her strength. She was Fire Lord Ozai's daughter, she was the first dragon rider of the century, she wasn't meant to falter before these worthless enemies…!
"Seems like she really was more talk than anything," said the waterbender, smirking and removing his helmet upon seeing Azula fall. His tan skin was akin to Sokka's, yet his eyes were a lighter shade of blue. "I always heard that blue fire was so fearsome… seems like we were briefed wrongly, huh?"
"There's got to be something wrong with her," said the earthbender, eyeing Azula with curiosity and imitating his companion by taking off the helmet to fight more comfortably. Little did it matter to keep concealing their identities when they had given themselves away as her enemies already. "Maybe she's scared?"
"She ought to be. We are from the Order of the White Lotus after all," said the waterbender, glaring at Azula arrogantly. "Well? Is that all you've got? Shouldn't you run back to daddy now, little princess? Leave the battlefield to the real warriors!"
His words were the perfect trigger for Azula's anger. She snarled and grunted, her brow contracting over her blazing golden eyes. Taunting her would be their undoing…
She stood up again, glaring at them so viciously that the waterbender's smirk was wiped off his face immediately. And when she began moving her arms around her, two fingers extended on each hand, the two members of the Order of the White Lotus winced. Sparks crackled and glistened around her, blue sparks that danced dangerously around her limbs, and they lit up the hallway as Azula called forth as much power as she could.
They would regret it… they would regret ever having set foot on the Palace. And going by the horrified looks on their faces, they were already regretting it. If Azula's head hadn't been victim of such excruciating pain as she commanded her lightning, the Princess would have smirked while watching them.
She stretched her left arm out, and an unfamiliar pain stung her skin as she did. She winced upon feeling it, and her elbow flexed just a little…
And that was all it took to send the lightning off course. Azula would have watched it twist towards the ceiling, aghast, if her attack hadn't partially backfired on her. She flew back and took another blow, this time to her back, when she landed again. Azula rolled on the ground, affected by the attack's momentum until she finally reached a stop. The remnants of the electric charge made her body shake violently as she twitched and breathed heavily, lying on her side on the wrecked Palace floors.
The ceiling cracked with terrifying sound when the lightning struck it. The members of the White Lotus had to jump out of the way when chunks of it fell to the ground, threatening to crush them. They both yelled, escaping only barely, and the rocks that collapsed on the ground lifted dust and shattered the already torn-up floor.
"That girl is a menace!" the waterbender conceded, staring horrified at the piles of rocks before them. If another second had gone by, or if that lightning had struck the ceiling just a little further back, they wouldn't have survived.
"At least she didn't get us," said the earthbender, huffing and standing up. "Crazy bitch was trying to kill us."
Azula heard their words, but she couldn't process them. Sweat rolled off her brow, and she still couldn't command her limbs to move. She cringed and grimaced, and she would have yelled in outrage if only she could have found her voice. It was the first time she had failed to produce and direct lightning properly. It had backfired on her, and the charge had stunned her. It didn't help that she wasn't in good health already… if anything could go worse tonight, it would, she had no doubts about it.
"Well, that was a pretty nice show you put there, Princess!" shouted the waterbender. "But the fun is over! So you'd better surrender, or…!"
"Or?" asked the earthbender, raising an eyebrow. "What are we going to do with her?"
"Uh, well… well," said the man, doubtful at first, but his third word rang with a tone of confidence. "Maybe we ought to do the right thing, don't you think, Bai? Give those bastards what they deserve… by making their precious little Princess our captive?"
Azula's eyes widened, her heart rate accelerating. No… no, that couldn't be. She couldn't be captured, not by these scumbag White Lotus men…
"You know, you say lots of stupid things, but for once you've got the right idea," replied the earthbender, smirking as he stared at Azula's crumpled figure through the cloud of dissipating dust.
She couldn't believe she was so helpless. She couldn't fight back, couldn't say a word, couldn't do anything to strike at them again, to defeat them and force them to surrender before her instead… Other people were used to this feeling, other people understood what it was to lack power to stand up for themselves, but not Azula. Never had she been faced with such hardships that she couldn't even lift a hand, that she couldn't conjure her fire to her defense… even while being lost with Sokka in that forest she had been able to bend despite her injuries, she had been capable of walking miles and her mind had worked perfectly… tonight, everything she took pride on was gone. This was all there was left of Azula: a vulnerable girl, trembling and squirming on the floor. For the first time in her life, she was truly doomed to fail.
