The Royal Palace was a sight to behold; Ty Lee had seen it in the distance, like everyone else around her, being the central landmark of Caldera City, sitting at the base of the crater. However, she had never thought she would step inside it. She was only six years old, and yet, she had had the most auspicious luck of making quick friends with a Princess of the Fire Nation. That was what her mother had told her at least; she usually wasn't one to give all too much advice to one daughter over the other six, but it seemed that day was an exception. She didn't know if that was a bigger surprise than actually coming to the palace itself.
She had learned about it in school, where they showed drawings of its majesty and scale, but they had not done it justice. The roof hung high up above her, and the walls were adorned with torches, which itself was quite strange, but gave the place the aura befitting of a palace. It was the residence of the Fire Lord, the most powerful and important man in the world. Fire Lord Sozin had had the place rebuilt over a century before, and it was supposedly the grandest building in the world, outshining the palace of the Earth King in Ba Sing Se.
She was accompanied by Mai, who along with the Princess, formed their friendship group. The quiet and stoic girl was not quick to open up with Ty Lee, but she seemed to be friendlier than her outward emotions suggested. In getting to know her from schoolwork and play, she would offer help and advice when needed, and would aid her if others were less than friendly to her. More than once she had directly threatened Ty Woo when she had mocked her skills or intellect, and though Ty Lee appreciated it, her sister and her lived in the same household. She would return to her abrasive behaviour as soon as they returned home; however, the fear of Mai had been knocked into her at school, and that wasn't to mention to the Princess.
Though the Princess herself was arguably a bully, using her authority and rights as Princess to mock, and dishonour those girls who made wrongs against her, she would only do so when she wasn't respected. She wouldn't go out of her way to make an enemy of other schoolgirls. Despite being less stoic than Mai, she was almost as hard to read, as she put on many a mask; she was no theatre actor, but she had to play her role, and being a Princess of the Fire Nation meant she had to act cool, commanding, and confident at all times. Her mask was only weak because she was so young; she didn't know all the ways to act, and made slip ups, like any person, but she had gotten over any initial shyness she might have had at school. Now she tried to remain 'on top' at all times, and though that could be annoying, she couldn't deny that the Princess had a charm to her.
The two girls were greeted by a servant, whose clothes were more ornate than their own, despite being noblewomen, "Ladies Ty Lee and Mai, I welcome you to the Royal Palace." he addressed them, "I hope the guards were not too frightening when they brought you here."
"No, they were just doing their jobs." Mai acknowledged almost immediately, and bowed to the servant, "Where is Azula?"
"Her highness is training her firebending, but was informed of your arrival time. I have been instructed to bring you to her." he explained, "Her father, Prince Ozai, has permitted you to enter the palace and use the facilities as she would... however, if you do any damages, the punishment is on the Princess. So, she has requested you to be most cautious while inside."
"Of course." Ty Lee bowed to him, and Mai did the same, "I don't want her getting told off because we touched something."
"You mean if you touched something." Mai corrected her snidely.
"I won't." she assured her, "I know I shouldn't."
"Just don't cartwheel into a vase." she suggested, and eyed the servant, "Can you take us to her now?"
"Yes." the servant confirmed, and bowed before leading them down the hallway.
The guards that had been following them remained with them for a while, before taking up stations by the end of the hallway that lay by the entrance. The roof fell lower once they entered a smaller hallway, and they stuck on it for a while. They made their way past more guards, servants, and even some men she guessed to be bureaucrats. She hadn't seen many of those before, but she recognised the uniforms, which they were taught about briefly at school. Each rank had different coloured robes and headpieces that signified their importance and seniority. However, she couldn't actually recall what each meant, but she did understand by the virtue of their clothes that they were important people.
The servant then led them down another hallway, where she spotted some light, which she guessed to be a courtyard that opened up to the sky; she was proven correct, as she could clearly make out the sounds of footsteps, grunts, and the odd sound fire made as it pushed air about. She could see that there was somebody standing by the entrance. A boy, probably a year or two older than herself, with a tall ponytail; his robes were fancy enough that she guessed that he was some nobleman's child, but then she saw his face. She didn't recognise him personally, but immediately realised he was awfully similar to Azula in his appearance; that told her that he was her brother, Zuko. She'd only heard of him a few times, and from what she could tell, the Princess and her elder brother did not get along; whether that was because he was mean to her or the other way around, was unclear, as Azula was too prideful to ever say she was in the wrong.
"Who are you?" he asked, crossing his arms as he eyed them with suspicion.
"This is Lady Ty Lee, and Lady Mai, my Prince." the servant introduced them, and he eyed them momentarily; Ty Lee understood what he wanted, and bowed down towards the boy.
He cringed at the sight, and shook his head, "D-don't do that." he requested, "You must be Azula's friends." he realised their identities, before glancing back out into the courtyard.
"Yes, we are." Mai confirmed, stepping closer, "Why are you watching her?"
"Because I want to learn the set she's doing. My master won't teach me advanced sets until I've mastered the ones he is teaching me." he explained his reasons for being there, "Azula!" he called out to her, and after a few moments, the Princess paced in from the courtyard, with a towel draped over her shoulders, followed by an attending servant girl.
"Oh, you're here." she observed their presence, before eyeing her brother, "You can go now, Zuzu."
"Uh-" he mumbled, before glancing at the servants, and then the two girls, "I guess- uh, I'll go and do my firebending."
"Wait, why don't you show us around the palace?" Ty Lee suggested, not wanting the boy to be excluded so abruptly; he could have at least a choice to stay with them.
That seemed to annoy Azula, though she only showed her distaste briefly.
"Um, I- uh..." he awkwardly mumbled, before Azula rolled her eyes.
"Fine!" she exclaimed, "Zuzu, do you want to come along?" she offered, and he sighed.
