"No, I put my foot down on this!"
Sokka counted with his left indexfinger on the fingers of his right hand: "If we go to cities, we are attacked by a murderous assassin. If we camp near cliffs, we are attacked by a murderous assassin. If we camp out in dark woods, we are attacked by a murderous waterbending puppetmaster." He scanned the group with a meaningful look, "That's it. We go straight to the meeting point and wait for the invasion."
"I am with Sokka on this one," Elyrie said as she held onto the saddle on Appa's back, "I am tired of being chased, shot at or swung around like a puppet. And that has only be the last week!"
She had known that travelling with the Avatar involved running into trouble, but the last week had been excessive – even for their standards. Toph had picked up scamming to earn money and as a result, got herself and Katara captured. Which had been difficult enough as it was, but the murderous assassin - or 'Combustion Man' as Sokka had called him - had shown up and almost blown up an entire town just to get them. Oh, and they had been used as real life ragdolls by a deranged Waterbender seeking her revenge in the heart of the Fire Nation. So, all and all, Elyrie yearned for some peace and quiet before they embarked on the most dangerous operation yet to come – the Invasion on the Day of Black Sun.
"What spot did you two have in mind?" Katara asked.
"The official rendezvous point for the invasion force," Sokka said, "Before we all split up, Elyrie found an island on the map: it's uninhabited, and the harbours surrounded by the cliffs seemed like the perfect secluded place."
"But what are we gonna do there?" Aang turned to look over his shoulder to the saddle. He held the reins and looked slightly worried. Elyrie raised her eyebrows at him: why did he look so concerned about some downtime?
"Perfecting our battleplans? Saving our strengths? Making sure we are well-rested for a massive invasion that could quite possibly save our entire world?" Sokka's voiced was laced with sarcasm.
"Just a few days of quiet time before the rest of our forces arrive." Elyrie added in a softer tone, "It really is a nice place for us after our last ordeals."
"You guys have already planned this whole thing, didn't you?" Aang commented with a frown.
"We did," Elyrie acknowledged, "But I am sure you all agree that we need our rest. We can't prepare ourselves properly if we have to sleep with one eye open every night."
Toph lifted her hands and folded her arms under her head. "I agree with Princess," she said, "A few days of lying around can't hurt."
"Katara?" Sokka turned to his sister.
"If it's an island, it means there is ocean." Katara shrugged as she motioned with her hand over the blue waves beneath them, "I can train myself and Aang, and that is all I need."
"Aang?" Sokka finally asked. Aang slumped his shoulders and let his hand go through his short black hair. It was messy and covering the arrow on his head.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt." He answered.
"In that case, we need to steer east," Elyrie instructed and she pointed a slender hand in the right direction, "We will be there in less than two hours – maybe just after dusk."
After a comfortable trip in the warm air, they reached their destination even earlier than expected. "Nice choice!" Katara said as they landed. Her blue eyes went over the hills, green bushes and grass in which koala-sheeps were comfortably rolled up.
"And we're here four days ahead of schedule." Elyrie added as she let herself glide down. The softness of the grass beneath her feet felt welcoming. She was sure that she could sleep for days in this peaceful place.
"Wait! Four days?" Aang exclaimed suddenly, startling her, "The invasion's in four days?"
"Whatever. That's like four days from now." Sokka yawned as he stretched down onto his sleeping bag, "Let's just calm down and-.." The rest of the sentence was lost in a loud snore.
"Sokka's got the right idea, Aang." Katara said gently, "We're here. We're ready. The best thing we can do now is get plenty of rest."
Elyrie laid down her own sleeping mat on the grass and closed her eyes. Yes, this was exactly what they needed. Rest and quiet – preparing for the invasion.
That is, if she was allowed to sleep.
"Ah, yes don't make your friends hurt themselves Katara!" Hama cackled, sounding more and more deranged by the second. Her long gray hair was loose around her wrinkled face. The old features were contorted in a look of sadistic pleasure as she turned to Elyrie.
"And this one," she said as extended her hand to Elyrie. Elyrie opened her mouth, but it felt as if every vein in her body suddenly turned to ice. She couldn't move – at least not by herself.
Then, her left hand suddenly swung upward before it went down again and grasped the fan. "I am not doing this!" Elyrie screamed in terror as she saw her own hand unclasp the fan to throw it directly at Aang.
"She is not Water Tribe, she is not Fire Nation," Hama almost hummed as she lifted her hands, Elyrie unwillingly mimicking the movements. It was a horrible feeling, as if her whole body belonged to someone else. She wanted to scream, but before she could she felt her own body slam backwards on the hard ground. The air was knocked out of her lungs and she gasped for air.
In the corner of her eyes, she saw Sokka swing his sword in wooden motions. It was as if his limbs had been strung to tiny strands and the puppetmaster was controlling him.
