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Breakfast with the Princess – Chapter Six
Twenty-eight minutes later Elle stood before Azula's seated form carefully balancing a tray as she set it down before her mistress.
Azula silently inspected the contents of her breakfast with a discerning eye while watching as her handmaid obediently set her food out for her.
Elle's smaller plate sat in the corner of the tray while amber golden eyes glanced over its contents.
She couldn't help but notice that her servant's plate was devoid of meat of any kind.
But she quickly shrugged it off while peering back at her loyal pet.
"Early once more. Good girl." Azula stated strictly while she watched her servant set down her food tray.
"I endeavor to please you, Mistress Azula. Would you like for me to stand or kneel before you while you eat?" Elle answered sweetly while she bowed at the waist before the seated princess.
"No. You may get a chair, and sit beside me." Azula spoke while grasping at her plate of food with her pet staring down at her in surprise.
"Are you certain, Mistress? I don't mind waiting to eat. I understand that my princess comes first." Elle spoke with a warm smile adorning her lips as she beamed back at the stoic woman.
The submissive words truly pleased Azula.
And yet all the same, she wanted to get to know her servant better.
"Are you questioning my will?" Azula demanded while narrowing her cold eyes as she delighted in how the girl trembled.
"N-no, Your Highness. I-I am just trying to be the best pet I can be." Elle stuttered much to Azula's delight while the woman glanced up at her smiling.
"Hm. Good girl indeed. Now do as you were ordered!" Azula commanded while watching as the younger girl scrambled for a chair.
She observed in amusement as the girl dragged one of the spare chairs over before placing it beside her taller throne.
There was little purpose for the arrangement of extra seating in her study.
But from time to time Ty Lee and Mai would accompany her to her study…
She never imagined that she would one day be allowing a servant to sit beside her.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu, Azula-sama, for t-treating me well." Elle mumbled as she timidly peered down at the extravagant tabletop.
"Don't get too sentimental, servant. I am simply maintaining this standard in order to continue to receive optimum service." Azula replied while turning to peer down at her young companion with icy eyes.
"As you say, Mistress…would you like for me to fill your cup?" Elle requested softly while Azula gazed at her in grudging approval.
That was what she adored about this girl.
Even when she granted her privileges that no other servant has. Instead of slacking, Elle labored even harder than before.
"You may. But do not spill it." Azula stated strictly while Elle poured orange juice from the jug into her cup.
"I am good at pouring, Princess. I won't spill it!" Elle exclaimed while smiling tenderly at her mistress's emotionless face.
"I will admit that you are well coordinated. Tell me more…about where you come from." Azula commented while taking a regal bite of her eggs.
"My…homeland?" Elle repeated with the barest loss of joy while gazing at Azula's stoic face.
The princess swallowed her food while glancing at her servant with understanding in her brilliant eyes.
"Your supposed homeland…not your brother." Azula answered sternly while finding herself frowning over her young handmaid's fear.
It was a bizarre feeling.
To be displeased over a peasant girl's fear.
She just chalked it up to how revolting it would be for two siblings to share sexual relations.
"Oh! Well let's see. We have many countries. More than four nations! Well…at least I heard that there used to be four nations…" Elle trailed off while holding a finger to her chin with the older girl listening in amusement.
"There once was, however that was long ago. Now the Air Nomads are no more." Azula snorted with a cruel smile on her lips.
"We don't have any benders that I know of. You see in my homeland…it is considered abnormal to have superhuman abilities of any kind." Elle explained while cutting at her eggs with the princess turning to gaze at her.
"It sounds like a boring place then." Azula spoke while finding herself bothered by the thought of being without her bending.
"No…it isn't. It is…just not a very happy place to be." Elle confessed with a reflective look in her eyes while her princess swallowed her food with an uncaring countenance.
"How sad…for your fellow commoners that is." Azula snorted in a taunting voice while she watched her pretty handmaid begin to smile once more.
'What a strange peasant. She is already smiling again.' Azula thought with her red lips pursing into a sophisticated scowl before turning away from the girl.
The woes of her servant's homeland are none of her concern.
She just shook her head before taking another bite of her meal while her young servant began to do the same.
"But there are a few people that possess abnormal abilities. There is a woman…her name is Reiko, she is a powerful female emperor. They call her the Winter Emperor you see. Because she can turn people into blocks of ice!" Elle announced in an animated voice while the older girl stared on with intrigued amber golden eyes.
"You just said that you don't know if you have any benders. So how is she capable of freezing people in ice?" Azula asked in a suddenly piqued voice while setting her cup down.
This was an interesting development.
If she could make contact with this woman…perhaps they could forge an alliance to strengthen the Fire Nation.
"Beats me! I am just a simple small-town girl with a crazy brother. I wouldn't know any more than the average person. It is very well possible that I don't even know what I am talking about!" Elle cried out before returning to her food with a naïve smile.
Once more Azula found herself sighing as she bit into her food shaking her head all the while.
It was rather obvious that Elle was a simple sort.
She shouldn't have expected anything of great value from the soft-hearted girl.
"Believe me. I can tell." Azula stated before swallowing her mouthful.
"We do have some cool stuff that your nations don't have! I have got a few things in my backpack that I could show you sometime." Elle chirped while leaning in her chair as she gazed up at the woman with adoring eyes.
"Cool stuff? Like weapons of any kind?" Azula inquired with amusement lacing her voice while she dryly watched the girl shake her head.
Figures…
"Oh, no! I don't carry weapons of any kind on me. I believe in resolving all matters peaceably." Elle replied while Azula pointedly peered down at her bruised cheek.
"Really? How is that working for you so far?" Azula taunted while gesturing to her cheek while staring at the girl with harsh eyes.
"It is rather hit or miss. But even so. I just try to get along with everyone. I am not the sort to start trouble. I am not much of a rebel!" Elle conversed while smiling from ear to ear at the older girl's stony countenance.
"Believe me, servant, I can see that. But that is good I suppose. Rebels don't live very long." Azula remarked sagely while swallowing another mouthful.
'This girl would have died if I would have left her on the streets…' Azula thought with her lips pursed into a frown while watching her handmaid nibble on her eggs.
And most puzzling of all…why did such a thought irk her?
