The sea was tumultuous - deep, dark waves tossed the immense trading vessel this way and that, and the frequent storms didn't help. The weather was tame in comparison to the emotions ripping through Ty Lee's heart. She didn't leave her below-deck quarters for almost the entire duration of the multi-week trip, save for meal time or for the occasional sip of fresh air. She did, however, spend many hours staring up at the ceiling, imagining realities where she made different choices. Sometimes, she daydreamed and reminisced about the good times, which now seemed like mere illusions; but all of her memories of Azula and Mai, pleasant and disturbing, were real.
Ty Lee spent even more time staring at her hands, imagining hundreds of ways she could kill Fire Lord Azula: a sharp chi strike to a vital point in the neck, poison, or a blade in her back, or perhaps something even more underhanded? She wondered how long it would take to win back the trust of the former princess - weeks, months, hours? Azula was unpredictable. Despite her anxious doubts, Ty Lee's mind always settled on a simple truth: 'It has to be done by whatever means necessary.'
During one of her brief excursions topside, an earthbender man on the ship almost recognized her. Getting handed over was part of the plan, but being caught so early was not. There were some relatives she wanted to see first, so Ty Lee spent the rest of the journey hiding in her cabin, avoiding any interactions. She considered cutting her hair short for the sake of better disguising herself, yet couldn't bring herself to do it: Ty Lee's elegant, feminine beauty had always been a part of her, the way she tended to her silken brown locks allowed her to stand out from her uninspired, drab sisters; and… Azula liked it long. What felt like forever ago, the princess had run her fingers through Ty Lee's hair. She smiled as she did it, the special kind of smile that Azula had only ever offered Ty Lee.
"Have I ever told you how lovely I find your hair, Ty Lee?" She'd purred, and gathered the dark-brown tresses up in her hand, leaning close and inhaling the scent of her perfume.
"Just my hair?" Ty Lee had teased, and despite her attempt at playing it cool, her face had burned the entire time she'd said it; and she'd barely been able to meet her best friend's stare.
"No. Not just your hair, don't be foolish." Then, Azula hesitated. Truly remarkable! The princess never hesitated: supposedly, self-doubt was for weaklings. After licking her lips, Azula had leaned close, warm breath on Ty's face as she purred, "I admire every part of you, Ty Lee." The princess's eyes had gleamed like melting honey, gaze settling on Ty Lee's lips, and in the moment she'd sworn the beautiful royal was going to lean in and kiss her. Ty Lee had closed her eyes, shivering, wondering what those lovely lips, usually pursed in a frown or imperious sneer, would taste and feel like.
The butterflies that went through Ty Lee then still fluttered through her now at the memory, but that kiss never happened. Azula had simply turned away. She'd never been more disappointed in her life. Would she have chi-blocked Azula that day, if the princess had been daring enough, or had the desire, to steal a kiss? A trail of thoughts she would avoid at all cost. Ty Lee gasped, shaking away the memory, and forced a new one to replace it: Katara's advice.
'Azula is incapable of love.'
She had to remember that.
Mai didn't immediately react when the immense door to her enclosure opened and her "wife" stepped in. She didn't even twitch. Naked from the chest up and covered in bruises and abrasions from previous nights of abuse, the disgraced noblewoman was trapped in a restless state, not quite alive or unconscious. Her long, pale arms were held aloft by chains wrapped around her wrists, extending from the ceiling. Her head was slouched forward, causing her mop of inky black hair to fall across her eyes and hide her fine facial features. The only source of comfort were the thin cushions beneath her knees, made of a soft but scratchy material. Even after all the torment, she was still remarkably beautiful, but frequent bouts of imprisonment and stress had caused her flesh to lose some of its glow; and her body was growing thin from her petty rations, a constant dark shadow under her eyes, and her cheeks slightly hollow. Her face had lost some of its beauty, stress, and exhaustion having done its work, but her eyes still held the coal-black flame of rebellion that Azula appreciated about her former friend.