"It's like my brain has a mind of its own! Stop it arm, stop it!" he yelled.
"As for you," Hama said, bending over Elyrie so closely that she could smell her sour breath, "You don't deserve a quick death." Her bony hands inched closer to her throat, the long nails scraping her skin.
"Get away from me," Elyrie turned her face from the maniacal look in the old woman's eyes. She had once seen Jet look at her with the same hatred and contempt, but the almost deranged look this woman was giving her turned her limbs to stone. The ground was hard under her back, but she couldn't even feel pain. Her limbs seemed to be frozen – she couldn't reach for her fans or even move her wrists to bend her fire.
"I would, if I only knew that such abominations as yourself would never exist in the world." Hama screeched, "Your mother choose the enemy and you are the filth that comes from such unnatural unions."
Just as she was about to close her fingers to bend the blood out of her neck, Hama was blasted back against the trees. Katara turned around, and saw Elyrie panting, pale but unhurt.
Hama screamed as she clawed at her own face, trying to extinguish the flames that set her grey hair on fire.
Elyrie's hand – free to move again – immediately went to her neck. The skin was tender and probably bruised, but she didn't feel blood seeping down. She looked at her palms, sizzling with a tingling sensation that warmed the frozen blood in her veins and she lit up her palms.
She had control again. Katara had just in time broken free of Hama's grip to allow Elyrie to use her bending. Elyrie sprung to her feet, scanning the dark forest around her.
"Sokka! Can you move?" Elyrie ran to him and aimed a small blast at the ice around his hand.
"I can! Get me lose!" He yelled back as he swung his sword. In the corner of her eye, Elyrie saw that Katara was doing the same with Aang.
"Give up, Hama!" Sokka grimaced, "You're outnumbered."
"No," she croaked, blackened hair smoking around her face, "You've outnumbered yourselves!" She lifted her veined hands and stretched her fingers and pulled the down again with force, swinging her arms downwards with the motion.
With a jolt, Elyrie sat upright. Her breathing was fast and her heart pounded in her chest. It was just a dream, she repeated to herself, just a dream.
A cold shiver went over her entire body as she relived the horror of being controlled. Bloodbending, Hama had called it. Controlling the water in another persons body. Katara had cried after the whole ordeal, since she was forced to bloodbend to save them all.
And as if that hadn't been awful enough, Hama had specifically targeted Elyrie in her wrath. Her blood started boiling again when she thought about what the old witch had said about her parents. About her.
The shivering stopped once she regained control over her thoughts again. It was only a dream, just a dream.
Nearby, she heard a rhythmic tapping sound. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. It was a muffled sound, almost as if someone was chopping wood with a dull axe.
Please don't let it be a maniac living on this island, Elyrie mentally sighed. Not now they finally had a few days of peace.
She pondered waking the rest, but as she went over the group she saw Aang was missing. Curiously, she lit up her palm and got up to follow the sound.
Indeed, it had been Aang who was making the punching noises. With his back turned to her, he slammed with his fists against the tree.
"Aang?" Elyrie asked. He didn't answer and continued to slam against the tree bark. Momo was curled up in a little ball next to the tree, his green eyes drowsy as he followed the movements of his master.
"Aang"? she tried again, to no avail. "Aang!" she yelled and Aang finally turned around with a frown, as if he heard her for the first time. "What are you doing?"
"Training."
"In the middle of the night?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"I see," she nodded. She walked closer and saw in the dim light of her flame that his eyes were bloodshot and his face pale.
"How long have you been here?" she asked as she looked over the horizon. The sky in the distance looked slightly purple, as if dawn was coming but not yet ready to set in. She estimated that it had to be around four in the morning.
"I'm not sure." He answered sheepishly. Momo opened his large eyes and blinked a couple of times. He got up and flew to Elyrie's shoulder. She scratched his fluffy ears as he laid down on her right shoulder as he coiled his tail around her neck. He squeaked contently.
"I think he wants to go back to camp with you," Aang smiled, "He's been here all this time but I think that my training kept him from sleeping."
"Don't you want to be alone, buddy?" Elyrie asked Momo as she let her hand go over the soft fur, "Understandable."
"Why are you awake?"
"I had a nightmare," Elyrie answered as she looked up at the stars, "About Hama."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Aang answered with a sympathetic look in his eyes. She saw his eyes drift down to where Momo's tail was curled around her neck – the blueish bruises were still visible, but slowly fading.
"I'll get over it," Elyrie lifted her shoulders and sat down-crossed legged on the warm ground. She was hoping she looked more confident than she felt.
The truth was that the old woman had scared her. She had been scared before, but this was different. With Zhao, she had been scared of not being able to do anything. With Azula, she was scared of losing again to her.
But Hama, she scared her because of the pure hatred she harboured for her purely because of her mixed heritage. Jet had carried the same – almost deranged – hatred with him. It scared her that there were people that were capable of such deep-seated prejudice. With so many people scarred by the war, what would the future bring?