"While I don't have any weapons. But I do have something much cooler. Want to hear what it is, Your Highness?" Elle spoke while turning to the princess's cold face with her bright amber eyes alit with joy.
"Not really. But I suppose you are going to tell me anyhow." Azula sighed while pondering if the girl ever ceased babbling.
"I have a little gadget that plays lots of music! It is small…very compact, and it has got all kinds of music on it." Elle exclaimed while nodding proudly even as the girl turned to gaze at her with deadpan eyes.
"A music box? That's what you want to show me?" Azula scoffed while regally swallowing another drink of her juice.
"It's not a music box. It is an MP3 player. It has…oh, I don't know…about ten thousand songs on it." Elle answered while smiling when her words brought about a gleam of interest in the royal's eyes.
"Ten thousand songs? How can one device hold that many songs?" Azula pondered while gazing at the girl with curious amber golden eyes.
What a strange little servant that she has picked up…
"In my land, songs created by artists can be compressed into datafiles that are therein copied to your device of choice. Pretty neat, huh?" Elle concluded as she gazed up at the woman's intrigued face.
"As a novelty I suppose so…though a weapon of war would have been of a greater interest to me…" Azula trailed off while skillfully masking her interest in the music device.
"Would you like for me to show it to you later?" Elle asked hopefully while resting on her elbows with her crush eating her meal in a refined manner.
"Servant! I am a princess with a busy schedule. My country is in the middle of a war. I have no time for petty games." Azula snapped coldly while gazing at her handmaid as the petite girl sunk in disappointment.
"S-sumimasen, Azula-sama…" Elle mumbled while poking at her food with saddened eyes.
Azula said nothing in response as she cut into her meat while chewing it calmly as she tried to conceal her mild annoyance over the girl's sulking behavior.
Thus far she has concluded that her handmaid was twenty times as cheerful as Ty Lee and unlike her childhood friend more easily prone to bursting into tears.
"I…know you are a busy woman. I just wanted to show it to you. I don't have a way to charge the battery…so after I turn it on once more…it will never turn on again. You are a princess…and you are also my friend. So…if I was going to show it to anyone…it would have been you." Elle spoke in a softer voice while Azula gazed at her through the corner of her eye.
The girl's words were strangely pleasing to hear…
Although she was rather taken aback to hear her new handmaid call her friend.
"We are friends?" Azula questioned sternly while glancing over at her servant's saddened face.
"I…would like to be friends…with you, Azula-sama." Elle admitted while redness traveled down her cheeks peered down at her food.
"You are a commoner…and I am a princess. Such a friendship would be frowned upon by many." Azula commented coldly while drinking what remained of her juice.
"Oh…." Elle trailed off lamely with her spirits plummeting after those words.
"Which is why you had best keep this to yourself. I will allow you to show me your little toy later on." Azula remarked while turning to gaze at the smaller girl's now brightened face.
"I am friends with Mistress Azula!" Elle yelled out childishly while throwing her arms up in delight.
All the while cold eyes surveyed her in a puzzled manner almost as if her existence was an enigma to the princess.
"Keep your voice down!" Azula hissed while glaring at her exuberant handmaid musing that Ty Lee was sure to take a liking to her.
"I am so happy that we met!" Elle cried out before leaping over to embrace the stunned woman around her neck.
The princess stiffened with her eyes agape in a comical display of disbelief almost as if she was having difficulty processing that one of her servants just hugged her.
Azula was so perplexed by the action that she dropped her utensil while she gazed back at Elle's joyous face with bewildered amber golden eyes.
"Detach from my neck at once, servant! Or I will punish you!" Azula called out while squirming in her seat with her palms lighting ablaze.
She glared at the petite girl embracing her neckline while gritting her teeth in annoyance.
She even considered burning her handmaid for her defiance.
Yet somehow, she was finding herself unable to raise a hand to the younger girl's face.
"But you are so huggable! I just want to hug you forever and ever!" Elle insisted while beaming up at her mistress's scowling face.
"The feeling isn't mutual. Now get off me!" Azula growled while pushing Elle off of her with her palm while glaring at the girl as she fell back into her seat.
Why she cancelled out her bending before shoving her handmaid off of her was yet another mystery.
And even stranger…the hug did not make her as furious as she claimed.
"I feel much better now. Don't you? Hugs make everything better. Especially hugs with a princess." Elle stated innocently while cheerily sipping her juice.
"No, I do not! Try that again and it will be your last!" Azula declared while glaring over at her cheery pet with cold eyes.
Then she returned to her meal while eating the remainder of her food with a trace of aggravation in her stern eyes.
'Hm…perhaps I should have hugged her longer…she still looks angry…' Elle thought while holding a finger to her lips.
"Refill my drink, servant." Azula ordered while pounding her fist on the tabletop in a demanding manner.
"Yes, Mistress Azula. Forever as you say." Elle agreed while reaching over to pour more juice into the woman's tall cup.
"Well…at least you are well trained. For the most part." Azula grumbled while chewing on her final bites with a frown still adorning her lips.
Elle simply continued to peer over at the older girl's lovely face while still touching her lip with her fingertip.
'Azula-sama is so cute when she is angry.' Elle thought while smiling over at Azula's brooding face while giggling softly under her breath.
Azula gazed over at her in a questioning manner but ultimately made no comment.
Then a short time later Elle stood with the dishes upon the tray while her mistress observed her from her throne.
"Go clean up those dishes, servant." Azula commanded while returning her focus to her war documents.
"Yes, Your Highness. What after that?" Elle stated while she bowed carefully with the tray in hand.
"I have a great deal of work to do. But if you can keep silent…I will permit your company for a while longer." Azula explained while turning to her bowing pet with strict amber golden eyes.
"Yes, Azula-sama!" Elle exclaimed with a grin on her innocent face while she bowed once more before the princess's callous face.
Azula scanned Elle for the briefest of moments before waving the girl off as she watched the handmaid open the door and vanish soon after.
The door closed shut while she sighed heavily musing that the girl could be a real pain.
Yet even so…she was finding herself becoming fond of the girl despite her best efforts not to.
It wasn't long after that Azula heard the door open and quietly close once again.
The princess idly peered over at her pet before blinking in bafflement when the girl dragged the chair back to its previous location.