"I guess. That sounds more interesting than training anyway." he admitted, and his sister snickered.
"You know more stuff about history." she argued, placing her hands on her hips, "Maybe we should test him."
"Hey, I didn't agree to that!" he retorted, now seeming more frustrated, and a bit embarrassed.
"If you know more than Azula, then you'll win." Mai argued, not seeming that invested, but simply stating what she saw to be a fact; the boy approved, and showed his newfound confidence in a smirk.
"Alright, let's go then." he decided, and Azula raised a hand.
"I need to get changed." she told them, and both girls nodded.
"We'll wait." Ty Lee assured her, and the Princess walked over to what she guessed was the change room.
Once she was gone, there were a few moments of awkward silence, as the three of them stood there, nobody saying a word; Zuko was clearly nervous, and she guessed that was because he wasn't good with new people. Azula, despite all her confidence and smarts, was still awkward and nervous at times, not knowing how she ought to treat strangers. Usually, she was rude, but Zuko didn't seem to strike her as the kind of person to start insulting them.
"So... uh, do you like the palace so far?" Zuko asked them, and Ty Lee glanced over to Mai; her friend shrugged her shoulders, non-fussed as ever.
"It's big." Ty Lee said the first thing that came to mind, "It's making me wonder how big Azula's room is."
"I haven't seen any bedrooms outside of the palace... or our holiday house- so, uh, big, I guess?" Zuko gave his own opinion, not seeming very confident.
"Oh, you have a holiday house?" her head perked up, "Maybe Azula can take us there some time." she elbowed Mai, who seemed more confused than anything.
"Why would she do that? It's probably a secret anyway."
"It's on Ember Island." he responded eagerly, before cringing, "Wait, should have I said that?" he asked the servant that had accompanied them, who seemed more amused by his reaction than concerned.
"It's fine, Prince Zuko. The house on Ember Island is very secure. And I doubt these girls are going to spread rumours about it."
"Ty Lee might." Mai warned him, and the servant eyed her.
"I recommend you do not. Prince Ozai would be most unhappy if he were to be harassed by- um, unwanted guests, wanting the favour of a Prince of the Fire Nation."
"What do you mean?" Ty Lee pressed him, and the servant shook his head.
"It's no matter. Just don't go talking about it at your school." he emphasised his warning, and she nodded and bowed, not wanting to get the servants concerned, let alone get Azula's father involved.
She did not want to earn the ire of anyone, especially in the royal family. Azula had said enough about the fate of those who had to make her cautious in what she did around the Princess.
"The room." Mai reminded them of their earlier conversation topic, and the Prince nodded.
"Yeah... Azula's room and mine are the same. They're just bedrooms. There's a lot more in the palace to see." he explained, and Ty Lee glanced up and down the hallway they were standing in.
"I wonder if we'll see the throne room." she spoke her thoughts out loud, and Zuko stepped closer.
"Grandfather isn't there today." he answered her question before she even had a chance to ask it, "He's having meetings with important people today, the ministers."
"We know who they are." Mai retorted, and the Prince cringed.
"Oh, uh, of course." he mumbled, "You must learn about the palace at school."
"Yeah, but they don't say much about how things work here." Ty Lee explained what they knew, "Like who does all your cooking." she gave an example, "I bet you have a really good cook."
"Uh, yes, a few." Zuko nodded, "My uncle would tell you all about them, but he's not here right now."
"Oh, yes, the famed Dragon of the West. You girls must have questions about him." the servant realised, before gesturing to the Prince, "I'm sure his highness would be able to tell you all about his great adventures in the Earth Kingdom, if you so please."
"They talk about him a lot in our class about the war." Mai noted, raising a finger to her chin, "They say he's strong."
"Uncle is a really good firebender." Zuko declared confidently, "Maybe the best." he added, before making a sheepish smile, "Don't let Grandfather hear that." he warned them, before laughing to himself, "His fire breath trick is really cool."
"Fire breath? Like a dragon?" Ty Lee asked, imagining a man turning into a dragon as he breathed fire onto his enemies, "Wow." she gasped, "I hadn't heard about that."
"He thinks it's a surprise." the Prince explained with a smile, "I heard he tricked an Earth Kingdom General when he got caught once with it and got away after setting their camp on fire."
He seemed to be filled with pride in his uncle, though his eager mood dissipated as Azula returned from getting changed, now in her usual robes, which resembled what Zuko himself was wearing.
"Uncle has done a lot more than burn down a camp." she argued, before eyeing the servant who had accompanied Mai and Ty Lee, "You can go now." she waved him off, and Zuko cringed at her; maybe she was expected to speak more formally, but Azula didn't seem to have a care in the world.
He bowed deeply to the Princess, "Of course. I am thankful to be of service."
He then left them, after which she smirked, as if the most devious of thoughts had been conjured in her mind, "So, Mai, you like knives. I know a place that has some pretty cool ones." she explained, and Zuko cringed.
"We can't just go into the armoury. You need permission." he argued, and she laughed.
"Zuzu, you know how to sneak, right?" she asked him, her words laced with sarcasm; he got her point, and rolled his eyes.
"Fine, let's go through the catacombs."
"Wait, the catacombs go under the palace?" Ty Lee asked, having heard about them from school, though she'd never been inside herself.
Both siblings nodded, amused by her unawareness, "What, did you think they dug them everywhere but the palace?" Azula prodded her with a smug look, before pacing ahead of them, "This way!"
They followed her down the hallway, heading back in the direction they had come from, and they turned down another hallway, where the Princess stopped dead in her tracks. Ty Lee didn't understand why, though she got her answer quickly enough as she saw a tall man with a goatee approaching them, speaking quietly with another older man. The younger man was wearing long flowing robes and had a headpiece which signified his rank- a Prince of the Fire Nation. It didn't take Ty Lee more than a second to realise that it was Azula and Zuko's father, Prince Ozai.