"Just think about it," said the earthbender, setting the wreckage aside with his bending. "With her in our power, the Fire Nation will be on their knees. The Fire Lord would go to any ends to recover his little girl… he'd play right into the White Lotus' hand to get her back."
Oh, that wasn't a good plan… if Azula had been able to talk, she would have said as much. They didn't want to face Fire Lord Ozai's wrath. No organization would be able to conceal her from him. If they touched so much as a hair from her head, they would pay with their lives. She had no idea what the White Lotus truly was, but it hardly mattered. Her father would tear them apart to get her back, she knew he would…
"Finally some proper leverage," said the waterbender, following the earthbender through the debris and stopping right before Azula, staring down at her before stretching a hand towards her. "At last we'll get the upper hand in the war. We'll get rid of the rotten Fire Nation for once and for-…!"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" shouted someone down the hall, his voice so commanding that the two benders froze in their spot.
That voice… Azula's heart accelerated again, but no longer in dread or fear. If only she could have smiled, she would have.
The members of the Order of the White Lotus stepped down warily, staring at the newcomer with apprehension. He was pointing a black blade at them, his blue eyes blazing with fury as he glared at them. For some reason, the enraged man was almost as intimidating as the Princess had been when she had first appeared.
"Who… who are you?" asked the waterbender, wary.
"Stand back," grunted Sokka, stepping forward cautiously. "Or you will be sorry."
"S-Sokka…" Azula gasped, finally able to speak. The stunning was fading away too slowly for her liking, but it was relenting regardless.
"Wait…" said the earthbender, staring at Azula. "Did she just call him by some name? Some Water Tribe name…"
"Yeah," said the waterbender, frowning. "Wait just a moment, that sword…"
"She knows him, so… it's him!" said the earthbender, and to Sokka's utter disbelief, the man smiled.
"Huh?" said Sokka, frowning in confusion. "I'm who, now?"
"The guy Piandao spoke about! His student!" said the waterbender, smiling. "Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe!"
Sokka's eyes widened at the shocking statement, and Azula frowned. These guys… they belonged to the association that bore the same symbol that had been all over the sword master's house. They must have known Piandao… perhaps Piandao himself was involved in this operation. And Azula found she was hardly surprised to think he might have been. Her father had said his sword fighting skills were astounding, but his loyalties were questionable. He had been involved in an attempt at Iroh's life… he held no love for the Royal Family. He could easily be the mastermind behind the prison break, the one handling these men as though they were puppets…
"What… what do you know about Piandao?" asked Sokka, cautiously. He was still pointing his sword at them, but the expression on his face had changed completely upon the mention of his old master.
"Oh, he's a Grand Lotus of our association, no less than that," said the waterbender. "He spoke fondly of you when he was called back to headquarters. Said you would be a valuable asset for us when the time came."
Sokka stared at them, aghast. What was that supposed to mean? There was no way… there was no way that Azula's warnings to him about Piandao had been right. The man was incredible! There was simply no way he had been grooming him into a tool! Piandao wasn't that sort of a man: he had spoken of honor, of loyalty, he had taught him so many valuable lessons, he had even helped him get along with Azula…
"Why did he bother training my brother? People say he found Zuko to be worthy… I wouldn't be so sure of it. I always had the feeling he had agreed to train him because of ulterior motives…"
Azula's words rang through Sokka's head again. There was no way… there was no way this was true. Piandao wasn't that sort of a man. If he had been, if he had wanted to use Sokka for his own ends, wouldn't he have dragged Sokka away with him instead of taking off without warning? If he wanted him to join his group, why didn't he explain anything about this weird organization before? They had plenty of time to hold a conversation about it… so why hadn't he said anything?
"So, Sokka… right? Nice meeting you, then," said the waterbender. "Come now, we don't have much time. Drop that sword and let's get going. Bai can carry her and…"
"N-no…" grunted Azula, twitching still. "N-no…"
"Yeah, no," said Sokka, frowning.
"Huh, well, fine, if you want to carry her yourself…" said the earthbender, shrugging.
"Who the hell are you people?" Sokka asked, stomping down the hall towards them. "What are you trying to pull here?"
"Well, what else?" asked the earthbender. "We're trying to take her captive, isn't it obvious?"