Stepping in a small circle around her, the Fire Lord couldn't help but admire the sight of her first wife's skin, which was now marred with long, white scars from top to bottom. Mai looked stunning in nothing but rags, cuts, and chains. Solitude in the distant dungeons beneath the Fire Nation palace suited her. The thought made Azula smirk. She dismissed her escorts with a wave and set her torch in a sconce on the nearby wall. As the young royal stepped closer, Mai jerked into awareness with a sudden gasp, as if being resuscitated.
Mai was surely being resurrected into hell. The same nightmare face that haunted her dreams was peering down at her, wielding an identical nasty smirk. Azula's black hair was messy, falling unkempt down her robed countenance. Staring into the dark, empty gaze of her former "friend", Mai felt a familiar rush of icy dread soak into her frame. Those eyes, distant and dreadful, had a special kind of madness in them tonight.
The Fire Lord smiled warmly, mockingly, tilting her head to one side as she closed the remaining distance. "You look as good as ever, my lovely Mai. Did you miss me?" Azula purred, trailing a hot hand across one of Mai's shoulders, tracing the layers of scar tissue she'd placed there like dozens of pale kisses.
Mai flinched at the gentle contact; tenderness from Azula was like poison. A long time ago Mai might have spat a response back, said something cold and witty, but she didn't have the energy for that anymore, she'd long since surrendered her ego. Somehow, even saying nothing, she still managed to get on Azula's nerves. Mai could never win, not against the maddened mind across from her.
Azula's gaze flashed like lightning, "Tch. You can deny me your voice now, but you know I'll just pull it out of you anyways, so why bother?" Azula knelt. Her face was an angry white mask as she placed two fingers against the bottom of Mai's chin, tilting the prisoner's face up so that she had no choice but to be eye-to-eye with her tormentor.
"Azula, please just-" The ebony-haired woman glanced up from under her dense bangs, then sighed softly. "When will you stop this?"
"Stop? Stop what?"
'Stop hurting me, stop hating me.' Mai couldn't find the strength to say that, there was just no point. She was ashamed she'd instinctively started to beg again. Azula's touch did that, made her forget herself. She mumbled something incoherent, dizzy with exhaustion, fear, and a deep-set sorrow she could never shake.
"Speak up!" The Fire Lord snapped, "Surely you haven't used up all your energy already. Tch, you've really let yourself go."
Trembling, Mai didn't say a word. Internally, she burned, burned fiercer than the fire of any bender.
"You're pathetic." Meaningless cruelty! Yet Azula's words never failed to hurt her, even after all this time. Azula's smirk widened. "I mean it, Mai, you're truly pathetic. You're useless. You're a whore."
Still, Mai held her tongue.
Azula seemed to be enjoying this little game. Her breath was sweet as she pressed her face close until it was a few inches from Mai's. The dictator's eyes glowed vivid, bright gold, a fire flickering deep within them. "You were never worthy of my brother, and are even less so of me. The imperial whore, the first wife - you don't deserve the honor. You should be thanking me instead of being so ungrateful."
Sometimes, Mai forgot she was a human being with real emotions and not just an empty husk, but Azula would never let her forget herself entirely, that would be too kind. She thought she had nothing left to give; as always, the Fire Lord proved just how wrong she was. The emotions burst within her, taking control, and she found herself shouting, "Fuck you! Fuck you, you disgusting monster. I'd take an animal over you! I'd rather die than feel your touch again!"
For a long, tense moment, Azula said nothing. Their gazes locked, and the warlord smiled slowly. "There it is… that fire. I knew you still had it in you."
Infuriated by the smug reply, and the strange feeling of defeat at having shown emotions, Mai screamed shrilly, and for a few minutes, she was entirely human again. She told Azula just what she thought of her, suddenly full of energy that she didn't realize she even had. The silk-clad Fire Lord was clearly very amused by the barrage of insults and threats; then Mai said the one thing she knew Azula hated: "Ty Lee left you because you're the worthless one! Even a girl that stupid knows just how pathetic and fucked up you-"
"Shut up bitch!" Azula's arm was a pale flash, and the back of her hand collided with Mai's face.