He raised a hand, telling the man he was speaking with to pause, and turned his gaze to his children, "Azula, these are the girls you invited to the palace?"
"Yes, Father." she confirmed, bowing to him as she said so.
He momentarily eyed both Mai and Ty Lee, though his eyes seemed to rest on the former for a few moments longer.
"I'll want to see your sets before dinner." he told her, and both siblings bowed to their father.
Ty Lee guessed that showing their firebending progress was a common family activity, though it seemed odd to her, given that from her understanding, most noble children were taught by firebending masters privately. Their father taking an interest seemed like proactive parenting, something she was frustratingly unfamiliar with. Ozai strode past them, and continued talking to the man, who had not even looked at any of them.
"Who was that?" Ty Lee asked Azula, and she narrowed her eyes.
"War Minister Qin." she gave the man's identity, before rolling her eyes, "Toady."
That made Mai raise a hand to her mouth, as if she were about to laugh.
"You can't say that about people." Zuko reprimanded his sister, and she scoffed.
"It's true. I heard Grandfather call him that."
"Well, the Fire Lord's word is law." Mai acknowledged that by virtue of that, it had become an indisputable fact; then she tapped the Princess on the arm, "The catacombs." she reminded her of what they were doing before her father appeared.
"Follow." she ordered them, and the girls complied, Zuko following not far behind.
She led them down that hallway for a while, before they diverted down a narrower one with a low roof, which seemed to be leading towards some kind of laundry, as she could see servants bringing along carts full of garments and sheets. Azula raised a finger to her lips, telling them to be quiet, before she pushed a door open, leading into a closet; there was nothing inside, which was a bit suspicious, though it made sense once Azula flicked up a mat, revealing a hatch that must have led down into the catacombs.
"Close the door." she told Mai, who followed her directions, leaving them in the dark for just a moment, after which Zuko and Azula both lit flames up in their hands.
Then, Zuko flicked open the hatch, and both siblings leapt down into the darkness. Ty Lee's lips widened to form a grin, and she turned to her friend.
"Isn't this fun?" she asked, and Mai's face, though obscured by darkness, still gave off frustration.
"Do you really want to break a leg?"
The port of Yingang was simply one more stop on Azula's journey to the Northern Air Temple, but given it was a colony and not simply a military base, she had to take some precautions entering the place. After the ordeal with assassins the last time she was in the Earth Kingdom, she knew that simply going into the city itself was dangerous. She could have just avoided it, but Azula had interests beyond mere leisure time ashore. She knew that Yingang was the closest colonial city to the Northern Air Temple by sea, and assumed that Qin might have come through on his way back to the homeland.
She had not received any records from Military Intelligence that indicated his ship had docked anywhere other than the port near the temple itself, but that didn't mean that he hadn't fabricated some documents when he came to Yingang. It would be a perfect place to find travel back to the homeland and meet with her father's agents, who she knew must have had a presence in the city. If he was hoping to take control of the Fire Nation, he'd need eyes in every major settlement; even if Qin hadn't made contact with them, finding them and rooting them out was simply a courtesy she ought to provide to the local governor.
The Intelligence Service was regularly sending her documents, recording any missing agents or irregularities in their operations, which would indicate her father's interference. Yingang had six missing agents that had been stationed there in the past few months, who disappeared after Ozai's escape from the palace, and she guessed that they had either been ones killed by her fathers own loyalists to secure their control over the place, or were the loyalists themselves.
So, she decided that to ensure her own safety, and make herself seem less conspicuous even if there was no danger, she dressed in the garbs of a servant. Ty Lee did as well, as did a pair of her guards, who were chosen primarily because they looked physically unimposing, despite their firebending skills, which would make them be less intimidating without their armour. Her attire made her look meek and unassuming, with her hair worn in a half-topknot, but opened up at the front with some loose bangs hanging over her face, unlike the trim and proper style she preferred. The robes themselves were long but practical, covering up any sign of her burns with the exception of her neck, which was already partially obscured by her long hair.
Ty Lee wore her hair similarly, but with no bangs, making her look quite different, given how she almost always had her hair in a braid; the two of them wore clothes that were almost identical, though that was because they were wearing uniforms given to her by Kang, though each had their own distinct flair, given they were taken from the closets of a pair of servant girls on the ship.
Once they were out on the deck of the ship, everyone played their part, pretending as if Azula was still inside, milling over some scrolls, while the servants were to be given their customary leave as they reached port. They would be leaving in a few hours, more than enough time for her to scour the city, and if necessary, inform the local governor of the traitors in his midst. She approached the other servants, who were being instructed by Kang on what they were and weren't allowed to do out in the city, which she imagined was merely protocol.
She wasn't listening, and only caught the last of it, "And may I remind you, you must return to the ship if you come across anyone who tries to threaten or extort you. The guards will inform the local guards and have such matters sorted." he explained, "As servants of her highness, your integrity and safety is of utmost importance... that is all, you may take your leave."
The servants bowed to Kang, and Azula and Ty Lee followed suit, as did the two guards; she recalled their names as being Tiao and Eda, and they eyed the Princess momentarily before following her down the boarding ramp to the docks. The ship had earned the attention of on-lookers in the port, the workers eyeing the vessel and the guards stationed on the deck with interest; the dockyards were closed off from the rest of the city, as they were operated by the Fire Navy, which meant it was relatively secure for them to remain there for a time without worrying about being attacked from the city.