"Huh? And you want me to help you do that? Really?" asked Sokka, staring at them as though they were the stupidest people he had ever met.
"Well, sure!" said the waterbender, and Sokka began thinking they truly were as stupid as it seemed. "Come now, help us out. Once we have her, the Fire Lord will crumble and he'll do whatever he can to get her back. We'll use her to our advantage, and we'll take back everything the Fire Nation took from us! We'll tear down this horrid nation and pay them back for a hundred years of war in their own coin."
"You… what?" asked Sokka, in disbelief.
"If we get her out of here we'll have more than what we came for, and the operation would be a complete success," said the waterbender. "Don't worry, I'm sure the Grand Lotuses will let you go back home for a while so you can see your family again…"
Sokka's eyes widened again, and so did Azula's. Was he really offering to return Sokka to his Tribe?
"And after that's done, you can come back and help us beat down the Fire Nation," said the earthbender. "Tear it apart completely, giving them what they've given us during all these years. Let's see just how well slavery and genocide sits with them…"
"You probably could get her to do your laundry," said the waterbender, chuckling and looking down at Azula. "Throw her into a fighting pit just as she did to you. She's the one who dragged you away from your people in the first place, isn't she? That's what Piandao said. All the more reason for you to get back at her, don't you think? Might have to chain her up so that she doesn't get too wild, but that ought to work out anyways…"
"Chain her up?" Sokka repeated. He lowered his sword, now staring at the men with an unreadable expression. "Really, now?"
"Sure, I mean, she's the Princess at the moment" said the waterbender. "But when we're through with this pathetic nation of spineless smoke-breathers she's just going to be another slave. You can give her the same treatment she gave you, see? All the beating and the yelling, every single time she talked down to you and made you feel inferior, the nights she left you without food and shelter because she didn't give a rat's ass about a slave…"
Azula grimaced and gritted her teeth. It was over. She was definitely done for. She thought he would come to save her… that he would help her fend off these rebels. She could barely look at Sokka in the position she was in, but she had seen him lower his sword. The tone in which he spoke now wasn't as indignant as before… she was losing him. She probably had lost him already.
Because the waterbender was right. She had attacked him. She had hurt him, time over and time again. She had burned him, she had even tried to beat him to a pulp only a few hours ago. She had yelled at him too many times to count them anymore, she had talked down to him while he was on his knees, begging for forgiveness. He had gone without food in that forest, even if it was his own decision, because he had bought all her talk of superiority, putting himself in second place for her sake… and her way to reward him was telling him she still wouldn't forgive his slip-ups. And perhaps she had offered returning Sokka home as well, but these guys were Piandao's allies. They weren't asking Sokka for anything in return, unlike she had, and they were bound to take him south much faster than she would if he were to stay with her…
She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. At the very least, if he were there, she could hope things might not be as terrible as they would be if she had to deal with the White Lotus on her own. But that still wasn't enough of a relief. She was lost. She had failed her nation, failed her father, failed all those who had ever believed her worthy of the throne…
Sokka's gaze went to Azula on the ground. She was twitching still, her legs shaking slightly. He sheathed Space Sword over his shoulder again, and he approached cautiously, eyeing the White Lotus members with the same cold, calculating stare with which he had just looked at Azula.
He went down on one knee right next to her writhing figure, and she gritted her teeth as she sensed him right beside her.
"You are such a fool, Azula…" he said, as he slid one hand under her legs and the other under her back. "Truly, how could you be so thoughtless?"
"S-Sokka…" she muttered.
"I know, I know," he said, cradling her in his arms and standing up with some difficulty. "I should spare the lecture for later, you're clearly suffering enough already…"
And with that, he turned right towards where he had come through. The waterbender and earthbender stared after him for a moment, unable to understand what he was doing. Azula herself frowned slightly… hadn't the White Lotus men been to the other side of the hallway?
"Hey! HEY!" shouted the earthbender, glaring at Sokka's back. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Walking down a hallway, that's what," Sokka replied, still walking.
"You're supposed to come with us!" said the waterbender, and Sokka stopped on his tracks, turning around with a raised eyebrow.
"And why exactly am I supposed to do what you want me to?"