Teeth bloodied, the pale, worn-out woman grinned, eyes sparkling with renewed life. "I wonder where she is. Probably with a handsome man who is treating her kindly, the way she deserves, something you're incapable of-"
"I said shut up! You don't know anything!"
"I know you're scum, and she's sunshine."
Total silence for a moment. Mai knew what was coming, and regretted not being able to bite back her insolence. Too late for regret now.
Azula's illusion of perfect control shattered. Again and again, she hit Mai, scattering blows across her face and breasts. Each slap filled the air like a whip's crack, and only when Azula added fire to her hand did Mai fall silent, her bloodied lips trembling. Mai wore her wounds with pride, but her fear of being burnt overcame her urge to rebel. Azula was adept at delivering all kinds of pain, but her mastery of lightning and flame summoned true terror in the disgraced noble. She receded into herself, feeling small as a mouse again, shoulders slumping, chains rattling. How shameless she was. Afraid of fire, afraid of Azula, beaten into obedience, and chained down: Azula's favorite sex toy. How far she'd fallen. She was only grateful Zuko wasn't alive to see her like this; and that thought brought a kind of despair that no words could ever describe.
Panting with exertion and coated with sweat, Azula sneered at her, "That's what I thought! I love that hateful, frightened stare! Can't get enough of it, really! You know, my pretty little Mai, hate is a few small steps away from worship. Even though you despise me, when I'm gone, you can't stop thinking about me. About all the things I do to you..." She took in the frightened, tear-stained face of her "wife", her fiery gaze glimmering in the torchlight, and moaned softly. Reaching down, she began to undo the maroon ties around her waist and let her robe drop. "You despise me. You want to kill me. You want to wrap your hands around my neck and strangle me. Every moment you ask yourself 'Why didn't I kill her while I had the chance?' A good question. You could have, but it all comes back to a simple truth."
Mai shuddered with disgust when Azula pushed her undergarments down, unveiling the impressive length of her cock. Well-hung, Azula held the base with her hand, and began to slowly stroke it. Seething, Mai avoided looking at the huge, leaking organ, even as she felt an instinctive pulse internally, her clit throbbing.
"You're weak, Mai. That's why you didn't kill me! That's why you chose my brother. That's why you deserve this!"
Mai's eyes slammed shut, and she welcomed the rush of darkness as Azula stepped behind her. Even with her eyes closed, Mai could conjure up a near-perfect image of the firebender with her eyes. Even her mind wasn't a proper escape, especially when she felt the scraps of rags clinging to her near-naked body get ripped off and tossed aside. Something hot and hard pressed against her ass. Moaning softly, Azula pressed her chest to Mai's back, sucking harshly on the slim column of her neck and on her shoulders.
"Stop," Mai whispered, hating the shiver of delight as those soft, hot lips ran across her skin. Azula was being tender, because she knew that was true torture, almost as bad as burning, for it was something her broken mind couldn't afford to turn aside. Pleasure was the greatest reprieve, and her worst nightmare. "Please… someone, something, make it stop! I- I can't do this… I can't stand it anymore!"
"Nobody is going to save you from yourself. What's the matter, Mai? Can't stand that I make your body come alive?" Azula grinned and ran a hand through Mai's hair. "Can't stand that I've made you mine in a way my brother never did? Never had the courage to."
Mai flinched at the mention of Zuko, and that was exactly why Azula said it. She glowered at the gray-stone wall across from her. "He was a better human than you ever could be!"
"He was weak. That's why he's not here to stop me or protect you. Inferior, all of you, but especially him, and especially you."