And then much to her delight padded over before her booted feet and sat with her legs folded beneath her at the foot of her throne.
"The floor once more?" Azula questioned while gazing down at Elle's petite form as the girl leaned against the foot of her throne.
"I prefer the floor. It is closer to you, Mistress." Elle answered while craning her neck to peer up at her looming mistress with worshipful eyes.
Azula's lips curved into a gratified grin before reaching down to pat her pet's head once again.
Elle blushed while she melted beneath the woman's authoritative palm in an almost puppylike manner.
"My…aren't you a good pet." Azula purred with approval lacing her voice while Elle leaned in to rest her face upon her thigh.
She quirked a brow while peering down at her pet with stern amber golden eyes but ultimately decided that she would allow her handmaid to rest her head upon her thigh.
"I am Azula-sama's pet." Elle agreed tenderly while burrowing her face into the woman's soft thigh.
"That you are. Now be a good girl while your mistress works. I have much work to do. I need silence from here on out." Azula announced while turning to peer down at yet another page of the war document.
"Yes, Mistress Azula." Elle mumbled softly while she laid against the princess's robed thigh while a hand remained resting in her hair.
As she sat at the princess's feet while Azula absentmindedly petted her here and there.
Elle began to relax with her head laying upon the lovely thigh with her eyes quickly becoming heavy.
She yawned quietly while stern eyes occasionally glanced down at her in-between breaks from her workload.
If you asked Azula the girl was getting a little too comfortable.
And yet she found herself refraining from speaking any words of rebuke.
Nearly twenty minutes later Azula was surprised to hear the sound of gentle snoring coming from below.
The hardened princess glanced down at the handmaid surprised to see that the girl had fallen asleep with her face buried in her thigh.
The girl was resting with her arms curled up awkwardly beneath her in the space of her seat unoccupied by her backside.
Elle continued to breath peacefully while Azula stared down at her with imposing amber golden eyes after recovering her composure.
"I don't recall giving her permission to sleep…" Azula snorted while gazing down at her handmaid before trailing her fingers through her hair.
Elle mumbled in response while yawning in her sleep before curling up closer to the older girl's thigh.
"Azula-sama…" Elle murmured sweetly before resuming her snoring while her princess still gazed down at her from above.
'Is she…dreaming of me?' Azula pondered as she surveyed her slumbering servant with curiosity in her gaze.
The princess then returned her focus to her morning paperwork with her handmaid sleeping peacefully upon her shapely thigh.
She calmly flipped the page while quietly mulling over her war plans.
This should please her father…that she knew without a doubt.
And so Azula continued to go over the documents while finding herself strangely savoring the younger girl's chosen sleeping area.
All was well in the mind of the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation until the sound of knocking speedily straightened her in her seat.
"Who is it?" Azula called out while quickly gazing between the door and Elle's dozing face.
"It is me, Azula. May I come in? Or are you busy?" Ty Lee asked from the other side while standing with her hands on her hips.
"Just you?" Azula answered coldly while Ty Lee blinked in confusion on the other end.
"Yes, it is just me." Ty Lee stated while shifting on her feet when a strange silence followed.
Azula stared down at Elle's peaceful face with a frown on her lips before turning back to the door.
She may be able to hide her new little private hobby from her father for the time being.
But Ty Lee was bound to notice her interest in this girl when she sees them interact sooner or later.
"I will come back later." Ty Lee spoke while turning away with a noticeably glummer countenance.
Lately she has felt like her friendship with Azula was slipping…and she wasn't sure what to do about it.
Or if anything could be done about it.
"You may come in. But shut the door behind you." Azula sighed while turning to the opening door with callous amber golden eyes gazing upon her friend as she quietly stepped inside.
Just as soon as Ty Lee stepped inside the study she froze with her hand upon the door.
She gazed ahead with shocked brown-gray eyes to find herself gazing upon Azula with the blonde handmaid sleeping with her face upon her robed thigh.
It was such a stunning sight that she hadn't even realized that she was gawking for far too long.
She may be friends with Azula but even she and Mai both know that there was an unspoken boundary that even they couldn't cross.
There were just certain things that you do not do in her friends' presence.
It was not wise to stare at Azula for too long.
Nor should a servant ever be so foolish as to fall asleep in Azula's presence.
And yet here this girl was sleeping on Azula!
When amber golden eyes took on a much more dangerous glint, she quickly shut the door behind her.
"Azula…" Ty Lee muttered in disbelief while trying to take her eyes off the baffling sight.
"If you tell anyone about this…" Azula trailed off in an even colder voice than usual with her eyes burning through her surprised friends' skull.
It was such a terrifying tone that Ty Lee found herself gulping while speedily waving her hands before her in a placating show of reassurance.
"I won't tell! I promise…I am just surprised. That is all." Ty Lee stated while stepping closer with her eyes occasionally glancing over at the girl cutely snoring on Azula.
"Try not to wake her up. She has been babbling all morning." Azula commented casually while Ty Lee seated herself in the corner of the room.
"I didn't know that you listened to servants babble…" Ty Lee replied with a rising smile on her lips as she observed her friends scowling face.
"I don't. I am training her to be the optimum personal servant. She must remain in my presence in order to ensure that she is shaped to my specifications." Azula answered while gazing at her cheery friend from the corner of her eye.
"If you say so, Azula…" Ty Lee giggled while smiling gently in relief to see that her friend could be kind after all.
If Azula was allowing the girl to sleep on her…
She couldn't help but wonder…if she gave her a plate after they left.
She had thought that Azula's answer the prior night was a resounding no.
Yet after seeing this….
"Just what are you implying?" Azula hissed while glaring between her friend and her snoring servant with icy eyes.
"It almost looks like…you are being…nice?" Ty Lee suggested nervously while leaning back in her seat.
"Nice?" Azula sneered in a venomous voice that already had Ty Lee regretting her words as she raised her palm to slap the younger girl awake.
"Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed in a hushed voice while watching as her friends' hand nearly impacted with the sleeping girl's bruised cheek.
Azula's palm halted before impacting with Elle's face while the girl continued to breath serenely while adorably nuzzling her thigh.
"Tch." Azula grunted before reclining upon her throne while glaring down at the girl's snoring face.