When she heard those words Azula's hope flourished anew, as blazes in a fireplace that had been rekindled. She gripped his shirt tightly with one hand, no longer reluctant to be carried in his arms. Sokka didn't fail to notice the way her demeanor had changed. If the situation had been any different, he would have likely blushed or made her blush in turn by asking her if she liked his chest that much… but his face was a mask of determination. He was glaring at the White Lotus members fiercely, daring them to challenge his decision. And they fell for the taunt headfirst.
"B-because you're one of us!" shouted the waterbender. "I'm from the North, but we're still kin!"
"Because you of all people ought to understand what the Fire Nation has done! Why would you defend her?! What's the matter with you?!" yelled the earthbender.
"I understand what the Fire Nation has done, believe me when I say I do" said Sokka. "They killed my mother and the man who was almost my uncle, they tore down cultures and destroyed the pride of those who opposed them just to make them suffer more…"
"Then why are you…?!"
"Because you're downright insane if you think I'm going to let you people replicate the Fire Nation's wrongdoings!" Sokka shouted. "You don't want to set things right! You don't want peace in this world, all you want is revenge! You think I want to get back at her for the things she's done to me? If we got back at the Fire Nation for everything they've done, there would be no Fire Nation left when we're finished!"
"And so what?!" asked the waterbender, aghast.
"What makes you any better than them if you act just like they did?" asked Sokka, glaring at them furiously. "Killing a Fire Nation soldier for every fallen soldier of the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribe won't make a difference. You wouldn't get your people back by doing that, would you? Killing a Fire Nation civilian for every civilian that has been murdered in cold blood won't bring the dead back either! Blood for blood? If you go about it this way, in the end we'll all be dead!"
"You're crazy!" shouted the earthbender. "The hell did they do to you?!"
"Nobody did anything to me," grunted Sokka. "I just realized the world isn't as simple as I used to think it was. You people hate the Fire Nation blindly… and the Fire Nation did everything they did out of blind hatred as well! When does the hatred stop?! When everyone's dead?! Getting back at the Fire Nation will only gain you more enemies! Their people will strike back, and a bad war will become worse still! Do you really think that kidnapping Azula was going to get you somewhere? The only thing you'd accomplish would be getting Fire Lord Ozai to set the entire world on fire in order get her back!"
The two benders stared at him in shock. They hadn't thought about it that way.
"Y-you… you don't know what forces work with us. You have no idea who our allies are. They'd be more than able to take on Ozai…"
"Who, those White Big Lotuses you talked about? Piandao?" asked Sokka, raising his eyebrows. "If they were strong enough to kill Ozai, wouldn't they be here with you tonight? Wouldn't they have come to murder him directly instead of settling with capturing his daughter? Or is it you're acting without their permission? Because I'm pretty sure that if they thought revenge was the way to rebel against the Fire Nation, they would be here tonight and they would be the ones I'd be dealing with right now, instead of you two."
"You… you're a traitor," grunted the waterbender, not knowing how else to retaliate. "That's all you are! A traitor! Scum traitor! You've been tainted by those smoke-breathers!"
Sokka couldn't help but snort in derision, shaking his head.
"You're going to deny it now?!" shouted the earthbender. "You are a traitor! You're not worthy of being part of the White Lotus, you…! Piandao was wrong to think we could trust you! Piandao shouldn't have trained you! He should have known you would turn into one of them!"
"Now that's amazing… they think I'm Fire Nation, Azula, can you believe that?" he asked, glancing down at her for a moment. The look of utter bewilderment on her face told him she was about as confused as the two men they were dealing with. Sokka smiled weakly at her and turned towards the benders again, now frowning. "Piandao taught me many things. Piandao taught me pretty much everything I needed to know to become a real warrior, a true swordsman. Do you want to know what sort of things he spoke to me about? Honor. Loyalty…"
"Funny way to show it!" shouted the waterbender.
"No, this is exactly the way to show it," retorted Sokka, glaring at them. "Where's the honor in taking a wounded girl, who can't even stand on her own, as your captive? Where's the honor in facing off against her, two on one?"
"Y-you… and where's the honor in saving her?!" the earthbender retorted. "After all she's done to you…!"
"You might get a kick out of this, pal…" said Sokka, sighing. "But if it weren't for Azula, I wouldn't have even met Piandao in the first place. If it weren't for Azula, you people wouldn't even be looking at me right now! I wouldn't be anyone in your eyes! The only reason you two give a damn about me, the only reason why you didn't try to kill me as soon as you laid eyes upon me, is because I'd be a great asset for you, and you said so yourselves!"
