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A Talk Between Friends – Chapter Eight
The two friends were now walking towards the water of Harbor City while Ty Lee's hands still hung at her sides.
While she gazed at the princess's back pondering if it was wise to broach this subject now.
"A-Azula? Can we…talk for a moment?" Ty Lee asked in a more skittish voice than usual just as her friend peered at her over her shoulder.
"If you wish to talk, Ty Lee. Then talk." Azula answered in a terribly unsocial voice while walking with her arms folded over her chest.
Truth be told she let the girls off easier than she intended.
She originally planned to have them imprisoned for life.
But strangely, she modified her plans after hearing her pet's little speech.
"In private. B-before we get back to Mai and Elle. Over…there on that bench…maybe?" Ty Lee responded to the other woman's curiosity.
"What? Do you wish to chastise me once more? As if you are my superior?" Azula snapped while rounding to face her somewhat shorter companion.
She was somewhat bothered by the increased fear in Ty Lee's voice.
Not that she would ever say as much aloud.
"No. I…would like to level with you…as a friend. I…feel like our friendship is splitting…and I w-want to save it." Ty Lee explained in a voice that verged on possible tears while Azula gazed back at her frowning in confusion.
She could not understand what caused Ty Lee to start to think such a thing.
"Fine." Azula grumbled before turning to veer off the harbor walkway to sit on the bench overlooking the bay.
Ty Lee followed along silently until they stopped before the bench.
The two women seated themselves beside one another with the princess folding her arms over her breasts all the while gazing at her clearly intimidated friend.
"Well? You wanted to talk. Just what was it that put this silly idea in your head?" Azula demanded while staring at her trembling friend with annoyed eyes.
Strange as it may seem when Ty Lee heard her leader voice those words, she couldn't help but feel a spark of anger.
She decided to use it as fuel for her courage.
"The fact that you are even asking me that just proves how serious this is. I am going to be completely honest with you, Azula. I wasn't even going to broach this subject with you. I was just going to leave it be. Until the day it shattered. But strangely…meeting Elle gave me the courage to talk about it." Ty Lee admitted while turning to her now angered friend with graveness in her gaze.
"She what! Have you been talking with my servant behind my back?" Azula snarled with paranoia in her amber golden eyes as she gazed at her unusually serious friend.
Her good mood was ruined once more.
What a bothersome day this has turned out to be!
"No! She hasn't been speaking with me! I only just recently met her! So quit thinking what I know you're thinking! She gave me courage by watching you show a glimpse of humanity in your interactions with her." Ty Lee shouted while suddenly leaping to her feet while her friend glared up at her.
"I don't think I care for your tone-" Azula began only to be cut off when Ty Lee began shaking her shoulders angrily.
"Too bad! I am your friend! Not your slave! A-and if you give a damn you are going to listen!" Ty Lee cried out with a tear streaming down her cheek while gripping the regal woman's shoulders.
"Calm down, Ty Lee. You are acting like a child." Azula stated in a slightly softer voice than before upon seeing the teardrop.
"No! I won't calm down! This is a long time coming, and if you can just listen! Maybe it will do you some good." Ty Lee replied while releasing Azula's shoulder as they gazed into each other's eyes.
"Just say what you have to say. Quit blubbering." Azula complained while frowning up at her emotional friend.
"Azula! How can you be so blind? You can conquer Ba Sing Se, and go one on one in battle with the Avatar. But you don't even understand your own friends. The truth is…you don't understand people. All you know is war." Ty Lee questioned while the princess's lips pursed in increased ire.
"Blind? You dare call me blind?" Azula hissed while clenching her fists in her anger.
"We are afraid of you, Azula. Me and Mai both." Ty Lee confessed with her voice trembling while callous eyes peered up at her.
"Good. You should fear me. Fear is how-" Azula was cut off once more to her anger by the furious Ty Lee.
"No! Not good! We are your friends! Not your enemies! We shouldn't have to tremble in fear whenever we' ae around you!" Ty Lee exclaimed with rising bravery while Azula gazed up with marginally widened eyes.
The fact that Ty Lee had reinforced that they were her friends strangely made the remark hit her hard in the chest.