That wouldn't stop her father's supporters from sending ships their way, though she was still being tailed by Commander Zhao's forces, who had been otherwise patrolling the waters of the Mo Ce Sea, ensuring that the blockade was upheld. She hadn't met with the Commander since their battle at Crescent Island, though he had sent a letter giving her best wishes on her recovery; it was insulting to have the matter addressed, and she knew he was renowned for his sycophancy, as well as his slyness. She could not make out if he was truly an ally to her uncle, but he had not done anything to suggest otherwise.
When she reached the bottom of the ramp, she followed the other servants down the dock, remaining amongst the crowd; the servants themselves had been informed of her plan, and were told to act as if nothing were amiss. However, that didn't stop a few of them shooting her glances, concerned either that she was coming with them into the city, or merely by her presence. Azula knew that she was an intimidating person; that was by design, after all, but out of her armour and dressed down to look like a commoner, she doubted she would look like anything more than a pretty but dour teenage girl.
The dockworkers didn't pay any mind to them, other than shooting a few stray glances; she was less concerned about their attention and more so of the guards that held the gates. They approached the gates and split into three lines, each line being checked by a guard each. Azula stood behind Ty Lee, while the guards stood beside her in single file. Once the line had settled in place, her friend turned her head and decided to make conversation, which was just as Azula expected.
"So, do you wanna get anything out in the city?" she asked her, and the Princess kept a straight face.
"I'm not interested in buying anything." she responded calmly, trying to sound uninterested and bored; she was trying to pretend to be a servant, and not herself, "I assume you'll want to go to the market."
"I mean, we can go through, can't we?" she asked, and Azula nodded slowly, deciding to allow it; the market was probably a good place to gather information in any case; her mind turned back to their present situation, and she gestured to her friend's belt.
"You have your papers, don't you?" she asked, and Ty Lee nodded.
"I'm Yeon." she reminded her of the pseudonym she was given.
"Koharu." she gave her own pseudonym that she had picked out; her fake papers had already been made by the Intelligence Service before she left the capital, as had her friend's.
Unlike Zuko and Mai, who had struggled to get around anywhere without some skillful lying, hard work, and thievery, she had some fake documentation to ensure she could go anywhere any other Fire Nation citizen could, without having to reveal her identity as a Princess of the Fire Nation.
"I think it suits you." Ty Le added, and the Princess just scoffed.
"Of course it does, it's my name." she declared, before gesturing ahead, as Ty Lee was about to have her papers inspected.
The guard offered a hand out, "Papers, ma'am."
She handed him her documents, and he glanced over them, "Name, place of birth."
"Yeon, Caldera City." she declared confidently; half of the information was already true, so it wasn't hard for her to forget.
He nodded, before giving her back her papers; she stepped past, and Azula stepped forward. She offered her hand out with her papers before the guard even had a chance to ask; he took the document, and eyed it.
"Name, place of birth." he requested, and she stared at him.
"Koharu, Hira'a." she gave her fake details; her uncle had told her to note down that location as her place of birth, and she had no idea why, though she assumed it was some nice village he'd seen in the homeland.
"How'd an Outer Islander like you get to serve in the palace?" he asked her a rather personal question; it was unprofessional, but she decided to play along.
"I'm good at what I do." she declared, before bowing, "Sir."
He handed her back her documents, and she paced on to join Ty Lee, who was waiting at the other side of the gates, eyeing around the bustling streets. She was smiling at her, and as soon as she reached her, she gestured up the street, further inland.
"The market's that way." she told her where she wanted to go; Azula was in no great rush to find the intelligence she thought she would, so would play along with her desires, because it would help them keep in character, and she knew that the market was a common meeting place for all sorts of people.
She simply nodded, and allowed Ty Lee to take the lead. She kept right behind her, however, and scanned her eyes across every passerby they came across. To make herself seem less suspicious, she decided to make meaningless conversation while she tried to note anyone of suspicion who she could point out to the guards.
"So, Yeon, have you been here before?" she asked, and she shook her head.
"Uh... no, never here." she answered, seeming to be truthful, "It's a bit out of the way."
"But at an important crossroads." Azula noted, "I am sure people from all across the Fire Nation come here, for business, duty, or to settle."
"That's true." she agreed with her, her momentary glance indicating that she understood the implication of her words; Yingang's diversity meant that they would have to look hard to find any obvious signs of her father's agents, "Do you think they'll sell some better coats here, because of how far north we are?" she asked, gesturing to her clothes, "I don't think this will work when we're in snow."
"You're just lucky there's no way we'd ever go to the North Pole." she argued, knowing that even if the Northern Air Temple would be quite cold, by Fire Nation standards, it was not as if they were heading to one of the poles, "That would be much worse there than any place in the Earth Kingdom."
Ty Lee hummed along as the Princess continued eyeing everyone they came across; most of them were just commoners, either carrying goods by hand, basket, or cart, and only a few seemed out of place, though she guessed that was because they were wealthier colonists, who didn't have to concern themselves with menial labour, or merely those lucky ones able to get a break that morning.
The Earth Kingdom locals quietened as they came past, not wanting any foreigners eavesdropping on them. She knew that was probably suspicious, but they could have just been talking about personal matters rather than any planned acts of treason against the Fire Nation. Whether attacking the Fire Nation authorities could truly be considered treason for a Earth Kingdom national was an open question; many of them would be legally considered residents, if not Fire Nation citizens by marriage or by virtue of having lived in an annexed city, which gave them the same rights as Fire Nation citizens in theory, even if they were banned from bending their element.
She decided that was up to the one judging the case rather than herself; in an ideal world, the people living in the colonies would be afforded citizenship in her great nation and be forced to renege on any loyalties to their former nation. That would give them what they wanted, and if they could be appeased with a few rights about their cultural traditions and land rights, then they would probably integrate just as well as the Outer Islands did when they were first integrated into the Fire Nation. Azula knew that this was awfully optimistic of her to even consider, but it had been done before, so she knew it could be done again.