"That's not…! We wouldn't have attacked a Water Tribe guy!" shouted the waterbender.
"Oh, you wouldn't have? So if I had really been a traitor, you'd be done for now, huh?" asked Sokka, smirking. "If you wouldn't attack a complete stranger on the Palace just because he's not Fire Nation…"
The benders were growing angrier with every word Sokka uttered. The waterbender stepped forward, a fist raised.
"And you dare talk about loyalty too after what you've done?!" he yelled. "You'd rather defend the Fire Lord's daughter than your own people?!"
"Uh, just a second now," said Sokka. "You are a White Lotus guy. Even if you're from a Water Tribe, you're not here for the Water Tribe. You're here for the White Lotus, and you've made it downright clear as it is. You're attacking someone I know, someone I respect and admire… and you're a total stranger, to boot. Tell me again, why exactly should I hold any sort of loyalty for you or your society of Pai Sho-loving kidnappers?"
"Don't you dare say a word against the Order of the White Lotus!" shouted the earthbender, lifting a boulder and tossing it at Sokka.
It wasn't easy to move while carrying Azula, but Sokka managed to jump out of the way regardless. He glared at his enemies before turning around swiftly and placing Azula on the ground against what was left of a wall.
"I'll be back in a second," he whispered to her.
"Sokka…" she gasped, reaching out to him as he walked away, but he marched firmly, taking his sword out of his sheath again as he did.
He jumped forward, swinging his sword as he went and tearing down another boulder that had come his way. A stream of water came right after, and he almost lost his balance while evading it. He hadn't fought against a waterbender since his last time in the Water Tribe… ah, Katara. Just what was it that she did whenever he wasn't expecting it? Oh… ice.
Another stream of water came his way, straight at his arm, and he already knew what the purpose of his attacker was. Sokka changed his sword to his left hand last minute and slid away from the water right before it froze in midair. The waterbender winced and melted the ice again, but he was too slow to attack again.
The earthbender tried to bring forth another boulder, but Sokka struck his opponent's face with his elbow while he was still lifting the rock from the ground. The earthbender stumbled and fell, grasping his bleeding nose as Sokka turned to the waterbender and hit his forehead with Space Sword's hilt.
Sokka wasn't sure if he heard a crack when his blade connected with his opponent's skull, but the blow was strong enough to knock him out cold instantly. And Sokka smirked when he saw the forehead of the man now sported the White Lotus symbol; Piandao had engraved it on the hilt of his sword.
"The White Lotus knocked out by the White Lotus," he said, turning towards the earthbender now. "You want the same treatment?"
The earthbender couldn't even answer before Sokka hit him with the hilt as well. The man's eyes rolled back and he went limp. Sokka glared at him one last time before standing up and turning towards Azula again. She was staring at him with half-closed eyes, and it seemed as though she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"Only you, Azula," said Sokka, shaking his head as he dropped beside her again in one knee. "You just had to fall sick and run off to fight against the first bunch of morons who wanted to take you hostage, did you?"
"Sokka, I…" she muttered, breathing heavily. "T-they just…"
"Showed up out of nowhere?" asked Sokka. "I think the army and all your guards should have dealt with them, especially because you have a high fever. This was too reckless, even for your standards. Is this what you're always like when you get sick, huh?"
"Y-you… Sokka…"
Sokka frowned and touched her forehead again. He removed his hand quickly, alarmed by how warm she was. If he had thought she was in bad shape back when they were home, it was nothing in comparison to how she was now. He grimaced and gritted his teeth, knowing he had to act quickly. He had no idea what would happen to her if her fever kept rising…
"Now, now, forget it all now," he said, taking her into his arms again and lifting her from the ground as he stood up. "Let's go. Nagging later, you need to go back with Song first…"
"N-no… n-no… Sokka, no," she breathed, gripping his shirt again. "Sokka, please…"
"What…? Azula, maybe you'd rather have your official healers look after you, but they're underground right now. Song is our safest choice, she's nearby and…"
"No!" Azula said, pulling at his shirt and looking at him with despair. "Sokka… I have to stop them, I… I have to stop them…"
"What?" Sokka said again, looking at her in disbelief. "Are you nuts?! Azula, you have to rest and drink lots of liquids! That's all you have to do! Let the army take care of this, you need to be nursed, not to fight…!"