"Do…you like this girl, Azula?" Ty Lee pondered while hoping she wasn't pressing too deeply.
"What do you mean like?" Azula asked icily while gazing over her shoulder at her childhood friend.
"There is nothing wrong with feeling fondness for another person, Azula…everything doesn't have to involve cruelty." Ty Lee explained while leaning on her elbows as she smiled at her unsocial friend.
"She is a peasant, Ty Lee. She is beneath me." Azula insisted while glaring at her friend's grinning face.
"Peasant…nobility…royalty. We are all human. That doesn't make her worth any less than us…she is a nice girl. There aren't many servants that would smile over kneeling on the floor while we eat for a whole hour. But I don't recall her frowning even once." Ty Lee responded while propping her legs up under her.
"That is because she knows her place. Unlike the other peasants." Azula stated while gazing back down at her slumbering pet.
"Is her place sleeping on your leg?" Ty Lee teased while trying not to giggle over Azula's obvious interest in the younger girl.
"Her place is kneeling before me. She is my pet, Ty Lee. A pet sleeps at her mistress's feet." Azula announced while gesturing down at the snoring girl while Ty Lee's smile began to wane.
"Your pet, Azula?" Ty Lee repeated while gazing between the two with disappointment in her eyes.
Just when it seemed like Azula was allowing a girl of a lower status to get closer to her she finds out it is only because she sees the girl as her human pet.
"You heard me, Ty Lee. I have decided to keep this girl as my pet." Azula declared while placing her hand atop the tiny girl's head of soft hair.
"Oh…okay. Well at least you are still being gentle with her…" Ty Lee sighed while shaking her head as she resumed playing with her braided hair.
"Well let's hope for her sake that you keep your word. Because if you don't…I will throw her back into the dirty alleyway that I found her in." Azula informed in a warning voice while staring hard at her friends appalled expression.
"A-Azula, that would be extremely cruel. Please don't do that." Ty Lee whispered while digesting the princess's words.
Azula took this girl in from the streets.
She never imagined that Azula would ever bring a peasant in from the cold streets!
The last thing she wanted to see was for this poor girl to get thrown back out into a filthy alleyway.
"Then you had best remember that what you see now…and what you may see when we are in private…stays in private." Azula replied while frowning over in her childhood friend's direction.
"I get it, Azula…I won't tell a soul…may I ask what prompted you to take her in?" Ty Lee conversed gently while staring at Elle's peaceful face.
That girl may the only person on the planet that could fall asleep on Azula and look so joyful about it!
"Ugh. She gave me a fire lily." Azula grumbled as she gazed at the wall with an irate gleam in her eyes while Ty Lee's eyes widened in realization.
Ty Lee could not believe that her brief suspicion had been right after all!
With the news just now sinking in she could only peer down at Elle's mumbling face and then back up to Azula's stoic visage as a smile began to climb onto her lips once more.
Even though her friend was claiming that the girl was her 'pet'.
This added a whole new element to it!
It was…just adorable!
"Aww! That was so sweet of her! She must really like you, Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a beaming countenance.
"Of course, she does. She approached me to tell me that I am the most beautiful girl there is. I already knew that though…" Azula trailed off smugly while her friend just smiled in response to her hubris.
"And that is why you went out in the rainstorm." Ty Lee spoke with a tender smile adorning her lips finding it relieving that Azula had goodness in her after all.
"Yes, Ty Lee. I decided that she would make a good pet." Azula commented with her hand still resting in the girl's hair.
"Is…that what you told her?" Ty Lee asked while she scratched at her cheek finding her friends lack of social skills to be rather amusing.
"I told her that I was keeping her as my pet…she said and I quote, sure, I'm the princess's pet now." Azula responded with a smirk forming on her smug lips.
"You know, Azula…this girl must like you more than you know if she tolerates you calling her your pet…" Ty Lee trailed off while leaning back in her seat smiling even so.
It was cute in a strange fashion.
She could tell that Azula was already becoming rather possessive of this girl and she could also tell that Elle adored Azula.
"Please. She worships me." Azula boasted while puffing out her chest.
While Ty Lee gazed on comedically over her friend's inflated ego.
"Well, I am happy for you, Azula…so what is her name? It must be something other than pet." Ty Lee inquired while still gazing down at the dozing teenager.
"Her name is Elle." Azula admitted with the barest signs of fondness in her cold voice.
"Will Elle be hanging out with us from now on?" Ty Lee requested with a warm smile on her lips as she watched the girl mutter incoherently in her sleep.
"She will wait on us wherever we go yes." Azula informed curtly while Ty Lee sighed heavily once more.
"Can't we just get to know her…you know without her slaving on us hand and foot?" Ty Lee asked while staring at her friend hopefully.
Homeless or not she knew damn well that any other commoner girl would run the opposite way if Azula approached her and declared that she was to be her pet.
The fact that this girl happily accepts such a role just proves how much she loves Azula.
"I am training her to be the ideal servant. This means that she must be ready to serve me at any moment. Be it day or night." Azula insisted while her friend peered at her with an awkward smile.
"Well, I look forward to getting to know her. I hope you don't work her to death…it would be nice to have a new face on the team!" Ty Lee chimed while Azula glanced between her and Elle's snoring face with deadpan eyes.
The two girls then listened closely when the small blonde began to mumble once more.
"Oh…Azula-sama…" Elle mumbled while adorably clinging to the older girl's thigh as she sunk face first into Azula's soft flesh.
Ty Lee blinked while holding a hand over her mouth as she failed to withhold her giggles all the while the princess glared at her icily.
"Ty Lee…" Azula warned in a growling voice while still keeping her hand upon her pet's snoring head.
"Azula that is so cute!" Ty Lee exclaimed while gaping at the girl's adorable face.
"It is not cute." Azula protested while grasping at her young handmaid's head with a dominant hand.
"Oh, come on, Azula. How is that not adorable? It is cute and you know it." Ty Lee declared while folding her arms over her bust while marveling over the dozing blonde's lovable face.
"Perhaps…she is marginally adorable…but only slightly." Azula stated callously while scowling over her friends amused laughter.
"If you say so, Azula…just marginally adorable." Ty Lee snickered while musing that the two would make a cute couple.
