"Hmm, it seems like just another common cold. Just rest and drink lots of fluids, maintain yourself hydrated. If you do not follow these directions and end up feeling worse, come here instantly." Azula wrote the directions on a piece of paper and handed it to her patient. "If your nose becomes unbearably stuffed, come here so I may give you vapor therapy, but only do that if it becomes unbearable. I will know if you're lying."
The man stood up from his seat and bowed down. "Thank you so much Dr. Rina. How much should I pay you for this consultation?"
"Only 1 silver piece."
The economy of Ido had been declining steadily for many years. After the war, things went normally for around five years. Nearby towns bought their meat, and many merchants passed through. But as the war became a memory of the past, so did the prosperous economy. Nearby towns stopped buying the meat, and the army, who had been their biggest source of income, had stopped buying food for its numerous soldiers. Furthermore, bandit groups emerged throughout the nation because the military was underfunded, and posts became abandoned.
Azula had heard of many villagers plotting against her brother. Their lives had changed for the worse since the end of the war. They did like not being conscripted to fight, but at least when they did, their families back home lived a good life. That was gone now, and the Fire Lord had done no improvements or modification to the Fire Nation government. Unemployment rates had gone up even in small towns like Ido, and many veterans remained waiting for retirement money.
To add salt to the wound, Zuko had declared that the Fire Nation was to give reparation money to the other nations. The money, of course, came from the money of the poor people of the Fire Nation. Taxes went up, and people began to look towards clandestine areas of work to make a living.
Because of the low demand on products, merchants had to increase the price of their products. But the salaries remained the same throughout the nation. Rich people and nobles did not face any difficulties. The common people, like always, were the ones to suffer. Famine struck many areas of the nation, people migrated to the city in look for jobs, and this meant that the black market of the Fire Nation increased even more.
The Fire Nation, once the most advanced place in the world, was now ruled by poverty and crime; all because Zuko didn't understand the economy, or simply because he didn't care.
She had wanted to give Lee Ten a wonderful life in the Fire Nation, but it seemed that was impossible. Even she, who had a reputable job healing people, and who had somewhat of a good steady income, was barely going by. Between buying food for her child, and medicine for the clinic, Azula was on the verge of bankruptcy. She was glad that the school where Lee Ten attended was free, because if not, she was sure that her child would've ended up even more ignorant than the Joo Dee's of Ba Sing Se.
Azula bid the last patient of the day farewell and closed the clinic for the day. She headed towards her home, the same one the villagers had helped her build when she arrived all those years ago. The princess smiled when she saw the Dragon moose in front of her house, tied up with rope on the porch. It meant that Lee Ten had arrived from school.
"I have arrived." Azula said as she entered the room. Her smile turned into a frown, and that frown turned into a look of concern once she spotted Lee Ten.
He was lying face up on the ground, breathing heavily and putting pressure on his chest. His face was bloody, his right eye swollen and his lip cut. It seemed as if his clothes had been partly burned, his pants being cut off mid-thigh and his shirt having holes in it.
"Lee Ten!" Azula cried as she dropped her bags and ran towards her bleeding son. She took his head and put it on her lap. "Who did this to you?"
"Nobody. It's my fault for being weak." Lee Ten managed to get out of him in one quick breath.
"Lee Ten, the mere fact that you're alive is sign that you're stronger than even I. Why must you repeat that you're weak?" Azula shook her head, getting her son's hair out of his face with her gentle hand.
The young boy scoffed. "Look at me! I can't defend myself against amateur firebenders, I get exhausted if I walk for more than ten minutes, my chest is always hurting, and I even faint out of nowhere! This must be Agni punishing me for being a half-breed."
"My son," Azula frowned. "I've told you countless times that Agni has blessed our family personally. Your condition may make it seem as if you're weak, but you and I both know that nobody has a brain like yours. True strength does not come from your physical attributes, rather from your mind. If you find inner peace, it will not matter how hurt you are, you will be stronger than ten thousand armies."