"Have I not treated you two well enough? Is that it? I share all of my possessions with you and Mai both." Azula responded with frustration lacing her usually cool voice.
A resounding slap echoed throughout the empty park while the princess's head was now tilted to the side with a faint mark upon her cheek.
Her eyes were agape in disbelief while pure rage began to flow through her veins.
"Y-you ordered my circus tent set on fire you, asshole! H-how could you…do that to m-me?" Ty Lee yelled out in a shaken voice with tears now flowing in full force down her face.
"That was years ago! You weren't even harmed!" Azula insisted while turning her head to glare up at her hysterical friend.
"Y-you scared me to death! W-why would you ever do that to me? M-my own friend made me jump through a ring of fire. Y-you stripped me of my dream. I-I wanted to work in the circus!" Ty Lee cried while plopping back on the bench beside the baffled princess.
"I needed your help to hunt the Avatar." Azula insisted with ever rising aggravation as she turned to gaze at her sobbing companion.
If anyone else had slapped her they would be dead by now.
She decided to overlook it, due to their long friendship, and what with how emotional Ty Lee can be.
"Don't you understand? Y-you don't do that…to a friend. An e-enemy, but never your friend." Ty Lee stated while gazing off across the ocean with tearstained eyes with the other woman listening with grudging shock in her eyes.
In fact, the princess found that for once she was struggling to form words of response to her companion.
"That girl…Elle. I will be truthful in this as well. She…sees something in you that I am not so sure that I…or Mai can see." Ty Lee continued while Azula glanced at her in a speechless silence.
Azula was adept at confrontation but…not with Ty Lee.
This issue…has never been broached before.
"She sees good in you. She sees compassion. You…don't frighten her. She is so eager to be in your company…it is adorable really. I... saw one of her paintings by mistake earlier. " Ty Lee informed in a softer voice while Azula still gazed back with taken aback amber golden eyes.
"Another? She has…painted more than one?" Azula pondered while mulling over her little servant's lack of fear.
It both irked her and pleased her at the same time.
"Yeah. I…think that this is a good thing for you, Azula. I think that Elle is a very good thing for you. And…I don't mean just because she memorizes your every order. I…think you need to learn compassion. You can't…you can't go through life relying on fear alone." Ty Lee announced while meeting the other woman's resistant gaze.
"A good thing? You don't seem to understand, Ty Lee. That it is only through fear that a ruler may maintain control." Azula retorted while scowling when her friend adamantly shook her head.
"That's just what your father told you. B-but he is wrong. If you think that you can keep friends through fear…then you don't even know what friendship means." Ty Lee answered with her lips quivering while Azula gazed at her with her own lips curled into a frown.
Once more the mighty princess found herself at a loss for words.
Her throat felt…oddly dry.
"I will warn you right now. If you continue to treat us this way. Our friendship will shatter. Do you know what comes after that?" Ty Lee inquired with a tear trailing down her cheek.
"What?" Azula hissed with her fists clenched in her lap.
She despised being given an ultimatum, especially by her own friend.
As if…Ty Lee was demanding that she submit to her will.
"Once we are no longer friends. You are just my princess...and I am just another soldier. I will serve you solely through fear. Never again we will share a dinner. Nor will I ever visit you outside of wartime. You can still forcibly summon me. But at that point…I am just your subordinate. Not…your friend." Ty Lee declared with genuine sadness in her voice while Azula sank back on the bench with a strange sensation bubbling in her belly.
"Are you…threatening me, Ty Lee?" Azula questioned while staring at Ty Lee with shock still present in her gaze.
"No. I am leveling with you…as a friend. Giving you a chance to work with me…to save our friendship." Ty Lee assured with her lips curving into a sorrowful smile.
The words…were truly baffling to the ruthless princess.
Over the course of several minutes of sitting in a tense silence while Ty Lee sat with her face in her hands.
Azula finally formed a response.
"What…must I do to satisfy you, Ty Lee?" Azula asked while glancing at the other's woman's marginally more upbeat face.
"I would like to help you, Azula. Both for our friendship, and the people you will one day rule. I…want to help you learn how to understand people." Ty Lee answered while Azula sat there in a bewildered silence.
She was having trouble even processing that she was being told that she had an area where she was deficient.