"Are you through with your interrogation? I will have you know that I have a strategic reason for keeping her around." Azula retorted while glaring at her smiling childhood friend.
"Like what? So, you can have a girl that is head over heels for you waiting on your every order?" Ty Lee answered while folding her arms over her bust with Azula scoffing in response.
"No, Ty Lee. It is because she claims that she is from another land that isn't on our maps." Azula confessed while resting her spare hand on her belly with her childhood companion gazing back in shock.
"What?" Ty Lee blurted in puzzlement after nearly falling from her chair while Azula gestured down to the teenager once more.
"She says that she is from another land that isn't on our maps. She doesn't know how she got here…or how to get back. She wandered the Fire Nation for a few weeks…before finding herself captivated by my beauty. She has been following me around trying to give me gifts ever since she laid eyes on me…" Azula trailed off in a spoiled manner while Ty Lee listened in astonishment.
"That's…that's amazing, Azula. And so sweet at the same time!" Ty Lee quipped while she smiled at Elle's resting face once more.
That had to be one of the sweetest tales she's ever heard.
This girl must be truly innocent…to be able to look past Azula's cruel streak.
Not to mention the courage that it took to approach Azula with a fire lily!
"Naturally…my primary objective is to ensure that she doesn't fall into enemy hands. If her story is true. There is no telling what secrets she may hold…" Azula spoke seriously while Elle continued to snore softly upon her thigh.
"Right." Ty Lee laughed while peering at the girl's opened mouth as she stretched out on the princess's thigh.
"Of course, this is only further validation of my magnetic charm." Azula answered while her friend sighed once more.
"I think you might be letting this go to your head, Azula." Ty Lee replied as she shook her head almost fondly.
"She abandoned any desire to go home as soon as she laid eyes on me. She says she wouldn't go home even if she could. She would rather serve me." Azula boasted while her lips curved into a gratified smirk.
The words were a bit of a further shock to Ty Lee as she peered at the sleeping girl with surprised brown-gray eyes.
"Like I said, Azula…she is clearly a sweet girl. I…just hope that you will keep being nice to her. It is obvious that she likes you." Ty Lee commented while gazing at the girl's face with kind eyes.
"Oh please. I have hardly overworked her. The only work that she has done thus far was eat breakfast with me." Azula remarked while gazing down at the girl's yawning face.
Ty Lee was just floored to hear that Azula had actually ate breakfast with a commoner.
It was…just astonishing.
Azula then glanced down at the girl's groggy face while sternly observing as the smaller girl opened her sleepy little eyes.
The younger girl peered back up at her slowly yawning once more while her mistress grudgingly allowed her to remain upon her thigh.
All the while Ty Lee watched from the corner of the room while holding a hand to her mouth as she quietly gushed over the girl's cuteness.
She could tell that Azula agreed with her…even if the princess wouldn't say as such.
"Mhm…" Elle trailed off in mid yawn while Azula gazed down at her snorting in evident amusement.
"You are a brazen little peasant." Azula remarked while glaring down at the drowsy girl as Elle propped her head against her thigh.
"Is it still silent time, Mistress?" Elle pondered while blinking up at the woman's looming body.
Ty Lee quietly sighed while watching the two interact.
Why must Azula make the girl call her 'Mistress'? Isn't princess enough?
"I wouldn't be speaking to you if it was. Are you aware that you have been sleeping on my leg for an hour?" Azula questioned curtly with the girl still recovering from her nap.
"Hm. Only an hour…may I go back to sleep now?" Elle asked innocently while Azula narrowed her eyes down at her.
That was when Ty Lee finally giggled as she observed the two's adorable interactions.
"Oh…do we have company?" Elle mumbled while still peering up at her mistress's scowling face.
"Hello! Did you sleep well?" Ty Lee greeted while watching Elle turn her head to finally notice her with widened amber eyes.
"No, you may not! My leg is not your pillow?" Azula snapped while staring down at Elle's blushing face with hardened eyes.
"It is not my fault that it is so comfy…" Elle grumbled childishly with the woman peering down with an icy countenance.
"You must have some comfortable thighs, Azula…" Ty Lee teased woman her friend glared at her through the corner of her eye.
"Straighten yourself at once! Nap time is over!" Azula barked while snapping her fingers as she observed in delight when the girl sprang up upon command.
"Yes, Mistress Azula! S-sorry!" Elle cried out while she speedily removed herself from the woman's lap.
"Kneel! I will not tolerate this disrespect." Azula commanded while pointing down at her boots with smug amber golden eyes.
"Azula…" Ty Lee sighed heavily while Elle sank into a kowtow with her face pressing into her friend's pantleg.
"Yes, Your Highness! How may I please you? Is there anything you would like me to get you?" Elle questioned while she prostrated with her face pushing into her mistress's bootleg.
"Do you see that, Ty Lee? Now this…is the ideal servant." Azula purred with a smile on her lips as she turned from her frowning friend to peer down at her prostrated pet.
"I see it, Azula…" Ty Lee stated while musing that she preferred her friend's prior behavior to this.
"I-I am pleased that you think so, Princess…y-you know how much I strive to make you smile." Elle stammered while remaining in her bow when the woman leaned down to pat her head.
"She is a marvelous little pet. Isn't she? No complaints…no frowns. Just joyful service." Azula cooed in a possessive voice while petting the prostrated girl's head while her friend eyed her weirdly.
"Azula…why do you have to demean her like this? She gave you a fire lily…she is a sweet girl." Ty Lee muttered while suddenly regretting visiting her cruel friend.
"Demean her? Does it look like I am abusing her?" Azula retorted while gesturing down to the teenager's prostrated body while she continued to trace her fingers through the blushing girl's hair.
"Not physically…but…you are emotionally demeaning a girl that has been nothing but kind to you." Ty Lee explained with her lips pursed into a frown.
"Nonsense, Ty Lee. Tell me, servant…are you happy being my pet?" Azula inquired while smiling as she patted Elle's little head while the girl pressed her face into her boot.
"Very much so! I am the princess's pet!" Elle chirped while giggling underneath her mistress's petting hand.
Ty Lee simply blinked in bewilderment as she realized that Elle must adore Azula so much that she was willing to be her friend's pet just to be beside her.
It was both sad and adorable…in a twisted way though.