"What do you think we'll find here?" Ty Lee asked her quietly, and the Princess was unsure if she ought to be truthful out in public; she decided to continue to play her character, but still give her friend a useful answer.
"Hopefully something that will help us on our trip." she suggested, hoping she understood the implication; they were unsafe as long as they were unaware of her father's moves in the region, so once they knew who his agents were, and what they were doing, they could rest easy.
With any luck, they'd find out where War Minister Qin had gone, and could capture him for her uncle; he would certainly not be that useful for his knowledge or skills as a Minister, but he would at least have a grasp on her father's plans. That was more important than any service he provided to the Fire Nation. She could just as well do his job for him, which she intended to do as soon as they reached the Northern Air Temple. The Mechanist would see reason, and if she had to flout her 'friendship' with the Avatar, as one might call it, she would do it without a second thought; she felt ashamed for the need to rely on such a method, as it implied that her authority as Princess was not enough to get a coward like him to pull his head in.
There was a guard checkpoint when they reached the market, which was a surprise, though she guessed they were trying to make sure contraband wasn't being sold; Ty Lee and Azula found themselves in a line once more, Tiao and Eda remaining behind them.
"How should we handle the checkpoint, your highness?" Tiao whispered to her, and she smacked his hand, frustrated that he had publicly referred to her with such deference, even if he was whispering.
"Koharu." she corrected him, "And we will go through like everyone else. We are unarmed, after all." she argued, and both guards nodded.
Ty Lee sighed as they were forced to stand there, and glanced behind them, "I wonder if this is because of the attacks?"
"Probably." Azula gave her own assumption, based on what she had already seen while on progress, "This is the place terrorists would meet, if they were coming from other colonies or the homeland."
"Are they terrorists if they haven't hurt anyone?"
"The intent is what matters." she frankly retorted, before raising a finger to her lips, "No more of that while we're here."
She nodded cautiously, and remained quiet while they watched the guards cycle through each person; it didn't take long for Azula to reach the front of the line, and the guards seemed intrigued by their presence.
"Royal servants." one of them observed their cover identities, "It's not every day that we see your type in a colony like Yingang."
"Probably not since his majesty last was on campaign." Azula told them of the last time a royal would have visited the city, even if only briefly.
"That's true." the guard agreed with her, "He was shorter than I expected."
Azula held back a laugh; she was so familiar with her uncle that she sometimes forgot how stout he was. The common people probably had an idea of a royal resembling her father; dignified, quiet, tall, and good-looking. Her uncle was well liked, but he didn't fulfil the type at all. However, when he came around in his royal robes or armour, nobody would mistake him.
"Go on through." another guard allowed them, "These girls aren't armed." he argued, before gesturing for Tiao and Eda to approach, "Are you their escorts?"
"We were instructed to travel in groups, for our safety." Eda clarified, which was technically the truth, though they certainly weren't servants.
"You don't have any jewellery or fineries on you, you should be fine." the guard assured him, "Any weapons?"
"No, we- uh, we're benders, sir." Tiao clarified, and the guards nodded.
"Makes sense. If you see any trouble, or anyone gives the girls grief, feel free to call on us. We can't have such important people being treated with disrespect. It would be a stain on the honour of the city guard."
"We will." Tiao assured him, and with that, both guards were let through.
Now in the market, Ty Lee was glancing around with a gleeful look, pointing out a stall that was selling what looked to be fur cloaks, "Well, why don't we get ourselves some cloaks for the cold?" she suggested, and Azula rolled her eyes.
"I've already got clothes for all weather. We don't need to buy any more." she argued, "Why don't we look for food instead?" she suggested something that would certainly be cheaper; she didn't want to waste the money her uncle had provided her with on things that she already had.
"You're a bore." Ty Lee mumbled, and Azula raised her chin up.
"Don't abuse this opportunity to disrespect me. I won't let it slide."
"It's the truth. You can't say you're not a killjoy."
"Ooo, what's this?"
Ty Lee's eyes were set on the headpiece she saw at the stall in front of her; Azula had demanded she make no frivolous spends, but she was tempted badly when she saw it. It appeared to be made of some kind of ivory, combined with a ring of carved wood, all adorned with fabric. The stall owner, an older Earth Kingdom woman, smiled at her eager response, and gestured to it.
"You have a keen eye, this is a headpiece made of whale ivory" she explained, before picking it up, "I made it myself. It's quite a rare material to work with."
"It's very pretty." she admitted, before turning around to face Azula, who had been eyeing another stall that was selling various hot foods.
"Koharu, come look." she got her attention with a wave, making sure to use her pseudonym; she had more than once almost called her Azula publicly while in the market so far.
The Princess took a few moments to register 'Koharu' as her own name; she then momentarily eyed her, glanced at the stall, before sighing.
"Really?" she responded, and Ty Lee nodded.
"Come on, this is a really pretty headpiece. Should I get it?" she asked, and Azula stepped closer, eyeing the headpiece held in the woman's hand.
"Well... it is finely made." she quietly observed, "If you must, then buy it. You better wear it." she argued, and Ty Lee smiled.
"Of course. As servants of the greatest woman in the world, we should wear nothing but the best." she proclaimed, and the woman's eyes widened in realisation.
"Wait, you're servants of the Princess?" she asked, and the stall owner gasped, before offering out the headpiece, "Please take it. You would honour me by wearing it in her presence. If you could recommend my work to her... then that would bring kind fortune to me and my family."
"No, no, I have to pay." Ty Lee reassured her, "You put in all the work to make it... and don't worry, the Princess will see it." she added, letting herself smirk; Azula was right there, of course, and had seen and commended the work herself.
"How much is it?" the Princess asked her, and she scrunched her lips.