"I have them too," Aang admitted as he sat down next to her and placed his knees against his chest.
"Nightmares?" she enlarged the flame in her palm to better see his face. It felt like a little campfire, as if they were two normal people enjoying a chat by the flames.
"Yes," he hesitated for a moment, "About the Fire Lord."
Elyrie nodded slowly. The heaviness that rested on his shoulders must be enormous. Even with the solar eclipse, Fire Lord Ozai would be a formidable opponent, "Is that why you didn't want to come here? Because you now have time to think about it now that the invasion is almost there?"
Aang nodded with a wry look in his eyes. "I've always known I had to defeat the Fire Lord," he said, "But now that I know that I have to do it alone – and soon – it scares me."
"I understand," she said softly, "It must be hard to carry that weight alone."
Aang closed his eyes as he nodded, but they both said nothing as they sat there. Elyrie's eyes followed the flames dancing in her palm. She saw that Aang was fixated on the fire as well, but his face was like a mask.
"Elyrie," he turned and looked her directly in the eyes, "Can you tell me about Fire Lord Ozai?"
She blinked in surprise at his request. Then again, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise that Aang wished to know more about the man he had to face in less than four days.
"The Fire Lord..-," she began but halted as she thought over his question. What could she tell him about the Fire Lord that could be useful? Something that could ease his troubled mind. "Ozai is the younger brother of General Iroh, and the father of Zuko and Azula." She felt foolish: that was basic information and he probably knew that by now. "I'm sorry, what kind of information do you want? I find it very hard to interpret your question."
"I don't know what I precisely want to know," Aang answered as he looked at her and sucked in a shuddering breath before he continued, "But I find it very hard to prepare myself for someone I've never even seen – and I know so very little about him. In my mind, he is almost a mythical being. I see his position before I see the man, and that makes it difficult to prepare myself for this fight."
"Other than his familiar bonds, there isn't much of a man in him," Elyrie said. She heard the bitterness in her own voice.
"Is he older or younger than Iroh?"
"Younger."
"Isn't it customary for the older son to inherit the throne in the Fire Nation? Or did Iroh voluntarily relinquished his throne to his younger brother?"
His question brought her back to almost ten years ago. The Siege of Ba Sing Se had ended after General Iroh withdrew his troops. Lu Ten, his beloved only son, had died during the battle. It had left Uncle heartbroken. She had cried when Zuko had told her about the tragedy. She sat across from him when Azula had entered, a vile look on her childlike face.
"Dad's gonna kill you! Really, he is!"
Ursa had taken her daughter away, but not before Azula had shot a hateful glare at Elyrie. Zuko had tried to comfort her before she went home. And the next morning, Fire Lord Azulon had passed away and stated that it was his dying wish to see his second son succeed him. And Ursa was never seen again.
After all these years, she never knew what happened that night.
"No," Elyrie answered Aang after a pause, "It was Fire Lord Azulon's dying wish that his throne should be passed down to his second son."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Nobody knows." Her voice sounded deflated, almost empty. Why did this happen? If Uncle had been the Fire Lord, how much better would the world be by now? But now, the poor man was locked up in a filthy jail, probably only a few miles away from her. Only a few miles away.
"You grew up with Zuko, so how was the Fire Lord as a father?" Aang asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Ozai is a ruthless man," she answered firmly, "The best way to describe him is an older, more experienced version of Azula."
"That sounds horrible."
"It is."
"And what about his wife, Zuko and Azula's mother?"
"Aang, can I ask you something?" Elyrie turned to look at him, ignoring the pang in her chest, "Why are you trying to humanise him? Isn't easier to fight the man without knowing his background?"
Aang looked at his hands and sighed. "I don't know." He answered, "I just want to know who I am fighting, not what."
"Fire Lord Ozai barely is a 'who'," Elyrie said, "He is obsessed with his power."
"But everyone has something of a soul, right?" Aang asked, but Elyrie shook her head firmly. "I can't imagine he has a soul left." She said as she looked in the distance. The purple colours in the sky had been replaced by a lighter pink that slowly stretched itself over the stars.
"Why do you think that?"
Elyrie looked at the flame in the palm of her hand. As the orange colours danced around, her mind travelled back to her life in the Royal Palace.
"Because I have seen the man, both as a Fire Lord and as a father." Elyrie said, "But in neither his position nor in his family is a part of him that would made you believe there was something more than ambition or ruthlessness."
You will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher. A shiver went down her spine.
"You know, this scares me even more," Aang rubbed his bruised knuckles, "If what you say is true, then what hope is there for redemption?"
"I'm sorry," Elyrie apologised, "I know this doesn't help with your worries."
"But it is better than being alone with my thoughts," Aang countered with a smile.