"I do understand people. I understand their psychology and what makes them tick." Azula stated in an insistent voice while Ty Lee still gazed at her still crying.
Yet the tears were slowing at least. That was something.
"No, Azula. You understand how to control them through fear. You need to learn to understand people. How else can you expect to rule until you grow old? The palace servants are terrified of you! Even more so than your father! They are just people that need to feed their families. You are...so cruel to them. I don't understand it. They are your people, Azula. They shouldn't be looking at you with terror in their eyes. They have children to feed! If you banish them their kids may starve!" Ty Lee explained with passion in her voice while her regal companion sat in a stunned silence.
Azula was vividly recalling her young servant's prior confession of whispers in the streets.
She hadn't thought it relevant…until now.
"As the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation…the Heir to the Fire Lord. You should give a damn if a family goes hungry all because of a minor cooking mistake! Don't you get it, Azula? They should respect you and look up to you as their princess. Not see you as a cruel person who doesn't care for her people!" Ty Lee cried out while Azula peered back at her with bewildered eyes.
"Are you insinuating that my people don't respect me?" Azula spoke at long last with anger intermingling with her shock.
"They do. But not as much as you think. You and your father frighten people…and Azula…that is not always a good thing. If your people despise you. It breeds resentment…and hatred. And a possible premature end…to an otherwise long, and bountiful reign." Ty Lee replied while gazing hard at her unsocial friend.
"If you think that I am that easy to assassinate then you are truly deluded." Azula scoffed with her arms folded in a haughty manner.
"Okay, Azula. How else should I put this? For the sake of simplicity. In this analogy, I am going to compare you to a rude customer in a restaurant" Ty Lee remarked while Azula glanced at her in amusement.
"What? Where are you going with this, Ty Lee?" Azula sighed while shaking her head as she leaned back upon the bench.
"Let's say for a moment that you are a regular citizen. You are displeased with the wait time for your food. So…you begin snapping at the waitress. Like you are royalty. Only…you are not. Perhaps you call her stupid…slow, or a number of other things. Tell me, Azula. What do you think will happen to your food?" Ty Lee continued while peering out over the waterfront.
"I am disgusted you even contemplate this." Azula grunted with revulsion in her eyes while gazing at her friend.
"It is the truth, Azula. Certain workers will put spit, or put even worse bodily fluids into a customer's food if they are rude. Why do you think I am always nice to the wait staff?" Ty Lee blurted out while Azula reeled on her with her nose comically scrunched up in repugnance.
"Ugh! I will hear no more about this, Ty Lee! This is revolting!" Azula exclaimed with rare expression of humorous annoyance in her eyes.
Damn Ty Lee! Now she's gone and gotten her even more paranoid!
"Now just imagine what they might do to royalty. Oh, sure. Most people will be too terrified to even try it with you. But as the years pass by, as you make your servants live in terror…" Ty Lee trailed off while gazing gravely at her repulsed friend.
Azula scowled once more while meeting her companion's gaze with a grudgingly thoughtful gleam in her eyes.
"When you surround yourself with an entire palace of people that loath you. Azula…you will eventually die writhing at the dinner table on the day that your assassin breaches your food taster." Ty Lee concluded in a no-nonsense tone while her princess sat there in silence processing her warning.
"Are you worried about me being killed, Ty Lee?" Azula asked while gazing on in astonishment when her friend nodded with a tear falling down her cheek.
Then the other woman reached out to grasp her hand while she peered down at it with widened eyes.
"Please Azula. I am begging you. Just…try to be a little bit kinder. This is your country. We are your friends. The world should admire you for the amazing talent that you are! Not cower in terror when you walk the streets!" Ty Lee called out while grasping at her friends stunned hand.
"What do you expect me to be? Zuko?" Azula snorted yet she considered the words all the same.
"No. You are Azula! Not Zuko. You…could be kinder than your father…but you don't have to be as nice as Zuko. There…is an in-between you know. There is always…a middle ground." Ty Lee responded while clutching at the princess's palm.
"I…will consider your counsel, Ty Lee. But I make no promises!" Azula commented while staring sternly at her emotive companion.
She found herself even further taken aback when the other woman enveloped her around her neck.