"Well, I'd say at least one hundred ban." she acknowledged, "But- well, I mean, I do not want to ask too much of you. You are the servants of the Princess after all. I would never dare to offend her." she explained her rationale, and Azula placed down a golden coin and three silver ones- one hundred and thirty ban.
"Yeon will have it." she decided, and the woman bowed.
"I thank you for your generosity." she acknowledged the extra money she had provided, which wasn't much for Azula, but would certainly help pay for the woman's livelihood.
"Thank you for letting me get it." Ty Lee turned to her friend, and she rolled her eyes.
"You would have complained about it to no end." she bluntly responded, before pointing up the street, through the market, "Now, you remember what we talked about, don't you?"
"Yes, I'll go find what you were looking for. Or, you will." she realised, "We have to split up to cover ground."
"Precisely." she confirmed her suspicions, "Now, go. Tiao, follow her."
"Got it." the guard acknowledged with a nod, the closest thing he could get to a bow or a salute.
With that Ty Lee paced up the street, Tiao on her tail, with the headpiece in hand; she eyed it momentarily, and smiled, "This will look so nice with my other disguise" she whispered, knowing Azula had some Earth Kingdom garbs chosen out for the two of them, which she expected she might need to wear if they were going to go undercover when they inevitably had to find Aang and his friends.
She then put the headpiece in her bag, and continued up the street. She eyed the stalls, the pedestrians she passed by, and the buildings behind the stalls. She was looking for anything that would lead her back to the enemies of her nation. Ozai's supporters or not, there were threats everywhere, and she had gotten a keen eye after spending so much time looking for such signs when on the progress. So, it didn't take Ty Lee all that long to find something of interest; she spotted some posters up on a wall of an alleyway, which was not a rare sight in any Fire Nation city. However, she would usually expect to see some advertisements for a street show, or a travelling circus, like the one she had been part of. It was a propaganda poster.
Ty Lee paced over to it to get a better look, and she recognised the person depicted on it; it was a woodblock printing of Iroh, whose appearance was made to seem ugly and nearly frightening. The poster simply said one thing: a killer never changes. She realised that was referring to Iroh's acts as a general, before he became Fire Lord. The thing that confused her about the poster was that it ran against Ozai's apparent issue with him, that he was weak-willed and wrong for wanting to settle peace between the nations. However, the poster said the opposite, which made her more interested in it than she might have otherwise been.
Glancing at the poster itself, she realised that it was clean, without any tears, and when she tried to touch at the glue behind it, she realised it was still soft and usable, telling her that it was only put up recently, perhaps not long before she saw it. Ty Lee's eyes darted around, trying to spot anyone who might be carrying around posters, while Tiao looked at the poster, seeming disgusted.
"To depict the Fire Lord in such a way is distasteful at best and sedition at worst." he observed the unfavourable light it put her in, "We should find the culprit at once."
"I was thinking the same thing." she agreed, and gestured down the alleyway, "I think if they're still round, they might go on the back streets. It will be hard to carry around posters in a crowd like that." she gestured back to the market they had been walking through.
"Then this way it is." he nodded, and paced down the alley, before glancing around at the first intersection, "There's tracks in the mud here." he clarified, and Ty Lee paced over, realising that he was referring to the mud strewn track that laid behind the buildings, dividing the block into two halves that faced different streets.
"Let's go." she decided, and began pacing up the mud track, pulling her robes up a little to make sure she didn't splatter them too much; she wasn't able to run in her present attire but she was fast enough.
She got to the next street, and eyed around, spotting somebody who was carrying a rung of rolled up paper beneath his arm; Tiao caught up, and she pointed him out, the stranger turning off into another alleyway. They paced over to the alleyway, the guard standing to block the way out while Ty Lee approached the stranger, seeing that he was in fact putting up one of the posters. He turned to see her, and was surprised, and then confused.
"What do you want?" he asked, and she pointed to the poster.
"You probably shouldn't be putting these up." she warned him, hoping to gauge his reaction.
The man crossed his arms, and eyed Tiao standing behind her, before he responded, "I don't think I need to explain myself. Unless you're here to arrest me."
"We're not." Ty Lee assured him, "I just want to know why you're doing this... because a guard might arrest you if they see you doing it."
"I already told you-" he began, before she sighed, jabbing the man in the arm before he could even react, paralysing it, "Wh- what the- how did you do that?" he asked as he realised his right arm had gone limp.
"I just don't want you throwing a punch." she admitted, "Can you please answer my question, or the guy behind me probably will start fighting. He takes his duty seriously."
The stranger looked at Tiao fearfully, and stumbled back, raising his left arm, "Okay, okay, don't hit me." he pleaded, and the guard nodded.
"Then do as she says." he demanded, and the stranger's eyes locked with Ty Lee's.
"I'm- I'm doing what's right." he declared, his voice nervous, but his heart there, "The Fire Lord is a criminal." he declared, and she sighed.
"For what reason, specifically?" she asked, "That's kind of important."
"Kind of important?" he raised a brow, and Ty Lee stepped closer, pointing her index finger at his solar plexus.
"I don't need to explain why." she retorted, "Why do you hate him?"
"Because he destroyed so many lives. How many villages were burnt? How many towns were sacked? How many innocent people lost their lives because of his drive to conquer the Earth Kingdom?" he thrust upon her a bunch of questions she didn't have the answer for; she held herself back, unsure what to even say, "Hah, even you can see it."
"I- uh, I just wasn't expecting that." she admitted, "You're not being paid to do this?"
"The only payment I expect is being thrown in jail... but I don't really care. The people need to remember who their real enemies are." he declared, and she narrowed her eyes.
"So, you're from the Earth Kingdom." she realised, not having figured it out from his attire, which looked like the rest of the colonials; drab browns, dark reds, and tan colours, with some flecks of gold if they were wealthier.
"What he is saying is still a grave offence to the Fire Lord." Tiao reminded her, and she raised a hand.