The boy coughed and groaned, revealing to his mother that he was in a worse condition than she thought.
"Now answer me, how did this happen?"
The brown-haired boy sighed and, with the help of Azula, sat up with his back leaning against the wall. "Some kids at school began to bother me because of my eye, because it showed that I'm half Water Tribe. I told them that you were the most Fire Nation woman ever, but they told me that…"
"That what?"
"That you opened your legs for any foreigner, and that makes you a traitor to the Fire Nation. I got really mad, so I threw a fireball at one of the guys."
Azula's eyes widened. "Lee Ten, you know-"
"Yes, I know that I should only use my firebending for healing and self-defense, but he insulted you!" Lee Ten exclaimed. "I did it, and of course he got slightly burnt. But then there were like four of them around me, and I couldn't manage to beat them all. I did a number on the one that insulted you, but by then I was too tired to protect myself."
His mother's arms went around him, engulfing him in a hug. It wasn't too hard, as she knew how much her child was hurting, but it was enough to comfort him. "Do not worry about me or my honor. Worry about your health. Do you know how bad it looks that the best healer in the whole Fire Nation has a son that is never taking care of himself?"
"Pretty bad," Lee Ten murmured
"Extremely bad. If you're so worried about my honor and image, take care of yourself. And practice with your spear. Firebending takes too much energy out of you, but you should be able to manage with a spear."
"Alright. Love you mom."
"I love you too Lee Ten. Now excuse me, I have to go gather water so you can get yourself cleaned up." Azula smiled and stood up.
Taking the water basket, the former conqueror of Ba Sing Se left her house and headed for the well. She gathered enough water to clean the wounds on her son, and a little more to drink at night. When she was heading back, a young man touched her shoulder.
"Excuse me Dr. Rina," the man stuttered
"What is it boy? Why are you bothering me when I am clearly doing something more important than your life?"
"W-well, my father and I were in the forest, heading back from our hunting trip, when we found an injured woman. She's at my house now, but I was wondering if you could look at her and heal her. I know it's late and you're off work, but I really think she needs help. Please Dr. Rina, I'll even pay you 5 silver coins!" the man begged
Azula rolled her eyes. "Bring her to the clinic. I'll be there in 15 minutes."
The man thanked her, but Azula was focused on getting home to her son. She speed-walked to her home, where her son was already sitting down with more poise. If it weren't for the swollen eye, busted lip, and bloody damaged clothes, she would say that there wasn't anything wrong with him.
"I have to go to the clinic. Will you be ok alone?" Azula asked her son while wiping a wet towel over his face.
"Actually, could I go with you? I'm a great assistant, and it will help me get my mind off this day." Lee Ten asked, pleading with his eyes
The princess had to admit that her son was a great assistant, just as she had been years ago. He paid attention to every detail, and unlike her, he was charming with the patients. When he was at the clinic, the aura of the place lifted and the patients, no matter how much they were hurting, enjoyed being there.
"Alright, you can come. But change your clothes into something presentable." Her son nodded, standing up and walking to his room as fast as he could.
In under two minutes, the teenager walked out of his room with a simple short sleeved shirt and shorts. It may have looked like a fast decision, the clothes a person puts on because he's in a hurry, but Azula knew better. She knew he wore this so people could see his scar and the evidence of his fight. It was the one trait that Azula didn't love about her son. He was always too dramatic, just like Zuko.
The mother-son duo walked through the dirt road towards the clinic. In front of it was a small carriage, with a cloth covered in red spots. Azula grimaced and entered the clinic, Lee Ten following right behind her.
The man from the market was standing right at the entrance and lit up as soon as she saw Azula. "Thank Agni you're here. I think she's losing too much blood." He said as. He walked towards the bed where the woman laid. The woman had fair skin and short auburn hair. She was very muscular, but still maintained a slender form. Her face showed some age, she was probably around her 30s, close to Azula in age.