"I-I am so glad, Azula. I am glad that we could talk. I have hope for our friendship now!" Ty Lee cried out while she embraced the regal woman.
The princess soon realized that she was…strangely relieved.
And with that thought in mind she awkwardly wrapped her arms around Ty Lee's smaller frame.
"That is good to hear." Azula muttered while staring over the other woman's shoulder.
"Sorry…for slapping you. But you did kind of deserve it." Ty Lee whispered while Azula gazed off over the waterside with a puzzling emotion in her eyes.
"I am…" Azula trailed off while trying so hard to form the words upon her tongue.
Ty Lee said nothing as she waited while hope continued to swell in her chest while listening to the prideful woman struggle to say what she hoped to hear.
"I…" Azula continued while growling in annoyance with her lips curling into a deep frown.
Still silence reigned just when she noticed a teardrop slide down her neck.
She glanced down in concern to see that Ty Lee was still crying.
For some reason…the sight filled her with a newfound resolve.
She had never realized until now just how much that ring of fire terrified Ty Lee.
"I apologize, Ty Lee…. for setting your net on fire." Azula spoke with her teeth ground together just as the other girl clutched at her with a tightened grip.
"Thank you, Azula! Thank you for saying it. I don't want to be terrified of you. I want to look forward to living out each, and every day beside you!" Ty Lee declared while backing away to meet her friends surprised stare.
"Good…I need you. I would have you…no place else." Azula stated with a marginally softened voice while disconnecting from their embrace.
Ty Lee smiled brightly back at her while wiping her eyes.
"Just promise me one thing." Ty Lee stated while the other gazed back curiously.
"What would that be?" Azula pondered while inwardly realizing she would do almost anything to maintain her friendship with Ty Lee.
"Please…please don't ever try to hurt me again. I…am your friend, Azula. You are not supposed to wish harm upon me." Ty Lee answered with a few more tears falling from her eyes while Azula surveyed her in a displeased manner.
"There will never be a repeat of that incident. Now would you cut out the waterworks? I already have to deal with my servant crying on a daily basis. Must you do it as well?" Azula responded in a return to her stern voice while gazing on in relief to see her friend smiling brightly once more.
"Elle. Her name is Elle." Ty Lee corrected while the princess rolled her elegant eyes.
"I am aware, Ty Lee. She told me as much herself." Azula scoffed in a conceited manner while her friend concluded wiping at her eyes.
She was beginning to wonder if Ty Lee disapproved of her burning of the two brats.
But…as far as she was concerned, they had it coming.
"Then use it! Honestly, Azula, you can be such an icebox sometimes. It is a bit peculiar, considering that your blue flames burn hotter than any other fire." Ty Lee quipped while her friend sighed heavily.
"Fine! I will use my servant's name more often! Are you happy now?" Azula complained while studying the smiling woman with impatient amber golden eyes.
"Yes! I think that Elle is a wonderful thing for you." Ty Lee insisted while the princess gazed out over the waterside.
"I know you do. You keep saying that." Azula replied while curling her fingers over her biceps.
"I know. But I really mean it. She is…so sweet, Azula. She really likes you. She…doesn't want to be cruel like you…but she admires your strength. And so much more…" Ty Lee remarked with a cheery smile on her lips while the proud woman scowled into the distance.
"She wrote me a poem this morning…" Azula confessed in a casual voice while eying the other woman in annoyance when she cried out in delight.
"Aww! That is so adorable, Azula! You have your own little poet!" Ty Lee gushed while smiling as she noted the barest hints of blush on the regal woman's cheeks.
"It…was called 'My Princess'…she wrote it in a foreign language. But I transcribed it from memory. I will let you read it…that is if you can keep it to yourself." Azula announced as she reached into her breast pocket to fish for the paper.
Ty Lee was even more touched to hear that her friend trusted her enough to let her read it.
And even more so…to find out that the ruthless princess had not only been carrying it around all day.
But also, that Azula had taken the time to transcribe the translated poem onto paper.
"It is a promise!" Ty Lee assured while accepting the small paper.
While she gazed down with fascinated brown-gray eyes to see that the poem was written in the same print as the girl's painting title.
And directly below that the princess had written out the text in common calligraphy.