Azula was unfazed as the dark-haired girl started to writhe and thrash against her chains like a wild animal. Whether she realized it or not, these violent motions merely made Azula feel even better, her round ass perfectly hugging the Fire Lord's cock. Azula, basking in the sweet glow of Mai's spiteful words, began to grind her stiff crotch into her wife's shapely bottom. Slow at first, then harder when Mai started sobbing.
Then, Azula pushed her dick lower. Skipping all foreplay, she rubbed her cockhead against the muscular ring of Mai's pussy entrance, leaking head pressing in again and again, but not quite able to enter. Mai dreaded the inevitable intrusion.
Zuko never claimed this part of her, and every time Azula sank inside, she somehow lost another part of herself. Every time Azula touched her she was ruined in an entirely new way! She groaned, the painful sting of the first inch of penetration making her flinch.
"Nnn, so tight. Can't believe my brother never fucked this." Another inch slipped inside despite the resistance. Reaching up, Azula undid a single cuff around Mai's wrist. "Play with your clit, you whore."
'No. No, please! Anything but pleasure. Hurt me, Azula. Beat me, make me bleed, but please don't make me cum.' Maybe if she managed to speak, Azula would've taken her up on that offer, but when Mai tried to she was only capable of letting out a broken, pathetic, sobbing sound. She shook her head back and forth, tears streaming down her cheeks, she could taste her own tears, they stung when they touched her split lip.
She couldn't stop herself from screaming when Azula raised a flaming hand and slapped her harshly on her round, pale-moon bottom; and the skin there erupted with pain. The burn was weak and yet still unbearably agonizing. Not letting the fire die out, Azula grinned and reached between Mai's thighs.
"Unless you want me to do it for you you'll do it, bitch," She let the command hang in the air, the fierce orange waves creating small sparks in the air, heat lapping at the flustered skin of Mai's pussy.
Mai let her hand drop. Her entire arm ached, and her body was weak, but she knew Azula wouldn't care about that. Meeting the bitch's expectations, the former noblewoman began to play with her clit, slow and steady. Azula watched with bated breath, eyes narrowing. Mai hated the rush of satisfaction she got knowing Azula wanted her and liked watching her play with her pussy.
Such a monster. Yet Mai had once obeyed this insane girl's every command, been her willing slave in all but name. The bliss settled in, her nerves coming to life as she swirled her fingers around the nub, which quickly became swollen. She bit her bottom lip, gasping, her hips swaying in the air as she rubbed her eager cunt into her hand. Despite herself, Mai began to moan, weak, treacherous little sounds that escaped her lips.
"That's it. Just think, Zuko never got to hear those sweet moans. I truly am a lucky woman."
"Y-You're a fucked up, evil sadist," Mai whispered, shuddering as another inch of Azula's cock was forced into her.
"You helped create me, my sweet, masochistic Mai," Azula purred back, finally letting the flames die down as she placed a hand on the flat of Mai's stomach, beginning to slowly thrust. Even just that was unbearable. Mai groaned as she was stretched, and even though she hated it, even though she despised Azula more than anything in the world she started to feel it. "Mmm... you're starting to get wet. It's happening faster every time, isn't it?"
It was true. Every time Azula visited her, her pussy became more accustomed to it- craved the feeling of fullness, even. Her useless body was hooked on pain and pleasure. As long as it wasn't burning, she craved it. Even now, she was thinking about the slaps she'd received, the dull, constant pain in her face and chest sending a throb down to her clit with each thrust. "Don't look so sad. It's only natural that your body recognizes who it belongs to. No shame in that! Well, I'd say that if you weren't once my brother's loyal whore. There is no getting out of it- you're betraying him. Just listen to this." She emphasized her taunting by rolling her hips and was rewarded with wet, squelching noises, Mai's slick seeping out. She tried not to, but her inner muscles kept clamping down as if trying to pull out Azula's cum. "Do you hear it? Your pussy is weeping for me, trying to drain my seed."