"I'm glad," Elyrie placed her free hand over his and squeezed, "Do you want to come back to camp? Try and sleep for a few more hours?"
"Thank you, but I don't think I am tired anymore," Aang said as he rose to his feet. He extended his hand to Elyrie and helped her up.
"Are you sure?" Elyrie's gaze went over the dark circles under his eyes. And as if to emphasise her point, Momo yawned loudly on her shoulder.
"I'm sure, but thanks anyway!" Aang plastered a smile on his face.
"Fresh fruit, Prince Zuko?"
"May I wash your feet, sir?"
"Head massage?"
Zuko resisted the urge to pinch his nosebridge in frustration. Had this really been the way things were run in the Palace his entire life? After so many sobering years at sea, it was still difficult to adjust.
"Hot towel?" another servant offered him with a demure smile. This time, Zuko took it to wipe the small beads of sweat from his forehead. It was almost exhausting to refuse so many requests.
The fluffy towel felt soothing on his skin. The steam, infused with a lavender oil, was relaxing and he felt himself inhaling the comfortable scent. He placed the used towel back on the tray and the servant bowed his head as he walked past him.
He walked down the long corridor to the grand staircase. The sound of his boots – black leather, custom-made for him – echoed on the marble steps as he descended down. The large mirror by the doors showed him his reflection. And he looked every inch the Prince he was.
His royal robes fitted him perfectly – everything was made for only him. The black silk swung around him like a cape, but was secured around his waist with a gold-metal belt. His ravenblack hair was pulled back in a topknot, secured with the emblem of the Fire Nation. His skin, albeit pale from lack of sleep, was well-cared for. As were his hands and nails – manicured and moisturised. Only the calluses betrayed his stay in banishment.
That, and the prominent scar that stretched across the left side of his face.
"Prince Zuko, are you ready to leave?" the soldier in front of the door extended his hand to open the massive doors of the Palace for him.
Zuko glanced at the mirror before he nodded and the doors swung open for him. The bright sunlight blinded him for a moment as he walked down the steps. He heard the muffled sounds of excited chatting as he reached the gates.
As soon as the gates swung open, group of women started squealing in delight once they caught sight of their Prince. Zuko smiled at the group, which caused one of the women to almost faint. Two guards restrained her and took her away.
'There he is! Isn't he handsome?'
'Our future Fire Lord!'
'Prince Zuko, please, look at me!'
The first time had been overwhelming but now he was used to the attention. They meant no harm and didn't even seem to notice how much he changed over time. He waved as he passed them by.
"Prince Zuko, is something wrong? You didn't take the palanquin."
Zuko turned around. The servants were standing with a perplexed look on their faces. The Royal Palanquin was standing between four carriers, two on each side.
"I'm just going to Mai's house. It's not far." Zuko answered. He had neglected his relationship with Mai since their fight on Ember Island. Even Azula had pointed out that he was being a terrible boyfriend to her – and that was saying something.
So, after all that had happened the past week – and after everything he found out -, he started to make amends. Or at least, he tried to. It wasn't her fault he was confused.
"It is not a prince's place to walk anywhere, sir." the servant's voice was polite but firm. Zuko sighed as he walked over to the palanquin and sat down. The four servants lifted him up and started walking the short distance from the Palace Gates to Mai's house - which was approximately 500 metres.
On his way, he passed a familiar house. "Can you hold, please?" Zuko said and the palanquin immediately came to a halt. The servants didn't ask questions as they patiently waited for his next command.
Zuko pushed aside the small curtains and looked at the house, just across from the square where the gate to the Royal Palace was situated.
It was three stories high. The roof was curved upwards, like most houses in the circle of the Capital. The red and gold paint on the arches of the roof shimmered in the sunlight. The windows – two on the first floor, three on the second and third floor - were made of redwood. The door to the entrance was a dark burgundy colour, with golden handles. A servant was sweeping the stairs leading up to the house. The white walls were speckless and shimmered in the morning sun.
It was Elyrie's house – and Zuko still knew exactly what was behind each door and window. It looked as if nothing had changed in those five long years.
"Do you need anything, Prince Zuko?" his manservant asked beside him.
"No, no." Zuko quickly drew the curtains closed and sat straight, "I was just admiring the architecture. Move on, please."
The palanquin moved on and after a few minutes, it stopped in front of another exquisite house. Zuko pushed the curtains aside and saw Mai standing in front of the house, waving at him with a smile as she motioned for him to get in.
Zuko fell a small stab of guilt in his chest when he looked at her genuinely happy face. He had been neglecting her and now she was just happy he came to visit her.
He had to try. She deserved that at least.
An hour later, they were lying together on her couch. Mai's head rested against his shoulder. He could smell the lotus-oil coming from her shiny black hair.
"Tell me," he said in a friendly tone, "If you could have anything you want right now, what would it be?"