It was evident that the princess had already begun deciphering between their new friend's foreign written language and theirs.
And then she soon found herself sinking back in astonishment as she read each and every heartfelt word.
A tear streamed down her cheek while Azula watched her closely before the paper was quietly deposited into her open palm.
"That…was beautiful. By Agni, Azula. That girl is head over heels for you. I can see it in her eyes." Ty Lee spoke finally while Azula exhaled more calmly.
"I thought as much. It is too bad that she is lowborn. Such a relationship would never be acceptable in the eyes of the court. And she is another girl…on top of all of that. You know well enough that marriage between people of the same sex is forbidden." Azula stated in a cold voice much to the other woman's frustration.
"Azula! None of that matters. If you become Fire Lord you get to decide what is and isn't proper. I…am telling you. You shouldn't pass this up so carelessly." Ty Lee advised while the princess held a hand to her chin.
"She is young as well. Is she even fifteen? I am twenty." Azula commented while listening to Ty Lee sigh in exasperation.
"What does that even matter, Azula? Love isn't defined by age, class or gender. None of those preconceived notions determine what constitutes love. She is probably only a few years younger than you anyway. She is giving up everything that she has known. Just to serve you. How many potential lovers are that devoted? None. Not a one." Ty Lee urged with her lips curving into a grin.
"Why are you so concerned over the girl? It's not like I am throwing her out. I have already laid claim to her." Azula boasted while the other woman sat back in puzzlement.
"Laid claim to her, Azula?" Ty Lee pondered in a patient voice.
"I decided to claim her as my property. I laid siege to her defenses, and made her submit in awe of my might. I conquered her in a display of my superior ability. In the event that I do take any interest in the girl…I already own her." Azula explained while puffing out her chest with a smirk upon her crimson lips.
"Eh…own her…" Ty Lee repeated while scratching her head as she gazed on in humor the woman's lack of social skills.
"Indeed, Ty Lee. By conquering her I have proven that I am the ideal romantic partner. She is a sensitive little thing really. Therefore, she would not be searching for another person of meager strength. A girl that vulnerable is clearly looking for someone strong. I am the strongest there is. Nor is there anyone that can offer the financial stability that I can…as the to be Fire Lord. On top of all of that, I am clearly the most beautiful. I excel in every desired category. It's clear that I am the prime marital candidate." Azula announced smugly while Ty Lee gazed at her in a comical silence.
"Wow. You sure put a lot of thought into that!" Ty Lee exclaimed while grinning despite her friends overinflated ego.
Azula's romantic ignorance was adorable in a strange fashion.
It was quite cute that Azula thought that she had to conquer Elle in a siege of warfare.
Especially considering that Elle was the meekest girl that she's ever met!
The concept of Azula even needing to 'conquer her was just laughable.
"It is just the way I am. One day I will be the ruler of this entire planet…and then I will dominate this world!" Azula called out abruptly while her friend sunk back in a comical silence over her megalomania.
Ty Lee could have sworn that she heard crickets chirping in the background while she gazed at her friend's proud grin.
"As I said, Ty Lee. Clearly, she is searching for someone to lead her…I am the ideal date. If I choose to explore the matter that is." Azula stated with finality in her voice while nodding resolutely.
"Ahem…the ideal date Azula?" Ty Lee sighed while staring at her dominant leader with amused eyes.
So, this was where Azula got the absurd idea that Elle was her pet.
She thinks that romance was a game of dominance!
"What? Do you know anyone mightier than I? If so, I demand to know the name. I will go destroy him or her before her very eyes. Then she will continue to paint me and me alone!" Azula declared with her burning fist clenched with her lips curved into a deranged smile.
"No, Azula. You are definitely the strongest. I really think you're overthinking this. She has eyes for you and you alone." Ty Lee assured gently while leaning forward to smile up at Azula.
"Just as I suspected. She has been conquered. By rights of strength she will only write tributes for me. Nor shall she paint another." Azula stated strictly while tightening her fist while nodding all the while.
"Well…it sounds like you are interested." Ty Lee chimed while the regal woman sank back on the bench.
"It is just…unfortunate that she is a commoner." Azula sighed while missing the spark of anger that suddenly lit in Ty Lee's eyes.