"But that isn't what we care about." she retorted, "You know what we're looking for."
"Looking for?" the stranger asked, before narrowing his eyes, "You-" he raised his voice, and she struck his solar plexus, winding him and blocking his chi pathways; if he was an earthbender, there was no chance he'd react.
He wheezed and winced, falling onto his backside; the stranger looked up at her with a fearful face, "You're a spy." he accused, and she tilted her head.
"No, not really." she corrected him, "I'm a servant of my nation... but I'm not spying on random people like you." she argued, "There are people in this city who are trying to undermine the peace."
"Which peace?" he questioned her, and she scrunched her lips.
"All of them... I guess." she gave the best answer she could, "Trust me, you might not like the Fire Lord, but there's worse alternatives than what you've got right now."
"If you think that will persuade me to act otherwise, you're an idiot." he retorted, "I mean, I can't blame you. You're just a child."
"Hey, I'm-" she began, before pouting, knowing he wasn't really wrong; she was naive, and didn't know much about the war, or the world outside the bubble she grew up in.
Going to the circus had taught her much, but not nearly enough to make the judgements that were expected of somebody like Azula or Iroh; she wanted to know more, if only to make sure she wasn't going to make the wrong choices. So far, she was confident in where she was headed, but seeing the eyes of their supposed enemies made her feel that Iroh was more right than wrong. He wanted to make peace with people like the man in front of her, while Ozai wanted to destroy them.
"Okay, just go home. Please, I wasn't just trying to scare you. There are bad people trying to do things here." she warned him, and he narrowed his eyes.
"How bad? Breaking 'all the peaces', that's awfully vague."
"Bad enough that your life could be in danger if you're in the wrong place." she clarified, "Just go home, please." she pleaded once more, and he cringed as he got himself back to his feet, his right arm working once more.
"I'll- I'll go." he assured her, "Just don't follow me."
"We won't." she assured him, before turning to face Tiao, "Let's just go back."
"I don't think she will be happy that you just let him go." he warned her, and she shrugged her shoulders.
"She can think what she wants." she retorted, "I don't want to have that man thrown in prison just because he's mad about the world. It's not like he's trying to kill her."
"Not yet." he prodded her, before narrowing his eyes, "There must be real foes hiding in the shadows, but those who are angry can only protest so much." he warned her, before sighing, "You know of the Open Eyes, do you not?"
"I heard about them at school." she clarified, "And I think Azula's mentioned them a few times."
"They are what happens when you let men like that reach the natural conclusions of their grievances." he warned, before turning his heels, "Let's go."
She wasn't being followed around anymore, but ordered; she agreed to his words, if only because she didn't want to start a fuss. In any case, they couldn't find the real spies if they weren't moving around. Tiao led her down the street, back to the market, and then they started going downhill, back towards where she left Azula. It didn't take them long to reach her, and she was questioning some stall owner about something. She couldn't hear what she was saying, and by the time she was close enough to hear, the conversation had concluded. Azula turned and faced her, eyeing her up.
"Your robes are ruffled. What did you do?" she asked her, and Ty Lee made a sheepish smile.
"Uh, just interrogated a guy." she clarified, and Azula's eyes widened, before grabbing her by the shoulder, leading her along as she began to walk down the street, heading back in the direction of the port.
"And I don't see Tiao dragging away a prisoner." she observed with a whisper, "So, where are they?"
"They were just an angry Earth Kingdom citizen." she explained, and Azula raised a finger.
"Subject... and technically, the Earth Kingdom doesn't exist anymore." she corrected her, before leaning closer, trying to keep a straight face, "And what was their crime?"
"Making propaganda posters." she clarified, and Azula hummed in thought.
"I saw them. I was wondering if that was what caught your attention... so it isn't the doing of spies." she realised, before chuckling, "The message doesn't fit with their goals. They wish the Fire Lord was as vicious as the Earth Kingdom thinks he is."
"I thought you just said the Earth Kingdom doesn't exist." she countered her, mostly out of the fun of it, because she knew that they were going to continue speaking about the Earth Kingdom even if it no longer existed as a political entity; the populace did, the lands did, and probably a fair portion of their military, who were hiding out in the wilds, away from Fire Nation eyes.
"Shut up." she snapped back at her, before pinching her nose bridge, "So, we have propaganda from our enemies, but from the wrong kind of enemy."
"Uh, yeah." she nodded, and Azula's attention seemed to be drawn elsewhere.
"Hold on." she raised a hand, and stepped ahead, Ty Lee's eyes moving to what she was focusing on; it seemed like there was some kind of scuffle going on inside the market.
Eda raised a hand in front of Azula, "We should go take another street if we must go back downhill." he suggested, and she sighed.
"Fine." she agreed to his proposition, "I am interested in what this is all about."
"We'll surely find out soon enough. Rumours must spread quickly in a place like this." Ty Lee argued, and the Princess seemed to agree.
She didn't stick around, and followed after Eda, who led them past a few stalls to another street, and down that one until they came to the next intersection, leading them down a narrow street, between the rear ends of some workshops and small businesses. There wasn't anyone on the street, so Eda continued forward, until suddenly, he was smacked in the side by some kind of baton; he grunted and stumbled back, Ty Lee tensing up in fear. She was not wanting to see somebody killed right in front of her, and that person certainly wasn't going to be Eda. Tiao readied himself into a fighting stance, and Ty Lee turned around to see that the street had been blocked off by a few masked assailants.
"We're not going to hurt you, if you do what we want." one of them declared, stepping forward with a pair of dao; he seemed rather confident in himself, and Azula was clearly amused by the whole situation, though she quickly shifted to a face of panic.
"W-wait, what? Are we your hostages, is that what you're saying?" she asked, feigning fear and confusion, while Eda got back up, eyeing the man who had tried to knock him out with contempt.