"Hm, a big fancy fruit tart, with rose petals on top." She answered with delight.
"You know, being a prince and all, I might just be able to make that happen."
"That would be impressive."
"Do you think you could find a fresh fruit tart for the lady, with rose petals on top?" Zuko sat up and turned to the servant.
"Excellent choice, sir." The servant bowed and left the room.
"I guess there's some nice perks that come with being royalty." Mai commented with a lazy smile as she pushed him down on the couch again with her, "Though there's annoying stuff, too. Like that all-day war meeting coming up."
"War meeting?" Zuko repeated with a frown. He sat up, pushing Mai with him, "What are you talking about?"
"Azula mentioned something." Mai stammered, "I-I assumed you were going, too."
"I guess I wasn't invited." Zuko said, his voice clipped as he rose from the couch and walked to the window.
"I'm sure you will get invited," Mai said as she came to stand next to him. She placed a hand on his back and pulled him against her. Zuko didn't give in and he remained staring into the distance – the roof of the Royal Palace was visible against the blue sky.
"Prince Zuko, here is the tart you requested." A servant came in and placed the exquisite looking fruittart on the low table next to the couch.
"Thank you," Zuko turned around, "Can you please arrange for my palanquin to pick me up? I wish to return to the Palace." He gave Mai a sideway glance as he motioned to the tart, "Enjoy."
Then, he walked with big strides out of the room.
"Aang, you know there is something as 'overtraining'." Katara said with a worried look when she saw Aang's pale face. Elyrie had told them in the morning about Aang's troubles. And now, it was obvious that he hadn't slept a wink.
"You don't get it, do you?" Aang answered, his voice high and his right eye twitching, "My form is bad, I'm sloppy, and I still don't know any firebending. Not even the basics!"
Elyrie wasn't about to point out that he had indeed been neglecting that. Keep it to yourself, she thought as she slashed the tree bark in front of her with her fans. "That's okay, Aang." she said instead, turning to him and spinning the fans in her hand, "Why do you think I focus on training with my fans? The eclipse will block off firebending anyway."
"Besides, it is a stupid element." Sokka added just before he heard a snapping sound and flew up in the air. "Auw!" he cried patting on his behind to extinguish the very small, very precise flame that had landed there. "That hurt!" he said, as he rubbed the spot where a small scorch mark was visible now. Toph laughed heartily as Elyrie casually hummed and spun her fans around in her hands.
"Stupid element you say?" She smirked at him. Sokka threw his boomerang at her, which she dodged with her fans.
"Okay, well I still have to work on everything else." Aang said in a determined voice, not even cracking a smile at the banter of the rest of the group. "And Sokka, you need to work on your climbing exercises!"
"What?" Sokka looked perplexed, "Why?"
"In one of my dreams, you were running from Fire Nation soldiers, trying to climb this cliff!" Aang said as he pointed upwards to the cliff, which was almost 20 metres high, "but you were too slow and they got you!"
"But that was just a dream. I'm a great climber!" Sokka frowned with indignation.
"Then climb that cliff! Climb it fast!" Aang frantically pointed to the rocky wall.
"Stupid Avatar! Stupid cliff!" Sokka murmured under his breath as he walked over to the cliff. He placed his hand and feet on the wall and started to ascend. "Stupid dream! I can climb fast!" he said as his foot slipped and he fell down.
Toph smirked at his efforts as she took a sip of water. "Don't drink that!" Aang shouted, causing Toph to spit out her water and drenching Elyrie who had been standing opposite of her. With a frown, Elyrie wiped her face as she looked at the slightly paranoid airbender.
"Why?" Toph asked as Aang slapped the half-full cup from her hands, drenching Elyrie a second time, "Is it poisoned?!"
"In my dream, we were right in the middle of the invasion, and you had to stop to use the bathroom!" Aang said as he put his hands between his legs and squeezed them together, "We died because of your tiny bladder!"
"And now, you are more likely to get hurt because of my tiny temper," Elyrie mumbled as she raised her body temperature, evaporating the water out of her clothing and her hair.
Aang didn't listen to her as he turned to Katara. "And you need to start wearing your hair up. In my dream, your hair got caught in a train, and-…"
"Aang!" Katara gently placed a hand on the side of his face and urged him to look at her, "I know you're just trying to help, but you really need to get a grip. You're unravelling."
"You're right." Aang agreed as he slumped his shoulders and wiped his eyes, "I'm losing my mind."
In the corner of her eye, Elyrie saw Sokka almost reach the top before sliding back down again. She sighed as she looked around their group. This highly stressful environment wasn't healthy for any of them.
"You are not losing your mind," she placed her hands gently on Aangs shoulders, "You are nervous. That is normal."
"It's like every time I think about how stressed I am, I just end up more stressed. I'm like a big growing snowball of nerves." Aang said after a big breath.