Mai tried to shut the words out, focusing on the feeling of the cock slowly pushing in and out of her, but that only made everything worse.
"Imagine if he saw this. He'd cry, wouldn't he? If he knew how badly you crave my dick, how you cum like crazy almost every time I rape you."
"Forgive me, Zuko," Mai murmured brokenly, "please forgive me!"
A sharp bark of a laugh, "Forgive you? No… He'd spit on you. Disgusting, filthy woman, cumming on the cock of her beloved's murderer~!"
Azula was ruthless. Mai let the words stab into her, and let the heat of their mating take over her mind. The ruler of the Fire Nation fucked her as if she were nothing more than an object. The sound of the clapping thrusts filled the cell with brutal efficiency. Her cock plunged deep, knocking against the entrance of Mai's womb. With each thrust, Mai found the crumbling remains of her resistance shattering, her fingernails burrowing into her palm as her other hand abused her clitoris. Streams of pre-cum streaked her already wet insides. Azula nuzzled the back of her neck, oddly affectionate even as she brutalized the woman beneath her, and when Mai tried to gasp out a reply, she silenced her by fiercely smacking her bottom. "Shut it, bitch. Unless it's a moan, I don't want to hear it!"
Mai could feel every throb, every twitch. The glistening folds of her vulva parted with ease, and when Mai glanced down, she had no choice but to see every inch of Azula's cock speared inside. Disgustingly, they looked so beautiful, their bodies merging like this. Azula's moans against her ear were like oral poison, making her shudder, and making her clitoris throb. Like the compliant woman she was, Mai played with her throbbing hotspot as ordered, biting her bottom lip and suppressing as many of her moans as she could. Her fingers desperately danced across her clitoris.
"Nnn, you feel so damn good, Mai!"
'Why? Why does my heart race when she whispers that to me? Even after everything- even after him!?' Mai couldn't figure out who she hated more: Azula or herself.
"Mai," Azula whimpered again, more desperate now, stabbing her cock hungrily toward that chamber hidden inside her wife's body. Her entire form was trembling, fingers clutching at Mai's hips, her savage swings making their sticky skin clap loudly, wetly together. "Mai!"
Mai's heart pounded as Azula's thrusts grew increasingly frantic and erratic. She felt her pleasure mounting, and she knew that Azula was reaching her limit as well. With each powerful movement, she could feel the tension building inside her. Mai mumbled incoherently, thrashing her head back and forth. Between the sobs and inaudible words, she managed, "P-Please stop, please stop, PLEASE!"
Azula cackled in delight, shifting so her breasts clung to Mai's naked, scarred back. Her hard nipples grazed Mai's sensitive skin. "You would've killed yourself rather than beg me in the past. This new attitude suits you."
Mai's eyes widened, face rapidly growing pale. She clawed at her chains, and tried to drag her body away, but found moving just helped Azula hit a better angle. Her insides spread wide, her wet pussy drenching her former friend's cock. "Please, Azula…! I-I don't want to-"
"Don't want to cum all over the cock of the one who killed your precious Zuko? Well, stop feeling good then." Ruthlessly, Azula shifted her hand and teased her fingers through Mai's hair in a gentle, almost loving manner. Perhaps if Azula was just jamming her cock inside she might be able to resist, but the verbal humiliation and echoes of physical pain combined with that gentle treatment were overstimulating her. "Do you think denying me what is mine is somehow honoring my brother's memory? It's far too late for that. You will cum for me."
"A-Azula… stop mentioning him-"
"I'll mention whomever I please," Azula snapped back, her hard, sharp thrusts silencing Mai. Agonized, Mai wept uselessly. She hated how weak she felt, how her pain only made Azula thrust harder, and laugh louder.