"Stop that!" Ty Lee exclaimed while Azula turned to her in confusion.
"Stop what?" Azula asked while frowning as she realized that she was enjoying the second half of their talk.
For once…she didn't want to descend into conflict.
"Demeaning her! Calling her a commoner like she is trash! I have seen you do some truly cruel things, Azula. But degrading Elle…has to be at the top of the list." Ty Lee remarked while gazing away from her puzzled friend.
"I simply speak the truth, Ty Lee. She is lowborn. That doesn't mean that I despise her. She is…a well-behaved girl. I am fond of her." Azula confessed while folding her hands in her lap.
"That's the thing, Azula. One moment you are fond of Elle, and the next she is bowing like a collared dog. Have you ever painted anything? I have…I can't even paint and it takes days!" Ty Lee exclaimed while clenching her fists in aggravation.
"No. I have not painted, Ty Lee. But I am certain that I would excel at it as with everything else." Azula responded in a confident voice while staring at her friends back.
"I wouldn't be so certain of that, Azula. Not everyone can paint…like that. Not many can. It is a true talent. If she was not so taken with you…she could get rich painting anything, and everything. But there are only so many Azula paintings that she could sell before people got sick of her artwork!" Ty Lee answered while turning to grace her friend with a pointed look.
"Humph. So, you say, Ty Lee. I for one think that my image is quite divine. She told me so herself." Azula spoke while swelling in pride as she scanned her fingernails smiling.
"Azula…how can you say all of that…and still debase her? You are her sole all-consuming thought ever since she arrived from…wherever it is that she came from. Please…just try to get this erroneous notion of division from your mind. Give the girl a chance." Ty Lee conversed while smiling once more at Azula's arrogant visage.
"It's not such a simple matter, Ty Lee. You do understand…that my father cannot know of her feelings for me? He would surely put her away in Boiling Rock to correct her behavior." Azula responded while sighing as she turned in surprise to see her friend looking even more furious than earlier.
Even angrier than when she had the nerve to slap her.
"What has she done…to deserve Boiling Rock?" Ty Lee snapped with anger in her usually cheerful voice.
"Don't put words in my mouth. I never said she deserved it. But her affections would be perceived as an unforgivable slight to the Royal Family." Azula attempted to reason while waving a hand before her face.
"If your father is that monstrous then maybe he deserves to lose the war." Ty Lee growled out while jabbing the princess in her shoulder.
"Those are treasonous words, Ty Lee." Azula commented curtly while narrowing her eyes icily.
"I don't care. She is the most gentle soul that I have ever met. And you are going to make another promise to me that you will never let that happen. Because if it does. I don't know what country she came from. But I will find a way to take her home. Somehow." Ty Lee informed while leaning forward with her lips in a thin line.
The tension had once more returned in full while Azula glared at Ty Lee with a lethal gleam in her eyes.
Strange as it was…she has already realized that she did not want to part ways with her little admirer.
"You will do no such thing." Azula retorted in a glacial voice while exhaling a puff of blue fire like a wrathful dragon.
"Then promise me. That you will protect the girl who has decided to devote her entire life to you. Even from your father." Ty Lee responded while trying to maintain her resolve under such a fearsome death glare.
The fact that Azula had just scarred two girls was still fresh in her mind.
So…she had to be very careful with her choice of words.
"She is my pet. Not yours." Azula insisted in a pompous fashion while still staring icily at her companion.
Ty Lee sighed heavily while throwing her arms up in such frustration that the princess could not help but scowl at her.
"Whatever, Azula! Call it whatever you like but you must promise me. If she is yours…then the responsibility falls on you." Ty Lee demanded while folding her arms over her breasts.
"I will protect her." Azula muttered while still glaring at her unusually rebellious friend.
"Say it again." Ty Lee stated while leveling the regal woman with a frown.
"I said that she is mine, Ty Lee. I will protect her! Be it bullies, the Avatar and his friends, her brother or my father. I will keep her safe from all harm." Azula reassured in an imperious voice while folding one leg over the other in a refined manner.
"Good. Because she is my little sister now. So, I will be holding you to those words!" Ty Lee exclaimed while smiling happily once again.
"Little sister? You already have ample sisters. Six if I recall correctly." Azula snorted while staring at her beaming friend in amusement.