"Of course you are." Sokka agreed as he walked back to them, wiping the dirt from his clothing, "That's 'cause you gotta fight the Fire Lord, the baddest man on the planet. And you better win or we're all done for."
"Sokka! You're not helping!" Katara shot an angry look at her brother, who merely shrugged in return. "What? It's true. That's the deal. He knows it."
Katara shot Elyrie a helpless look, as if to beg her to contradict her brothers words. Elyrie only shook her head lightly, barely noticeable.
"I better train some more then." Aang's voice was hoarse as he - slightly unbalanced - made his way to the trees. Soon, they all heard the slashing sounds of what was probably a waterwhip.
"He's going to exhaust himself at this speed." Katara frowned, her voice filled with concern.
"We are still three days away from the invasion," Toph said as she erected a rock chair for herself and lounged on it, "He will tire eventually."
"But maybe we can help?" Katara offered, "I can practice relaxing yoga with him?"
After their midnight-talk, Elyrie doubted that relaxing yoga would do the trick to calm his nerves. But then again, what would?
That is trouble for tonight, she thought as she unshielded her fans again and stood opposite Sokka for another round of drilling with the swordmaster.
The Royal Spa was warm and inviting. The room was adorned with many decorative objects. It has tiny ornamental trees in two corners, and two golden dragons covering a wall. The steam, created by continuous flow of hot water coming from the bath, filled the room and allowed the body to relax. The sound of flowing water was calming to the ears and the scent of lavender oil and sandalwood soothed the senses as the visitors entered the luxurious place.
And Zuko stomped in without much decorum.
"Hello, Zuzu," his sister greeted him from her lounging position. Her long, dark hair was currently being washed and combed by two maidservants. "If you've come for a royal hair-combing, I'm afraid you'll have to wait."
"So I guess there's a big war meeting coming up, huh? And apparently I'm not welcome there." Zuko blurted out.
"What do you mean?" Azula asked with her eyes closed, her tone implying nothing, "Of course you're welcome there!"
"Oh, yeah?! I guess that's why no one bothered to tell me about it!" Zuko practically shouted at his sister, but she seemed unmoved by his troubles.
"Oh, Zuko. Don't be so dramatic." She answered, laying her head back down in the warm water, "I'm certain Dad wants you there. You probably just weren't invited because it's so obvious you're supposed to be there."
"Well, were you invited?" Zuko asked.
"Of course! I'm the princess." Azula answered matter-of-factly.
"And I'm the prince!" Zuko countered, but even to him it sounded childish. He gritted his teeth and balled his fists as he tried to control his rising temper.
"Exactly, so stop acting like a paranoid child! Just go to the meeting." Azula sounded almost bored by now.
"Forget it! I'm not going!" Zuko turned around and stomped out.
He returned to his chambers and ordered everyone out. He stripped himself of his royal robes and kicked off his boots as he paced around his large bedroom.
Why hadn't he been invited? Did his Father change his mind? Was he still not reinstated as the rightful heir? After all, Azula was invited. She was the Princess so shouldn't he be invited before her? He was older after all. And last time, they were both send off to Ember Island when their Father had a war council.
With a groan, he let himself fall down on his bed. What could have happened that made his Father exclude him?
What if his Father had found he'd been visiting his Uncle? Surely he would regard that as suspicious. Was he waiting for him to tell him the truth about his nightly visits?
But no, that couldn't be it. If that had been the case, his Father would have ordered him to confess the nature of those visits and urged him to stay away. He didn't regard Uncle as a threat after all – merely a tea-loving fool.
With a jolt, Zuko sat back up. But what if his Father had found out that the Avatar was still alive? And that he was planning to banish Zuko a second time for his failure?
No, that couldn't be it. Zuko tried to calm his nerves as he laid back down. Messaging his temples with his middle- and indexfingers, he steadied his breathing. He had ordered a elite assassin to kill the Avatar. Besides, if someone had found out about the Avatar, they had already presented themselves. Such a rumour could barely be contained.
So why was he not invited to the war meeting? Zuko turned and turned again as he pondered the question. Hours later, he finally exhausted himself as he dozed off into sleep.
Zuko sat in front of the wall of fire. The throne was hard and he sat as still as one of the statues that adorned the throne room of the Royal Palace.
Down the two columns on his sides, two dragons slithered down. Their long bodies coiled around the pillars as they lifted their heads close to his face. Without turning his head, he knew the creatures looked identical aside from the colour of their eyes. Both dragons had blue scales with a silver tint glittering in the light of the flames. The one on his left had amber coloured eyes while the other dragon had a darkblue colour.
The left dragon whispered in his ear, the voice low and ominous. "Rest, Fire Lord Zuko," the creature hushed, "Step down, allow yourself to sleep."
"No, Fire Lord," the dragon on his right said in a soft, musical voice, "Don't listen to her. You have to wake up."