Azula stepped forward and put a hand above the heart. When she closed her eyes, she concentrated on feeling where the energy was being concentrated at. She found that it was concentrated on the side of her abdomen, on her arm, and just above her knee. Thankfully, none of the wounds seemed to have crossed into any vital organs.
"Lee Ten, get two needles and threat, iodine, and cotton cloths stat." Azula said as she washed her hands carefully.
Her son brought the equipment she had asked for quickly.
"Everyone except Lee Ten get out of the room now." There was no room for hesitation. The old man and his son quickly left the room, leaving only the doctor and the teenage boy. "Get rid of her shirt."
"A-all of it?"
"Yes. If you want to be my assistant, you should learn that when you're healing someone, you keep your hormones at bay. Get rid of the shirt now!"
Lee Ten grabbed a small knife and, with a quick motion, got rid of the woman's shirt. Azula quickly took his spot as she patted the area with iodine.
"Wash your hands and come over here. You're going to stitch the leg."
"I'm going to what?"
"Stitch the leg. It's the least severe cut, so it will make good practice. Here," Azula handed a glowing-red needle, "it's sterile now. Be careful with it."
Lee Ten grabbed the needle by the silver point and nodded his head. He stood in front of the leg, where he could see the pulsating wound right above the right knee. Carefully, he applied the iodine solution on the wound so that no infections would be caused, and carefully stitched the wound. The sick cattle of Ido were good practice, as their skin was similar to that of humans, and after practicing on so many animals, Lee Ten knew full well what he should do.
In less than a minute, Lee Ten finished stitching the knee wound, leaving a very beautiful stitch that would no doubt leave a unnoticeable scar.
"I finished mom, should I do the…" Lee Ten began to say before taking notice of the patient top part of the body. The woman was no longer bleeding, and her breath had stabilized.
"Hmm, you were saying?" Azula asked as she washed her utilities.
"I knew you had good hands, but I didn't know you were this good."
"Lee Ten, let me tell you something about your mother that you must never forget. I never do anything sloppily. I do everything at the best of my abilities, and the best of my abilities is perfection. From firebending to healing, you must remember that almost isn't good enough. One mistake and your life can change forever, just like mine did. Even if you're a prodigy, as it clearly seems to be, you need to work hard in this life. Nothing will be given to you." Azula turned around to face her son
Lee Ten turned his face to the side. "I already knew that mom. That's what makes it so pathetic that my body doesn't seem to understand that I need to be good at firebending and surviving in the wild without collapsing for more than five minutes."
"You misunderstand Lee," Azula stepped forward and grabbed her son by the shoulders. "you cannot expect to be good at everything without working. Your physical state is just a barrier you need to cross, and with hard work and excellent mind, I have no doubts that you'll be able to make the best of it. That's why I'm always telling you to study and practice with your spear. When something isn't perfect, it's not good enough, which means that you need to have another weapon on which you can rely on. Never be satisfied with mediocrity, strive for perfection, but never doubt who you are."
The young firebender nodded his head, his eyes wet with emotional tears but his mouth shut in determination. He knew that his body wasn't the strongest one out there, but he could make up for it by using his other abilities. There would be no point in life if he couldn't become the person his mother wanted him to be.
"Call the men and ask them for assistance with carrying her. She's coming home with us, so I can pay close attention to her care." Azula told her son while looking at the face of the woman with narrowed eyes. It seemed very familiar to Azula, but she couldn't quite place where she knew the woman from.
By the looks of her factions, she seemed to be Earth Kingdom, this being the only possibility as she was not Fire Nation and definitely not Water Tribe. But she wasn't the usual Earth Kingdom type of gal; there was something there that made her different.
"Dr. Rina, you called for our assistance." The old man said, breaking Azula off her thoughts.
The princess turned around. "Yes. Grab the woman carefully and bring her to my home. I shall take care of her until she recovers."
The man and his son bowed down. "As you wish Dr. Rina."