"Now I have one that is not part of a matched set! Ooh! I can't wait to bring her over for snuggle nights!" Ty Lee cheered while her gushing over the girl's gullible nature earned her a cold stare from Azula.
"Snuggle nights?" Azula almost growled much to the other woman's amusement.
"Yeah, I mean…it's not like you are snuggling with her. Poor girl shouldn't have to sleep every night alone in a cramped chamber." Ty Lee stated while gazing at the princess with a gleam in her brown-gray eyes.
"I do not snuggle. But all the same. As her mistress I hereby prohibit you to snuggle her. All activities with my pet must be authorized by me personally." Azula announced in a tyrannical voice while she returned to eying her fingernails.
"She is not your pet, Azula." Ty Lee argued while turning to her spoiled friend.
"Yes, she is. You just agreed that she was just moments ago." Azula reminded with a broad smirk about her while the other woman sank back in her seat huffing.
"T-that was just so I could get you to agree to protecting her." Ty Lee answered while fixing her leader with an exhausted stare.
"Hm. My dominance is already set in stone. Speaking of the girl…we ought to get going." Azula commented while turning away with a curious gleam in her callous eyes.
"Alright…I will let it go for now. But this subject…of ownership is not over. Not by a long shot. I did just have an interesting thought though." Ty Lee replied while the other woman peered at her through the corner of her eye.
"And what might that be?" Azula queried while unfolding her palms to push herself to her feet.
"We should go do something fun tonight. All of us." Ty Lee suggested while the princess stared back blinking in confusion.
"You mean…me, you and Mai? Like what?" Azula asked in a bored voice before looking even more taken aback when Ty Lee's smile vanished.
"Elle too. Stop excluding her. It is…so cruel." Ty Lee stated while Azula herself began to frown.
"Ty Lee. I can't be seen out in Hari Bulkan with a commoner…" Azula trailed off only for Ty Lee to look angry once more.
"Make up your mind. Is the girl our friend or not? If she isn't…then you need to stop toying with her. She thinks that you are her friend. And friends aren't afraid to be seen with a friend." Ty Lee retorted while standing up beside her leader.
"Ugh. I…consider my servant to be my friend." Azula sighed while Ty Lee began to walk beside her.
"Then you can't single her out. Trust me, Azula…she will notice in time if you do and she will be hurt. Very hurt. You…don't want to make Elle cry…right?" Ty Lee explained while Azula turned her head away with a scowl upon her lips.
"No. That would be too much of a bother. But even still…my father…" Azula remarked while frowning down at her boots.
This young girl was truly becoming quite the dilemma.
"Just play it safe and keep it low key until you succeed him as Fire Lord. But for the time being…it wouldn't hurt anything if we had a night out in the city." Ty Lee stated while turning to her friends scrunched up face as she grinned all the while.
"A night in the city, Ty Lee? Something so trivial does not befit a wartime princess." Azula spoke while striding with her palms clasped behind her sloped back.
"Azula! You need to unwind…socialize. We could all use it. Just for one night. We could…go to a nice restaurant…reserve a private room…order food and drinks." Ty Lee insisted while slapping the uptight woman's side.
"Are you…trying to get me to take the girl out on a date?" Azula snorted while rolling her eyes at the other woman's attempt at innocence.
"Oh no! A date would be between just the two of you. But it would be a good chance…for all of us to get to know her." Ty Lee hummed while the princess glanced ahead thoughtfully.
"And if I say no?" Azula drawled out lazily while eying her fingernails.
"Then I will bug you about it. Every second. For the next eight hours." Ty Lee chirped while Azula turned to eye her icily.
"At that point I would simply bar you from my chamber." Azula scoffed while smirking at her friend's crestfallen face.
"Come on, Azula. It would really make the girl happy if her beloved princess included her in a fun night." Ty Lee stated with a warm expression in her eyes as she gazed at the other woman pleadingly.
For the briefest of moments Azula thought it over.
For once…wanting to make another person smile instead of cower in fear.
She could not help but find herself thinking that it would bolster her position as the girl's ruler.
It was a good chance to showcase her strength before the world to her little admirer.