"Please just… just dump it inside! I can't anymore. I-I don't want to feel it. Please don't make me. Please don't make me-"
"You'll get it one day. That you're nothing! That I can do whatever the fuck I want! You're a worthless, treacherous slut! You're about to cum. So fucking wet I can shove the entirety of myself in and out with ease yet begging for mercy! Ha! I bet I could fit my whole arm in that sloppy cunt! Say, that's not a bad idea." Laughing wickedly, Azula alternated slaps on Mai's asscheeks between each thrust, harsh, painful blows that made her clit tingle and her belly flutter. Mai's soft bottom, stained a vivid red from Azula's fierce swats, bounced against Azula's crotch. Azula loved the sight, her eyes swept over Mai from top to bottom, over and over, like she'd never seen anything so beautiful.
"Do you understand me, Mai? It's over! You're just a toy for me now! Zuko is dead and you're mine! No one is ever coming to save you!"
Azula kicked Mai's legs apart wider, slamming as deep as she could, eyes rolling into the back of her head; she was losing herself just as much as Mai was, her body alive with the joy of completely controlling another.
Something clicked. The Fire Lady's pussy took over her mind, the rest of the world melted away. All she cared about was this merging of bodies... in this moment, all the bad thoughts were gone, or rather, every bad thought made everything feel even better... She was truly broken.
"A-Azula… Azula!" Mai let out a pathetic, needy whine. The sound made her eyes widen, her mouth hanging open as she began to shake her head as if to deny the creeping orgasm but there it was. She couldn't escape it anymore, and neither could Azula. "Azullaaa, I'm going to cum, I'm-m-mMMM!"
"There it is. Finally honest with me! I'm cumming- mmmn! Take it all you fucking traitor!"
Then, she felt it. Azula came inside her, thick stream of hot cum flooding deep. She was drenched with the sticky stuff; the ecstasy of getting completely used, and abused, took over entirely. Wave after wave of bliss struck her. Eyes losing focus, Mai orgasmed all over Azula's cock. Her climax was messy. Her juices splashed down Azula's shaft, soaking her crotch. Mai slouched in place, drooling, useless. Azula had fucked her so hard that she felt like she had been split in two.
"Whore wife," Azula hissed. Mai whimpered as the madwoman sank her teeth into Mai's shoulder. Exhaling heavily, she began letting flames lick from her mouth to taste the porcelain skin of the one bound to her. The burning smell, the fiery scream her acts earned, made Azula thrust ever harder, dumping herself inside a second time. Load after load of hot, steaming spunk spilled out inside her, so much that it began dripping down her thighs, and onto the cold stone floor.
Breathing heavily, Azula pulled her cock free. Mai slumped once more, her folds leaking, the faint torchlight making the juices glisten. Like a dragon with its appetite finally sated, the royal bender sighed softly, petting the top of Mai's head. She was weeping as the warlord said in a mocking tone, "You always make me feel so much better. Such a good friend, even after all these years."
"So cruel, you monster! W-Why?" Mai sobbed, the burning bite wound was almost too much to bear, as unbearable as the hot splash inside her.
"Why? Why what?"
"Why won't you just kill me?"
"Kill my own wife? I'm not that much of a tyrant." Azula scoffed. "Come now. You represent Prince Zuko, the end of him. Made barren, made into nothing but a trophy." Amusement tinged her tone now. "You won't be joining him for a long time, Mai. Best get used to it.". The brute re-cuffed Mai's free hand, before pulling her robes back on. "Goodnight, wife. Maybe one day you'll get used to all this." She cupped the prisoner's cheek and stared deep and long into her eyes once again. "For my sake please don't. I want to break you forever, Mai."
The way she said it; it was almost loving. Then, Azula pressed her mouth to Mai's ear, breath warm. "But if you ever try to use Ty Lee against me again I'll burn your tongue off, you shameless, disloyal cunt."
Without another word, the Fire Lord left, and the wrought iron door to Mai's prison cell swung shut behind her.
When the captain announced they were an hour away from shore, Ty Lee devoted all her remaining time to meditation and stretching, doing her best to prepare her body for the challenges ahead. Of course, she knew there were possibilities she couldn't account for. Ty Lee swept her hood up, headed above, and took in the sight of the place she once called home.