"I can't let them… I can't… they're going to get away… t-there's more of them, Sokka, there's…" Azula gasped, closing her eyes as a new wave of pain washed through her head. "Let me stop them… t-they're down below… the river, down the Throne Room…"
"What?" said Sokka, confused now. "How many times have you made me ask 'what' in the last minute, Azula? Really…"
"Sokka, please…" she said, gripping his shirt so tightly he feared she would rip it. "You have to… they can't get away…"
Sokka gritted his teeth and stared at her for a moment. Why did those dazzling eyes have to move him as they did? He sighed and shook his head again.
"Ugh, you're unbelievable. You're not going to do anything, Azula. I'll stop them, if that's what it'll take for you to stay put," said Sokka, though it seemed he wasn't too pleased by the idea.
Yet Azula's face seemed to light up upon that perspective. Sokka swallowed hard and looked at her inquisitively.
"And what exactly is it you want me to do?"
It took a moment for Azula to answer. She seemed dazed for a moment as she tried to think of what to answer, but once she had gathered her ideas, she was a little more lucid than she had been previously.
"The Throne…" she started, but a fit of coughs interrupted her. Sokka struggled to keep hold of her as she arched forward, her throat stinging with every cough. "T-the Throne Room, Sokka… in the center… t-there's a map. B-but below it, there are… there are loose tiles on the floor, and a trapdoor into a tunnel… t-the tunnel leads down to a river, and… and there's a lever… you pull that lever, you shut down the river's gate, and no ship can… no ship can come in or out."
"The Throne Room, then?" Sokka repeated. "And… which way is that, exactly?"
"Down this hall… that way," said Azula, pointing at the direction towards where the two unconscious men lay. "Keep going… y-you'll come to the Gallery… then when you reach Fire… F-Fire Lord Ozai's portrait, you turn to your right… there's a curtain, w-with the emblem…"
"Got it," said Sokka, starting down the hall while gripping her tightly. "Now, promise you'll behave yourself once this is done. I can't keep running around the world trying to keep an eye on you, you heard me? The Captain asked me to…"
"D-didn't you say you wouldn't… you wouldn't nag me right now?" asked Azula, with a weak smile.
Sokka was moved by the sight of her. Even when she was so frail, even when she couldn't even walk on her own, when her warmth was almost enough to make him sweat, she could still smile at him. She could still say witty things, and she seemed confident now, no longer as hopeless as she was before. And it was because she trusted him. Because she believed he would accomplish what she couldn't… and he wouldn't let her trust go to waste. Not today.
"Yeah, I did," he said, nodding. "I'll shut up now, then."
It seemed as though Azula wanted to say something else, but the pain in her head kept her from doing so. Sokka only sped up his pace, walking quickly until he reached a hallway lined by intimidating portraits of men in black and red robes. Fire Lords, every single one of them. Sokka grimaced, deciding this was definitely his least favorite area in the Palace. But he kept going regardless, not caring if Azula's forefathers were staring down at him, wielding dangerous fire in their hands. Yeah, an unworthy snow savage was carrying the Princess in his arms, and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it, paintings as they were.
Sokka almost walked by Ozai's portrait, failing to recognize his painting, but he stopped on his tracks when he caught sight of the curtain Azula had mentioned. He looked at Ozai's portrait and crooked an eyebrow.
"Sure as hell doesn't look like your dad, you know?" he said, turning towards the Throne Room immediately.
"The paintings are… done by the best painter in court…" said Azula.
"I assure you I'd do a much better job. When you become Fire Lord I'll make yours," he said, beaming as he walked through the curtain.
"I don't… I don't want you to," Azula retorted, frowning slightly. Sokka chuckled.
"C'mon, I'll do you justice!" he said, before looking around the room. "Huh… so this is the Throne Room."
There was something rather daunting about this place as well, and it wasn't just the bright, polished floor or the tall black-and-gold columns: it probably was the imposing Throne at the back of the room. A few torches on the walls lit up the place, letting Sokka analyze his surroundings before striding quickly towards the map Azula had mentioned.
"Well, here it is," said Sokka, stopping when he reached it. "What do I do? Push it and that's it?"