"Sleep." the low voice echoed ominously in his ear.
"Wake!" the voice sounded anxious, almost pleading with him.
Zuko gasped as he opened his eyes. His breathing was shallow and he sat up in his bed, his heart slamming against his ribcage.
He rubbed his eyes and thought about the two dragons in his dream. It hadn't been the first time he saw those creatures. When he had been sick in Ba Sing Se, he dreamt of dragons with the voices of Azula and Uncle. And on Ember Island, he dreamt about them again – only now did they have the voices of Mai and Elyrie. And if that hadn't been confusing enough, now they sounded like Azula and Elyrie.
He let himself fall back in his pillows and turned on his side. He extended his hand to open the drawer of his nightstand, where he had hidden the sapphire ring. He picked up the jewel and placed it in the palm of his hand as he pondered what to do.
Story of my life lately, he mentally groaned as he placed the ring back on his nightstand. Why was it so hard for him to decide where to go from here?
He could stay, but always feel lacking. This afternoon had proven to him that his Father still hadn't completely accepted him back. But it was not just that: he felt he hadn't a purpose.
But if he left, then what? He had fought so hard to regain what he had now: his rightful place as the Prince of the Fire Nation. And where was he to go? Join the Avatar like Elyrie had done? Uncle had told him that ..-
He balled his hand into a tight fist as he tried to control the anger that was boiling under the surface. No, it doesn't matter what happened in the past. That was long ago and he was living now. He couldn't make a difference, he was sure of that. He would stay and pretend it didn't hurt him that he had been excluded from a war meeting.
As it turns out, yoga wasn't the answer. And neither was a therapy session with Sokka or a hard stone massage from Toph. At the end of the afternoon, Aang slouched back to the campsite and sat down with a battered look on his face. The grey eyes were even more hollow now.
Elyrie pitied him, but knew she couldn't help him. She had spend the whole afternoon training, but she would need more than exercise to ease her own troubled thoughts. Aang had brought up the fact that he hadn't started firebending – which had been neglect on his part – but it was clearer than ever now that he needed a master.
If they won – and that was a big if – there was a chance that anarchy would follow in the Fire Nation. With Ozai gone, the throne would go to Zuko. At least, she thought that it would now that he was reinstated as Prince of the Fire Nation. Yet, she was convinced that Azula would never allow such a slight to happen. So, even with Ozai gone, their chances of victory in this war were still small since two siblings were prepared to take their place as Fire Lord.
She needed wisdom, knowledge and a firebending master to prepare Aang for the aftermath of the invasion. And all that was combined in a loving, tea-brewing Uncle. Now that she was so near to Uncle and possibly freeing him, she had to make sure he was in the Capital Prison. If she was sure, she could convince the rest to allow her to free him during the invasion.
She had to be sure to make this plan work. The nerves and doubts were swirling her mind, even though she knew there was only one option. And since no one would agree to her plan, she had to do it herself.
"Just for a night," she murmured as she laid down and pretended to sleep with the rest. Nobody would notice her gone in the morning as long as she returned on Appa before the afternoon. Then she could explain how she had been scanning the surroundings.
"Good night, Katara," Aang interrupted her thought, "Good night, Sokka. Good night, Toph. Good night, Elyrie. Good night, Appa. Good night, Momo. Good night Appa and Mo-"
"Go the sleep already!" Toph yelled and Aang shut up immediately.
Elyrie groaned as she turned on her side. She prayed that Aang would fall asleep for long enough to allow her to slip away. So, she waited.
It was a good thing she was nervous, otherwise she would have fallen asleep in an instant. Instead, her body was alert and pumping with adrenaline.
Sokka was the first to fall asleep - his snore was obvious. Katara and Toph soon followed, their breathing calm and even. She knew this was her chance – everyone was fast asleep. Even Aang, although the sweat on his forehead betrayed that he was experiencing another nightmare.
You must be mad, a small voice told her but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she rose and very quietly walked away from the campsite.
Appa was peacefully dozing before she gently placed a hand on his brown arrow. "Hey buddy," she whispered as she took the reins from his head, "Will you help me?"
Appa opened his brown eyes and looked at her. Elyrie smiled and gently nudged him to follow her, praying he would be quiet and not yawn – or else everyone would wake up. But as if the skybison felt that she needed his silence, he followed her without protest or sound. Even his big paws didn't make sound as he stepped on the soft grass.
"Thank you, Appa" she whispered when they were out of sight of the camp. She lifted her hand to grab a handful of fur to climb onto the giant bison.
"And where do you think you are going?"
With a yelp, Elyrie let go and slipped back on the ground. Sheepishly, she turned around and saw Sokka standing with his arms crossed and his sword on his hip.
"Going for some fresh air?" she improvised.
"Going for some air.. in the air?" he asked with an arched eyebrow and a cynical look in his lightblue eyes.