With the two men grabbing the unconscious woman, Azula and Lee Ten made their way to their home.
"Put her down on the bed of the smallest room. It's the one to the right." Azula ordered the men, who bowed their heads and headed to the room.
"Wait," Lee Ten turned to his mother. "where am I going to sleep?"
The firebending prodigy turned to her son. "On my bed. I'll sleep on the floor tonight."
"But-"
"It's not up to discussion. You are still injured from your fight today, therefore you need to rest. I have only worked today, so I can sleep on the floor. Do not make me repeat myself." Azula said sternly
"Yes mother." Lee Ten nodded
Once the two men left their home, Azula began making food. Lee Ten went outside to their small backyard to practice with his spear. He blocked imaginary opponents, attacked the dummy he had set up, and even practiced throwing the weapon. Out of all, he had really good aim when it came to throwing the spear, the weapon going straight to where he desired and embedding itself with much force.
Dinner started quickly, and the mother and son ate in silence. Basic white rice and meat was all they could afford, yet it was much more than other people could eat. At first, years ago, Azula threw many fits over the low quantity of food. But then, as the years passed, and she grew familiar with the rural economy and problems, the princess thanked each plate that she could serve.
She wanted to help the people get more food, but that would require helping the government, which wouldn't happen on account that everyone at Caldera hated her. Even the local government would be no help. They cared too much for their own pockets, and even if they didn't, most of the problems came directly from the palace poor economy knowledge.
This was what happened when a banished prince with no knowledge of his nation and who doubts every government minister becomes Fire Lord. It wasn't that she was jealous of Zuko, or that she wanted to be Fire Lord. That dream had died out years ago. But she knew that Zuko was never smart when it came to study, and a position of so much power required reading about the complex socioeconomic problems of the Fire Nation.
The war was not the greatest thing ever, but at least it made for a stable economy. Like her old economic book said, if a nation needs money, then the nation must go to war. Zuko had ended the war, but never accounted for the countless jobs and sectors of the economy he was hurting along the way.
"I'm going to bring tea and check on the patient. As I do that, wash the dishes, brush your teeth and go to bed. Good night." Azula told her son, standing up from ground and walking past her son, but not before giving him a pat on the head. "I love you."
"Yeah yeah, I love you too mom. Why do you keep repeating it so much? I'm fourteen years old, not a baby." Lee Ten grumbled.
Azula smiled slightly. "Once you have children of your own, you'll understand. It doesn't matter who they are or what they do, a parent always loves their child."
"Doesn't mean you have to be so vocal about it." Lee Ten crossed his arms
"Don't be a brat Lee Ten. You're lucky to have such a loving mother." Azula said, grabbing the tea pot and a cup, and walking towards the small room without listening to what her son replied.
The Fire Nation princess walked down the hall with the tea on hand. Carefully, she opened the door and entered the room without making much noise. She put the tea on the table next to the bed and began to take the pulse of the woman.
"Hmm, a little quicker than it's supposed to, but it makes sense. Nothing to worry about." Azula muttered under her breath, taking her hands and putting them on top of the stomach of the woman. She closed her eyes and focused on the chi. It seemed to be unbalanced, so using a special technique, Azula moved her hands in circular motions and balanced it out. Once she had stabilized the chi, Azula went to check on the wound her son had stitched.
It was very well done. The space between stitch was perfect, and the stitch was neither too hard or too loose. She smiled at the image, knowing in her heart that her son was bound to be an even better physician than her.
A sudden gasp interrupted the warm moment on Azula's heart. She looked at the source, finding her patient wide awake and looking at the princess in shock and hatred. Suddenly, Azula recognized the woman she had helped heal, and regret began to creep up her spine. The one day she healed someone that was not Fire Nation and it turns out to be this woman.
"Azula" the woman said with much venom.
"In my country, we thank people who save our lives. It seems that is not common curtesy in Kyoshi Island, is it Suki?"