"Lift it," said Azula, pointing at the farther end of the map. "It's… a carpet. You lift it, t-then there are two loose tiles on the floor, and once you remove those there's a trapdoor…"
"A firebending-powered trapdoor?" Sokka asked, frowning. "You're not bending that thing, you heard me? No more bending for you"
"B-but…"
"I'll just use one of those torches. You're staying put for now," said Sokka, setting Azula down next to the map before lifting it by the Eastern Air Temple, just as she had told him to.
He removed the loose tiles following Azula's instructions to find the promised trapdoor, just like the one he had seen in the city. Sokka rolled the map over and walked to the wall, picking up a torch and heading back towards where Azula waited. He thrust the flame inside the trapdoor's opening, hoping it wouldn't sense it wasn't true firebending… and it didn't.
Something within the trapdoor seemed to click when it came in contact with the fire. Sokka removed the torch and pulled the trapdoor upwards, and it opened with a low rumble. Sokka gazed down into the darkness below, and he slid a leg inside the tunnel.
"I can't carry you and the torch at once," he said, looking at Azula again. "So you'll have to wait here. The lever you talked about is nearby, right?"
"Once you reach the bottom of the stairs… you should find it right in front of you," said Azula, nodding.
"Stairs? So it's a stairway…" said Sokka, thoughtful. "Well, better a stairway than a slide. Alright. Don't you dare move an inch, Princess, or else I won't hold back from nagging you this time, okay?"
"Just go…" said Azula, and Sokka jumped inside the dark tunnel.
The stairs were made of stone, it seemed. Sokka lit the way, using the torch to remove spider-webs as he walked. It was a rather steep stairwell, spiraling down below and giving Sokka an unpleasant sensation of being trapped. Climbing his way down wasn't an enjoyable experience in the slightest…
He didn't know how much he had descended by the time he reached the rocky bottom of the tunnel, but his discomfort had only increased with every new step downwards. And when he arrived to the end of the stairs, he found he wasn't alone in the cave.
"Where are the rest of them?!" shouted someone. "We need to leave now! There's no more time to waste if we're going to make it out of here!"
"We need to wait! They'll show up" another man pleaded.
Sokka peeked out from his tunnel, relieved to discover that the walls blocked him from sight effectively. There was a Fire Nation ship docked in a small bay within the cave, floating as the river underneath it rocked it back and forth.
"We have no more time! It's enough," said the first voice. "We have the money, we've got the old man and the others…!"
"And the rest of them? They'll become prisoners now! What are we supposed to do about them?" yelled another man. "Are we coming back to save them later?"
"They understood the risk of this mission!"
Sokka grimaced. A side of him wanted to let them go, he couldn't deny it. Helping the Fire Nation capture criminals wasn't part of his job, it never had been. At this rate, the White Lotus members would bring their own demise even without his involvement. Still… he had promised Azula he would do it. And just as he had told the men he had defeated, he owed these people no allegiance whatsoever. They were strangers to him… and even if they weren't, it didn't change the way he felt about their course of action. It was completely wrong to fight a war in such a foul manner, and if Piandao was really involved in this, Sokka would be more than happy to stop him and ask for a few answers before the soldiers took him into custody.
He looked away from the ship to find there was a large grid hovering above the river, not too far from where he was standing. If he found the lever Azula had mentioned, the grid would drop and the White Lotus people would be trapped. They wouldn't know what hit them, and they would be captured without being harmed. It seemed a rather nice plan to Sokka. If they managed to get away, chances were they would be chased down by the Fire Nation navy and they weren't bound to survive if that happened. So… he would almost be doing them a favor. Almost.
But where was the lever? Sokka frowned as he looked around, trying to spot it… and when he did he realized that to activate it he would have to be in plain sight. He considered tossing his boomerang at it for a moment before discarding the idea. It was a heavy lever, or so it seemed, and he wouldn't get the right angle from where he was. Using his boomerang would only serve to alert the White Lotus people of his presence, on top of it all.
So he'd have to wager on luck, that was all there was to it. He would have to run to the lever, pull it and make a run for it. If he was lucky, he might not be seen…
He took a deep breath while the men on the ship still argued, and he moved as stealthily as he could towards the lever, leaving his torch behind. He gripped it with both hands to discover it wouldn't budge. Sokka felt the sweat running down his brow as he gritted his teeth, pulling at it with all his strength… the rusted lever moved a few inches, but it was enough for the sound to startle the men on the ship.