"That you are. And there you have it Ty Lee. She is happy." Azula declared while patting the girl's little head before leaning back in her throne once more with her pet hugging her boot.
"If you say so, Azula." Ty Lee agreed while staring at Elle's face while finding the puppylike behavior to a bit unnerving.
Why did Azula have to turn a girl who genuinely adored her into a human pet?
"Your lazy time is hereby over, servant. I command you to stand and report to the palace kitchens for your day's training. You will spend the next few hours memorizing my every want...and then you will be trained in housekeeping. You shall report to me in my chambers in three hours' time. After you've cleaned my room…you will spend the remainder of the day waiting on me and my friends." Azula announced in a tyrannical voice while Ty Lee just gazed at her in clear disapproval.
"I shall not displease you, Azula-sama! This servant will make you smile." Elle exclaimed while speedily standing before she bowed at the waist before her mistress's reclining form.
"One can only hope…now run along now." Azula commented while she waved the girl off while Elle beamed back at her while she scurried for the doors.
"It was nice meeting you, Elle!" Ty Lee called out as she leaned on the edge of her seat while watching the girl stop before the doors to return her smile.
"It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Ty Lee! I will see you later, Azula-sama! I'll miss you!" Elle cheered as she waved at both girl's while Azula gazed at she nodded briefly.
"Not as much as I will miss you." Azula stated dryly while paying Ty Lee's frown little mind as they watched Elle grin before shutting the doors behind her.
"Azula…isn't that little a little extreme just for giving you a fire lily." Ty Lee spoke softly while her friend turned with her smile waning.
"She is eager to please. I like to be pleased. I fail to see your point." Azula answered while gazing back at her sighing friend.
"I know. I am just saying…that it would be nice to get to know Elle without her constantly having to scramble about on our every order." The brown-haired girl explained while her friend arose from her throne.
"Ugh. If it will quiet your complaining. I will give her an hour break later today so you can chat with her. Happy?" Azula spoke with her arms folded over her breasts while Ty Lee sprang from her seat smiling much wider than before.
"Very much so! I already feel like she is going to be a great friend! Her aura is very pink!" Ty Lee blurted while following after Azula who simply rolled her eyes in response.
"Yes, Ty Lee. She is very pink." Azula stated while she walked alongside her cheerful friend down the halls of the palace.
Sometime an hour later Elle knelt beside Lao while they continued to scrub the floors of the palace.
"So! What is your name?" Elle conversed while gazing over at her fellow servant with happy amber eyes.
She was aware that the other staff thought she was crazy for being so happy to serve the princess.
But oh well!
"You got Chia in trouble the other day. She was thrown out because of you." Lao answered calmly while turning to gaze at the cheery blonde with a calmer countenance.
"Azula-sama asked me a question. I answered truthfully. The princess was displeased over the change. I tried to tell Miss Chia that Azula-sama would not approve…but she wouldn't listen." Elle explained while peering back at the puzzled girl.
Lao gazed down at her scrubbing pad as she mused that Chia had kind of set herself up for that.
It did not seem that the girl did it on purpose…but even so.
She did not seem to know when it was for her own good to be quiet.
"Just don't do anything to get me in trouble okay? I need to keep this position. Do you understand?" Lao inquired while gazing back at the girl's now nodding face.
"Understood." Elle chirped while staring at Lao's baffled face while the older girl sighed under her breath.
"My name is Lao." Lao muttered while resuming her scrubbing.
"And I am, Elle!" Elle exclaimed proudly while humming as she continued to wipe down the floor.
"Has anyone ever told you that you are strange?" Lao inquired pointedly while Elle turned to beam over at her.
"Mhm!" Elle answered with Lao gazing at her now comically with a bead of sweat dripping down her cheek.
"Right…" Lao sighed before glumly returning to the miserable task of cleaning the palace floors.
"Her Highness wants us to clean her room after this." Elle chirped while the other handmaid gazed over with annoyance in her eyes that flew over her head.
"Joy…." Lao murmured while glaring down at the floor as she mused that the spoiled princess would do well to learn how to clean her own room.
Not that she would ever say that aloud though.
Her bitterness seemed once more lost on her more innocent minded companion as they continued about their days work.
Azula strode through the palace with Ty Lee and now Mai in tow while Mai listened to Ty Lee explain about Elle.
"Did I just hear that right? We are…going to hang out with a servant?" Mai asked dryly while Azula glared at her from over her shoulder.
"We are not 'hanging' out with her, Mai. I am overseeing her training personally. Therefore, she must accompany me wherever I go so I can mold her to my liking." Azula explained with her hands on her shapely hips while the other woman gazed at her oddly.
'What is with Azula? Why the sudden interest in this servant?' Mai thought while Ty Lee continued to play with her braided hair.
"Azula! You said you were going to give her a break. Hasn't she already spent several hours cleaning the palace floors?" Ty Lee pondered while gazing at her stern leader with pleading eyes.
"She is currently cleaning my chambers. She concluded with the floors an hour ago." Azula replied in a controlling voice that took both girls aback.
"So…let me get this straight. She is basically your…favorite …so she gets the privilege of doing more work than the rest?" Mai snorted while they strode through the long hallway.
"Correct, Mai. This particular handmaid is my pet. As such she has the honor of serving me even more than the others." Azula declared while approaching her chambers with both of her friends eying her oddly.
"Your pet?" Mai repeated dryly only for her words to be ignored by the princess.
"Azula…when she is concluded with her current task will you let her sit with us…she is a really nice girl. I'd like to get to know her." Ty Lee requested once more while her friend frowned as if it was too much to ask.
"Fine. I will permit her to have a break from cleaning. She can fill our drinks instead." Azula stated strictly while both of her friends winced in unison.
"That is not a break, Azula. A real break! Where we talk to her. You know…without having her scrambling about fulfilling order after order." Ty Lee insisted with her arms folded over her breasts.
"What? You want me to not give her any orders for a whole hour?" Azula queried as if stunned while she turned to Ty Lee's grinning face.
"I do." Ty Lee responded while smiling at her controlling friend as they neared the princess's chambers.
"If I do. Will it end your complaining?" Azula inquired icily while turning to her grinning friend.
"Yep!" Ty Lee replied with her lips curving into a wide smile as she watched her friend stop with her hand on the doorknob of her chamber.