The Capital Island housed the seat of power of the Fire Nation, as well as most of the noble families. Before, it had been heavily militant, but it was even worse now. Even from afar, Ty Lee could see the great war machines housed at different intervals, heavily guarded, as well as streams of soldiers roaming the docks in their maroon armor, checking the paperwork of those entering, and gathering up the human merchandise that some ships offered. Great, fluttering war banners with the symbol of the royal family fluttered from the high walls.
In this harrowing city, she was a wanted person, but she'd enter the belly of the beast regardless. A lesser woman would've been paralyzed with fright when considering the unknown, bleak future before her, but Ty Lee was anything but ordinary. She was smart, seductive, and could incapacitate a large group of men with her bare hands; she was also quite skilled at applying makeup from her circus days, even more so now after working with Suki back in Tai Shu, and before that Boiling Rock. Furthering her disguise capability, her clothes were completely different from her usual color and style, and hid the shape of her body; there was little she felt incapable of.
It had been years since she'd seen her mother, father, and siblings, and she had never tried to contact any of them, not for lack of love. Ty Lee had always made it clear to Azula that she was disconnected from her family and had no interest in their affairs. After the war, continuing to stay away from them just made sense. She didn't want Azula's rage to come down on her kin.
What did they think of her now? Did they see her as a traitor, brainwashed like all the other nobles? Ty Lee's mother had always been susceptible to fear, and her father submitted to the woman's every whim. But there was no point trying to guess the impossible, and if her family tried to turn Ty Lee in themselves, she'd just let it happen.
When the ship finally docked, Ty Lee gathered her things, took a deep breath, and stepped off the ship with everyone else, her eyes scanning the crowd for any familiar faces. As she walked through the bustling port, she couldn't help but wonder if anyone was watching her, if anyone knew who she really was. She made it through customs, her fake identification papers impeccable, but that was just the first step.
Ty Lee was able to purchase passage from a carriage, and once she reached a certain part of the island, she took the rest of the journey by foot. It took many hours to reach her family estate. It was worth it for the sights alone. While war seemed to permeate the entire island, there were still flashes of surreal beauty, and nature aplenty. Hours later, she finally made it to her childhood home, or rather, what remained of it. For a long time, Ty Lee just stood there, staring at the burnt-down husk that used to be the place where she grew up. The land was now overgrown, and the whole place looked like it had been abandoned for years. Never again would she know the joy of playing in the fields that once surrounded the house or the comfort of the warm fireplace that she used to sit by on cold winter nights, bouncing on her father's knee.
A gray feeling filled her. 'T-This isn't happening, this can't be real. It can't possibly be gone.' Except it was. 'Where is my family? Where are my sisters? Did Azula do this? But why? They had nothing to do with me! Why?! Why Azula!?' Ty Lee's deep gray eyes swept back and forth, and she was unable to stop the hot wave of tears from prickling her eyes. The salty moisture soon soaked her round cheeks.
"W-What happened?" She gasped in despair, wiping away tears with the backs of her hands. She was not expecting there to be a reply.
"What happened to them? Why, they got their just desserts, of course!" A passing young man commented crudely. At his side was a shaggy-haired male, leading a line of cattle, and a pretty young girl who nodded in agreement. It seemed to be a nobleman and his retainers: a maid and a worker. "Traitors, that whole family."
Ty Lee's blood went cold, and she looked sideways at the three.
"A truly bloody affair," the cattleman remarked, "Sometimes I swear I hear their desperate pleas for clemency in my dreams. Such a pity for a family once so noble and respected to fall so far."
"Emphasis on the once. You're rather weak-bellied, aren't you? I say their executions weren't bloody enough. Surely you don't mean to imply Fire Lord Azula went too far?" The man's tone took on a dark, dangerous edge, and glancing his way, Ty Lee recognized his attire: a hand of the government, a bureaucrat, and a proud one. He held his shoulders high, head higher, and he had a weapon strapped at his hip.