"Just great," Sokka muttered, when someone aboard the ship shouted for silence.
He gripped even harder and pulled back with all his might just as he was spotted in the middle of his endeavor.
"What is…? HEY! DON'T TOUCH THAT, YOU…!" he heard a yell, but it was too late.
The lever finally gave in, and the grid collapsed on the river loudly as the metal scraped the stone wall. The sound was enough to make Sokka flinch, and it drained away the shouts from the men on the ship momentarily.
"It was that sneaky bastard!" shouted another man, pointing at him with a finger.
Well, he had been spotted. So all he had to do was run… but what use would it serve? Now he thought about it, the firebending-powered trapdoors could open from within… they would chase after him, and he would lead them straight to Azula! And he wouldn't do that… he couldn't do that. He couldn't run away. He would have to face them.
He grimaced and took a few steps back, taking Space Sword out of its scabbard in a defensive manner. It was one thing to face off against a pair of thugs… but against an entire ship worth of thugs? The odds definitely weren't in his favor.
"Bring down the rocks above him!" shouted a man on the ship. "Kill him and then we'll open the damn thing again!"
Oh, so here he was trying to save them from being blown up by the Fire Nation Navy and they decided to kill him for his troubles. Really, what was it with these people?
Sokka gritted his teeth when he saw a broad man on the deck of the ship, looking at him menacingly. He lifted his arms, and indeed, the rocks above Sokka began to move.
"Curse it…" he said. Facing off against an earthbender while being underground… brilliant. Just when he thought his luck couldn't get any worse.
"SOKKA!"
His eyes widened when he heard the scream coming from the stairs he had taken to reach the river. Azula stood on them, apparently still struggling to move… but that wasn't the real problem. Yet again, her limbs were charged with electric power.
"What the…?!" Sokka said, aghast as he stared at her. "What are you doing?!"
"CATCH!" Azula yelled, with what was left of her strength, before stretching out her fingers towards him.
Sokka had less than a second to react when the lightning came his way. He lifted his sword, just as he had done back when she had attacked him at home… but instead of dropping it when the energy hit him, he stretched the sword towards the ship almost by instinct.
And to his utter disbelief, their improvised attack paid off. The lightning changed course when it hit his sword, and Sokka had directed it straight towards the White Lotus ship. The electric discharge hit the hull of the metallic ship, electrifying it and the people atop it. The rocks threatening to crush Sokka stopped moving, but he scrambled out of the way anyways.
The people on the ship were shouting and screaming. Most of them had been electrocuted and stunned by the attack, and Sokka actually felt rather guilty about it… he hoped none had died after what he had done. Still, his concerns changed their objective when he realized Azula was struggling to keep her footing on the stairs. Sokka ran towards her, catching her with one arm before she collapsed, unconscious again.
He sheathed Space Sword and held her with both arms, panicking as he looked at her.
"Azula… Azula, please…" he muttered. She was even warmer than before.
He gritted his teeth and scooped her up, putting her legs around his waist and throwing her arms over his shoulders. Carrying her across his arms as before while walking through such narrow space was not a good plan, he would end up hitting her head against a wall and that simply wasn't an option.
And thus he hugged her, carrying her in such an uncomfortable way, yet carrying her nonetheless through the dark stairwell. He was determined not to trip or lose his balance, but the steep climb through the spiral stairwell was rather dangerous, and it threatened to knock him back down if he wasn't careful. As he moved upwards, he felt her breathing weakly against his neck, which was a good sign. But would she get any better from here on, or would her condition only continue to worsen? He gritted his teeth, trying not to lose himself to despair. She would be fine… he would make sure of it. No harm would come to Azula, not anymore. Not while he had something to say about it.
Momentary relief washed over him when they reached the trapdoor. He slipped out of it, laying Azula's limp body atop the map after doing so, in order to close down the trapdoor and restore the tiles into their rightful place.
"Now, you can wake up now, okay?" he said, swallowing hard when he moved towards her again. "Everything worked out, Azula… we did it. We beat them. S-so… Azula, please…"
But there was still no answer. He grimaced and picked her up again, one arm surrounding her shoulders, the other under her knees, and he raced out of the Throne Room immediately. The White Lotus men down below went forgotten as he tried to figure out what to do. The only thing he knew for certain right now was that he wouldn't forsake Azula when she needed him the most.