Ty Lee paused behind Azula as they heard the sound of muttering voices asking if someone was okay followed by the sounds of heavy rasping for air.
"Are you alright, Elle?" Lao asked in a worried voice while kneeling over the panting girl with a concerned look in her eyes.
When Azula heard those words, she felt a strange sensation of slight concern wash over her.
She couldn't understand why but she did.
"I-I just need to catch my breath." Elle stammered while she knelt with a hand over her chest with the other girl frowning down at her.
"You…look pale…" Lao muttered before jumping in fright when the door abruptly opened to reveal the princess gazing down at them with her friends behind her.
"Is this social hour?" Azula sneered while ignoring Ty Lee's stare of rebuke as they gazed down at Elle wheezing with Lao hovering over her.
"Azula! She is not well! You are overworking her!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a trace of anger in her voice that took both of her friends aback.
It was just mind boggling to her that Azula thought this was how she should treat a girl who gave her a fire lily!
"Y-Your Highness she is having trouble breathing. S-she needs to see a physician." Lao stuttered while Azula stared down at them with icy eyes before gazing to the small blonde's white face.
"I will be the judge of what needs to be done. Now get out, servant! Or you can be punished along with her!" Azula informed in a callous voice while narrowing her eyes as she watched the terrified servant shakily stand.
Ty Lee scowled at Azula's back while Mai observed with her usual disinterest.
"Y-yes, Your Highness! P-please go easy on her!" Lao answered while scurrying past the monstrous woman as she gazed over her shoulder at the rasping girl.
And then she rushed out with disgust flashing in her eyes.
'What a monster! She doesn't even care about us. All she cares about is causing us as much misery as she possibly can!' Lao thought while she vanished down the long hallway.
"Y-you are not really going to punish her, are you?" Ty Lee inquired while Azula glared back at them over her shoulder before approaching the panting girl.
"S-sumimasen, Azula-sama." Elle exclaimed while the woman knelt over her with her hardened eyes surveying her pale face.
"What seems to be the problem, servant?" Azula demanded while scowling down at her wheezing pet's little face.
"I-I need my b-breather." Elle stuttered to the puzzlement of the three women while the princess furrowed her brows in annoyance.
"Breather?" Azula snorted cruelly while rolling her eyes as Ty Lee crouched beside her scowling at her in disapproval.
"Stop it, Azula! She can't breathe! She has been nothing but nice to you! Why are you taunting her!" Ty Lee cried out with her friend's eyes now burning through her skull.
All the while Mai stood silently observing the strange scene pondering why Azula even cared.
It was not like Azula to give a damn about anyone but herself!
Ty Lee placed her hand on Elle's shaking back while sweat began to drip down her forehead already regretting backtalking the princess.
Luckily for her Azula seemed to let it slide in favor of gauging the girl's condition.
"Where is your…breather, servant?" Azula questioned to Mai's amazement while Elle peered up at her smiling in a strained manner.
"M-my room, Mistress. M-may I?" Elle responded shakily while peering up at her mistress's hardened eyes.
"Go get this medicine of yours. But afterwards…you and I are having a talk." Azula grumbled while trying to conceal her concern while watching her servant stand with her childhood friend helping her up.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu, Azula-sama." Elle spoke while she still attempted to bow before Azula while the princess stared back at her with a trace of approval in her eyes.
"Ugh! Don't speak any further until you can breathe." Azula snapped while waving her pet off while Ty Lee helped the red-faced girl walk.
"I will walk with her, Azula." Ty Lee announced while placing her arm around the shorter girl's shoulder as she pulled Elle along under her wing.
Azula said nothing in response as she stood with her palms folded behind her back while watching her little handmaid peer back at her almost longingly.
What a well-behaved pet.
Even when Elle could not breathe.
The girl still bowed before her.
"Come along now, Elle." Ty Lee commented while tugging the smaller girl alongside her when the handmaid lingered to stare at her friend.
It was rather adorable just how much this girl adored Azula.
But she was concerned that the princess was going too far in taking advantage of the girl's feelings.
"Y-yes, Ty Lee. As you say." Elle mumbled obediently while the woman grinned down at her.
"You are too cute. Did you know that?" Ty Lee remarked as she peered down at the blushing girl while guiding her along underneath her armpit.
Azula observed their departure with callous amber golden eyes before sighing under her breathe.
She could practically feel Mai's questioning gaze all over her face.
"Just a handmaid, huh?" Mai taunted in a calm voice while almost smirking at Azula's scowling face.
"Shut up, Mai." Azula hissed before striding out to follow her servant to her quarters.
Mai began to follow as well if only because it was something to relieve her boredom.
Around twenty minutes later Ty Lee stood patiently in Elle's servant quarters while she watched the girl comically toss items about over her shoulder.
"I…thought it was here…or was it here?" Elle mumbled while her artbook fell off her bedside onto the floor.
The book flipped open on a random page that quickly caught Ty Lee's astonished eye.
Her mouth hung open in awe as she blinked to find herself peering down at a simply beautiful painting of Azula!
The girl had painted Azula walking over a bridge with the Sun setting in the background!
The title seemed to be in a curious foreign written language that she had never read before.
Princess Azula Over the Bridge.
"You…really like Azula…don't you?" Ty Lee asked in a gentle voice while kneeling to close the book while Elle peered over her shoulder smiling bashfully.
"I-I cherish, Mistress Azula, more than anything or anyone else in this life." Elle answered while still holding a hand over her chest.
"I can tell." Ty Lee spoke softly as she seated herself beside the younger girl while placing a supportive hand on her new friend's smaller back.
"I…can't find it. Those girls must h-have taken it when they tried to steal my backpack." Elle muttered while sinking back on her beside with Ty Lee now frowning down at her.
"What girls?" Ty Lee questioned with an edge to her usually kind voice while staring down at the petite girl.
"B-bullies in the city in the harbor before Azula-sama took me in. They were making fun of me, and calling me Goldie when I was trying to take my medicine. They tried to take my pack from me…I got it back but…they must have stolen my medicine." Elle explained in a worried voice while holding her hands to her forehead.
Ty Lee gazed down at her new friend with a colder gleam in her eyes just when the princess opened the door with Mai at her back.