"What better place to do that?" she asked innocently.
"Elyrie," Sokka tapped his fingers impatiently, looking like a stern headmaster, "With the Invasion coming up and Aang almost losing his wits, I don't have time to play guessing games with you. So I ask again: where are you going?"
Elyrie looked down to her feet as she started twisting the reins she had in her hands. Her mind raced to find an excuse, but nothing would suffice.
"You were planning to go to the Capital, weren't you?" Sokka answered his own question.
"Yes." She admitted.
"Aside from the fact that a giant bison would attract a lot of attention or that your face is on every wanted poster," Sokka summed up, barely containing his frustration, "You think that sneaking around the Capital at night – all alone - is a good idea?"
"Well, I..-" Elyrie began before Sokka snatched the reins from her. "That was a rhetorical question: No, it is not a good idea."
"But Sokka, I wasn't planning on aimlessly wandering around," Elyrie protested as she snatched the reins back from him, "Do you want to hear my plan or not?"
"Oh, you have a plan?" he said in a sarcastic tone.
Elyrie ignored that as she took one of the maps out of the pocket of her hood. "Look," she said as she laid down the map on the ground and lit up her palm, "This is Hari Bulkan, the inner part of the volcano where the Royal Palace is located," she circled her finger around the krater of the old volcano, "- and here is the harbour on which we plan to attack. But here..-" her finger trailed to the northwest of the Capital and pointed to a large tower, "- is the Capital City Prison. Here they keep the highly prioritized criminals."
"So you are planning a jailbreak?" Sokka stared at her with an open mouth, "Is everyone here losing their minds?!"
"Not alone and not tonight," she waved away his concerns, "But I want to know which criminals are kept here. After all, they might be criminals to the Fire Nation but to us .. -"
"- they could be allies." Sokka finished her thoughts as he looked at the map, his thumb and indexfinger placed on his chin, "Continue?"
"If I can find out who is in the jail, we can arrange for a separate team to free the prisoners that could help us." Elyrie elaborated, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks now that she finally heard herself summarise the plan, "The guards are all firebenders, and thus powerless during the eclipse. We don't need that much manpower, just a small elite force."
"And how did you come up with this plan?" Sokka looked up from the map, but Elyrie averted his gaze as she bit on her lower lip.
"Because I hope that Uncle Iroh is in this prison and that I can get him out." Her finger was hovering above the map, slightly shaking as she tried to keep control of her voice, "He could be a valuable addition to our team, as well as a master Firebender. And if we succeed, we need someone who knows the intricacies of the Fire Nation Royal Family and mayb -.." she rattled on. Sokka put his hand on her arm and placed his finger against his lips. She immediately stopped.
Sokka said nothing as he looked from her back to the map. "If I agree to let you go," he asked but raised his finger when she looked up with a hopeful smile, "And I said if, are you certain you won't stand out?"
"Positive," Elyrie answered without hesitation, "I lived my whole life in this place. I plan to disguise myself as a maidservant, so I can go around without people noticing me. After all, maids are often up late or running errands in the early morning."
"Okay, and how much can you find out about the preparation for the eclipse as well?" Sokka asked.
"At night?" Elyrie answered with a doubtful look, "Not much." She saw his brain working behind the clever blue eyes and wondered what he was concocting.
"And if you had a night and a day?"
"What are you suggesting, Sokka?" Elyrie asked.
"That you – and you are going to be very careful doing that – scan the surroundings. You know the battleplans by heart and know where we plan to go."
"And you want me to be a scout before the invasion, so we can update the plans if they had prepared new forces?"
"Exactly."
Elyrie thought about it in silence as she weighed her options. It was incredibly dangerous to do, stalking around the city just before the Day of Black Sun. Most of the guards would be on high alert to prepare for the upcoming eclipse. But they wouldn't expect a spy in the Capital: not with all the natural barriers or guards in the area.
"It could work," she heard herself say out loud, "No one would suspect me there, not now."
"Are you certain?"
"No, but I am positive we have the element of surprise on our hands with this."
"Tui, help me," Sokka mumbled as he took the reins from her, "I am going to send our only Fire Nation expert into the belly of the beast."
"So, that means -…" she started, a smile spreading across her face.
"Yes, you can go," Sokka said as he patted Appa on his white fur, "But I am going to take you. We can't risk Appa falling in the wrong hands as he waits for you."
"Thank you, Sokka!" Elyrie exclaimed, clasping her hands together in delight, "Thank you!"
"It's alright," he answered as he hoisted himself on Appa's furry head, "Now, climb on and tell me the details on the way. How long is the flight?"
"Less than an hour from here." Elyrie said as she climbed into the saddle, "I planned to go to a nearby cave, practically hidden from view."
"Then lead the way."
Apologies for the long wait, but rest assured: part 2 is coming up!