The fair-faced woman at his side trembled, instantly shaking her head back and forth. "O-of course he didn't mean it like that, Lord Suhan!"
Suhan? Ty Lee suppressed a gasp as she recognized the boy from her childhood. He was a snot-nosed lesser noble who had clearly risen in the ranks of the Fire Nation. No surprise there; he had always been cruel and a bully. No doubt he had cast aside all of his honor and willingly slaughtered and oppressed others for Azula. Her hands trembled with the desire to hurt him, and anyone who dared to speak ill of her family.
The shaggy-haired herder was sweating profusely as he spoke. "I-I'd never imply such a thing. Princess Azula was right to cleanse the treacherous bloodlines from the bottom up. She's safeguarded the integrity of our people and forged a bright new future for all Fire Nation citizens."
However, the seed of suspicion had been planted. The bureaucrat cast a dark, sinister look in the man's direction but said nothing else. The three of them started to walk away, barely acknowledging Ty Lee's presence.
Ty Lee found her voice. "Who used to live here? What crime did they commit?"
"Huh?" The noble turned to glare at her unfamiliar hooded form. Recognizing a young, beautiful lady, he relaxed, and a smile curled his lips. "High treason, and more."
Careful to keep her identity veiled, Ty Lee stared toward where her old home used to be.
"The family of one of Fire Lord Azula's old allies used to live here. After the end of the war, Fire Lord Azula - long may she reign - rounded up all the daughters, imprisoning many of them, and allowing some of her trusted allies to keep some of the others. As for the traitor's older relatives: her mother, father, even the extended branches? Well, almost none of them were spared."
Ty Lee, trying not to drown in the torrent of emotions suddenly hitting her, let out a strange, broken noise. The three people stared after her strangely as she walked off, eyes on the ground, lost in heartbreak.
She killed her own family with her selfish decisions, with her treachery. She shuddered at the thought of what her sisters must be enduring. Was living under the tyranny of Azula's allies worse than the deaths that the rest of her family suffered? Ty Lee couldn't decide. She found herself unable to make up her mind about anything.
As she walked away, the noble called out to her, "Now, wait just a minute. Who are you? I walk by here almost every day, and I've never seen you before."
Ty Lee froze. Her heart raced, and a bead of sweat dripped down her back. "I'm... no one. Surely you can't know everyone." She kept walking, eager to put space between them and terrified that they might follow her. She quickened her pace and felt relieved when she looked back and saw that they'd lost interest in her.
Feeling sick to her stomach, she rushed away from the gentle place she once called home and traveled into the dense, busy parts of Capital Island. She found the nearest alleyway, and, falling to her knees in despair, began to vomit on the ground. Over and over, she imagined the horrible events that had taken place - the screams of her innocent sisters, mother, and father.
"A-Azula…! I-I'll never forgive you," Ty Lee whispered between bouts of sickness, "Katara was right about you."
For the next few hours, she wandered, feeling empty. It was only when the sky turned dark that she realized she still needed to take care of her body. She bought a room in a quiet, lonely inn, and purchased a tiny meal. She couldn't find it in herself to finish it, her stomach tossing and turning more fiercely than the sea had. A man tried to start a conversation with her. He was cute, and funny, but was useless as a distraction. The lovely lady musician playing a flute in the corner merely made Ty Lee sadder with her music.
Realizing that nothing would bring her comfort or joy ever again, the brown-haired girl returned to her room for the night. She went over to the lone window, and stared up at the midnight sky, long and hard. The peaceful blue horizon, and the sparkling stars, somehow made everything more unbearable.
How could the world be so beautiful while her heart was being ripped apart like this? Then, for the first time, Ty Lee felt it: pure, black rage.
'Azula, I'm going to kill you. I'm going to make you pay for every single person you hurt.'