And it was sure to earn her another poem or two…
As long as she keeps the matter from her father's attention…
Even if he does find out she could simply pass Elle off as possessing powerful knowledge of an unknown land.
As a possible representative to this alleged female emperor that she wishes to learn more about.
That was course, presuming that the girl's story was true.
Thus far though, she has yet to detect the girl telling her a single lie.
And was near certain that the girl was not from any of the four nations.
Which begs the question…
Just where exactly was the girl from?
She will just have to investigate this further and perhaps then she will find the answer that she seeks.
"Alright, Ty Lee." Azula sighed at long last while the other woman grinned in delight.
"Elle too?" Ty Lee asked while beaming over the proud woman's stubbornness.
"My servant too." Azula agreed with a smug curve of her lips while she began to walk ahead of her companion.
"Elle. Her name is Elle." Ty Lee reminded once more while the princess literally waved the matter off.
"I will only permit her to accompany with us under two conditions. One, this stays between just the four of us." Azula commanded while turning with her finger raised with Ty Lee speedily nodding in response.
"You said the four of us. That is what I want to hear. No exclusions." Ty Lee stated while gazing at Azula's stern face.
"And two. Under no circumstance. Will you or Mai, mention her brother. If you do…grievous injury is sure to follow." Azula announced in a callous voice while leveling her now shivering friend with her usual imposing stare.
Ty Lee decided to ignore the threat of injury after just being promised that Azula would never hurt her again.
She decided…to chalk it up to Azula truly caring about the girl.
"Of course, but...uh I know this is going to sound nosy. But…what did he do to her? If…you don't mind me asking." Ty Lee mumbled while noticing the way in which the princess's eyes narrowed ever so faintly.
Azula…truly was protective of this girl.
"He tried to rape her. That is why she tried to kill him. That is all I know. I don't know any more, and I wouldn't tell you if I did." Azula explained while Ty Lee stood with her mouth hanging up in horror.
She couldn't quite blame Ty Lee.
Even to her…that was a new level of horrible.
"What a beast…a beast. His own sister." Ty Lee whispered with her eyes fixated into a furious glare of her own.
"She also told me that he had a fondness for bringing little children over…and well. Need I say anymore?" Azula remarked in an offhand voice while Ty Lee still gazed ahead with repulsed brown-gray eyes.
"No. I get the picture. If I ever see him…" Ty Lee hissed while following alongside her calmer leader.
"Should I ever see him. I will kill him" Azula spoke in a glacial voice while her possessive eyes formed a truly callous stare.
"Good." Ty Lee mumbled while Azula placed her palms on her hips.
"Enough about that. Let's track down them down before Mai abandons the girl in her boredom." Azula commented while sharing a knowing look with Ty Lee.
They both knew that Mai would not appreciate playing baby sister for hours on end…
With that thought in mind Azula and Ty Lee hastened their pace.
Hopefully to get there before their new young companion reached the end of Mai's patience.
AN:
I really truly believe that if Ty Lee had leveled with Azula like this in canon that it may have prevented Azula pushing them to the point of betrayal and the end of their friendship. I also believe, that Azula would feel compelled to listen to Ty Lee. Think about it, Azula apologized to Ty Lee in cannon over something smaller than this. So Azula is willing to apologize to Ty Lee.
Azula cares enough for Ty Lee and Mai that their betrayal is what ultimately triggers her mental breakdown. This is why I think if Ty Lee had explained to Azula how she felt, and gave an emotional plea like this. I think it would prompt Azula to at least consider being, slightly nicer to the both of them.
In my story the flaming circus net was six years ago, the entire reason why Ty Lee gained the courage to confront Azula over the matter was strictly because of Elle's presence. If Elle weren't there to see something in Azula that she doesn't see then she wouldn't have ever broached the subject.
Also, if anyone finds it odd that Azula has a slight romantic interest in Elle. I would like to point out that Azula would be well aware that most people are far too terrified of her to even want to go on a date with her.
She couldn't even talk normally with Chan, seemingly a person of nobility, so it is highly likely that she has had other attempts that have ended the same way.
Azula is a supremely proud person, and she would never vocally admit that she cannot find a date.
This is why I think Azula would consider the merit in a young admirer that has the courage to approach her and give her a flower.