She could tell that Elle was as sweet as they come.
It was just despicable to steal her medicine of all things!
The door was then quietly shut while cold amber golden eyes briefly danced about her servant's room.
"Well? Is the problem resolved?" Azula inquired aloofly while folding her arms over her breasts as she fixed the two girls with a stern stare.
"W-well my breathing calmed for the time being b-but…" Elle trailed off in a shameful voice while Ty Lee sat up beside her in an almost big sisterly manner.
"Some girls stole her medicine!" Ty Lee exclaimed while the princess stared on with her eyes twitching in annoyance.
"Is this a joke? Who in this palace would possibly be foolish enough to steal my servant's medicine?" Azula snorted while her childhood friend glared up at her with angered eyes.
"Not in the palace, Azula! Apparently bullies in Harbor City before you brought her back." Ty Lee stated while Azula glared down at Elle with increased aggravation in her eyes.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Azula snarled while slapping her hand over her face while Mai listened in slight amusement.
"S-sumimasen…" Elle trailed off lamely while the older girl's arm remained over her shoulder all the while Ty Lee gazed up at Azula expectantly.
"No, Ty Lee. The answer is no." Azula scoffed while turning away from the other woman's angry gaze.
"She gave you a fire lily and you won't even help her retrieve her medicine?" Ty Lee demanded in a judgmental voice while the princess scowled down at them with narrowed eyes.
Mai turned to the younger girl with surprised eyes while noting Elle's slight flush before she gazed at Azula's stoic face.
It was just barely noticeable but to her amazement the princess was blushing!
"You expect the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation…to go on a hunt in the commoner districts for a commoner girl's medicine?" Azula asked in a prideful voice while staring down at Elle's ashamed expression.
"If you haven't noticed, Azula. This…commoner girl probably cares about you more than anyone else in this world. It just seems like it is the least that you could do. Commoner or not…she is our friend now." Ty Lee insisted in a protective voice while patting the sulking girl's back.
"You are turning out to be a real pain in my ass. Do you know that?" Azula scoffed while stepping forward as she towered over her servant's seated form.
"F-forgive me, Mistress Azula…" Elle muttered pitifully while she sat underneath Ty Lee's guarding arm.
"Azula…please. She is a real sweetheart. She thinks the world of you. That ought to earn her a place beside us." Ty Lee pleaded in a softer voice while embracing the smaller girl under her arm.
Azula stood silent for a moment while her eyes swept over Elle's sullen face before her gaze flickered down to the teenager's closed artbook.
At long last she sighed heavily while turning back to her handmaid with her callous eyes softening just barely.
"We need to look out for her, Azula. We need to stick up for her." Ty Lee spoke sternly while Azula gazed down at her still sighing.
"Once more consider yourself fortunate…that I have taken a liking to you." Azula stated finally while her words produced a smile from Ty Lee.
"So…we are going on a hunt for a handmaid's medicine now?" Mai asked in a deadpan voice while standing behind Azula as they gazed down at Ty Lee holding Elle underneath her arm.
"Not just any handmaid, Mai! She is our friend!" Ty Lee cheered while smashing the blushing teenager into her bust.
"Whatever." Mai sighed while gazing down at the younger girl with mildly softer eyes than earlier.
"I will not permit a word of this to circulate beyond closed doors. I have a reputation to maintain…" Azula declared with her hands on her hips as she peered down at Elle while a smile slowly crept back onto her cheeks.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu…" Elle trailed off timidly with Ty Lee pulling her to her feet still holding her under her armpit.
"Remember, Azula. She is just marginally adorable!" Ty Lee chimed while planting her palm atop Elle's head with Azula trying her hardest to glare down at the bashful girl.
"Shut up, Ty Lee." Azula snorted before observing sternly as her friend moved forward with her little handmaid in tow.
"Azula-sama?" Elle began nervously as she peered up at the callous woman.
"What now?" Azula asked strictly while peering down at Elle while Ty Lee continued to smile down at the girl warmly.
Then Elle stunned Mai and even Ty Lee when she leaped from the noblewoman's hold and latched onto the princess's belly.
Azula's face broke out with the twinges of an uncharacteristic blush while Elle buried her face in her upper belly.
She squirmed in protest while the smaller girl continued to embrace her lovingly all the while Ty Lee watched giggling in amusement.
"Servant! Release me at once!" Azula protested angrily while her two friends stifled their chuckles as she glared down at her pet.
"Azula-sama…thank you." Elle spoke up happily while staring up into Azula's reddened face.
"You…you are welcome now let me go!" Azula hissed while glaring over the girl's head at her friend's snickering faces.
"She hasn't burned yet…perhaps the girl has the power to disable Azula's bending by hug alone." Mai taunted with the barest hint of humor in her deadpan voice.
Azula just glared back at her while still trying to push the smaller girl off of her.
"Ty Lee! She is attacking me! Chi block her at once!" Azula called out while her friend's giggles still flowed through the air.
"Definitely more than marginally adorable…" Ty Lee commented with her hands on her hips.
Finally, the princess pushed the handmaid off of her while scowling down at the blushing girl with dominant amber golden eyes.
"Let's just get this over with…I have better things to do than chase bullies all day." Azula sighed with her arms folded over her breasts.
"Wakarimashita…" Elle muttered beside her mistress while peering up with adoration in her innocent eyes.
Azula began to stride onward with Elle following eagerly at her heels with her little backpack on her shoulders and Ty Lee to the girl's right.
Mai lagged behind in the rear all the while gazing at her leader with still taken aback eyes.
To think that Azula cared enough about this girl to go retrieve her medicine…it was just stunning.
"It looks like you're with us now Elle." Ty Lee informed while placing her hand upon the shorter girl's shoulder.
Azula glanced down at the younger girl's timid face with her stern eyes reflecting her newfound possessive nature towards the girl.
"Yes…I am with Azula-sama and her team." Elle agreed happily while turning to smile at all three women before peering up at her stoic mistress.
"Fine. Ty Lee. I suppose she can be the team servant…" Azula spoke while shrugging as she walked alongside Elle while the girl beamed up at her.
All the while one thought continued to play over and over in Elle's mind.
She has finally found where she belonged.
Beside Princess Azula.