Nobody moved, but the apparent leader stepped forward, "No, not hostages... not if you do what we want. We need you to do something for us. Preferably one of the girls... it'll be easier for you to fool them."
"Them?" Ty Lee asked, and he scoffed.
"You know who I'm talking about. Customs. The guards on the ship." he retorted, "Now, please, don't make me use force. I'd rather keep your pretty faces intact."
"And do what, exactly?" Azula asked, "Go parley with the Princess for you?"
"No, you're going to poison her. If you don't, the rest of your friends here are dead... and the rest on the ship for good measure." he tried to theaten them, and Azula was clearly not impressed or concerned by his words, neither were the guards.
"What's to say we have any care for each other's lives?" Tiao asked him, "We're loyal to the Royal Family, not to each other."
"I don't think that's true." the leader retorted, and Azula sighed.
"Tiao, we need that one." she gestured to the leader.
"Those constraints are acceptable." he acknowledged her order, "Eda?" he asked the other guard, who just glanced at him, not even saying a word.
Before any of the assailants could attack them, Eda and Tiao's hands lit up in flames, and they smacked the closest masked men around like they were playing with training dummies. One of them leapt at Ty Lee, who just jabbed him in the side, paralysing his right leg, before she tripped his left. He fell flat on his face, and before another could try and beat her, Tiao set his mask alight. He screamed out in fear, and within a few moments, he and the rest of the assailants began to run away, the paralysed one being dragged by one of his comrades.
The leader tried to escape, as Azula probably expected he would, so Ty Lee kicked him in the back, making him stumble before Tiao tackled him; he wasn't having the slightest chance of escape. The others were lucky enough to make a break for it, Eda setting their robes alight with his firebending before turning back to his priority, the Princess. She had knelt down beside the attacker, and eyed him with suspicion.
"You're not going to enjoy the hole we'll toss you in." she warned him, not yet revealing her identity.
He grit his teeth and spat out flames at her, Azula leaning back to narrowly dodge getting her eyebrows singed off. She seemed more amused than anything, and placed her foot on his back. He groaned, and Ty Lee turned to face her friend.
"Maybe we should question him right now." she suggested, and Azula shrugged her shoulders.
"Be my guest." she allowed.
So, Ty Lee knelt down beside the assailant and eyed him, "I don't want you to hurt anymore than you already have... so just tell us who sent you to do this."
"We serve no master but our nation." he retorted, before he elbowed Azula's leg, allowing himself to get free of her grip.
Before Tiao could tackle him again, the assailant tripped him over, forcing Azula to take a defensive stance; Ty Lee instead went straight for his neck, chopping her hand on the back of it. As quickly as he got up, he fell back to the ground, and slumped over. She was relieved to see him fall unconscious, not wanting to potentialy deal with that threat another time over.
"You-" Tiao gasped, "That was a close one."
"I almost had to firebend." the Princess mumbled, "That certainly wouldn't have ended well."
"What will we do with him?" Eda asked her, and she gestured down the street.
"Go retrieve somebody to pick him up." she ordered him, "I can't be seen taking him to the ship myself... that defeats the purpose of what we're doing here."
"And what should we do with him in the meantime?" Tiao asked, the Princess gesturing to the rear entrance of one of the buildings.
"That workshop doesn't appear to be occupied at the moment. We can hold him in there until the other guards arrive." she decided, and Eda nodded, before he turned his heels.
"I'll be as fast as I can, your highness." he assured her, before dashing down the street.
Ty Lee's gaze turned back to the now unconscious prisoner, "Why would they try something this stupid?"
"They don't think they can face the real me in battle... and they're right."
The afternoon sun hung over the city of Yingang, and Azula felt that she had achieved little other than capture a single potential assassin. The plotter was foolish enough to go after her servants, and she just happened to be among them. She wondered if it was bad luck, or if they were being purposefully brazen. To what end, she could not guess, but she made sure to keep a look out for any more suspicious activity while her men interrogated the prisoner back at the ship. She was sure that by the time she returned, they would have some actionable intelligence on the cell of agents loyal to her father.
She was checking around the local guard barracks, where the city guard operated from; there was a reasonable amount of activity there, with men training in the premises, while others were assembled outside, presumably to fulfil her own orders. She had told Eda to relay an order to have the city's guard put on high alert and sweep the city for the plotters. She knew that it was a dangerous move, but she understood that it would force the rats out of hiding, which would allow her to snatch them all up when the time arose. She guessed that if they had any other target to go after, it would be the barracks, as drawing the guard back there would certainly keep them off their tails in the rest of the city.
However, it seemed that Azula was mistaken, as when she was idling by the gates of the barracks, an explosion sounded off, and it was nowhere near the barracks itself. She could not determine the location of the sound, but understood that it came from lower in the city. So, she quickly rushed down an alleyway before Tiao could stop her, and scaled up the closest ladder she could find.
"Please, don't-" he tried to reason with her, but Ty Lee grabbed him before he could try and stop her.
"Just let her check it out." she requested, and Tiao held back, letting Azula scale the ladder.
She then scampered up onto the roof, crouching so she wouldn't make herself so noticeable, and eyed out for a smokestack. Concerningly, she saw it hanging right over the port, and a closer look told her that it was no building in the city that had been targeted, but her very own ship. She narrowed her eyes, realising that must have been the ultimate plan of her attackers: to keep her in Yingang, so they could further execute their plot. That did not mean that they knew that she was in disguise, but she doubted most of them would have been stupid enough to not recognise her, even if the realisation wasn't immediate.
"What can you see?" Tiao asked her, and the Princess cringed.
"The ship." she told him, and when she climbed down, he was already in a defensive stance.
"Enough of these games... I need to return you to safety, your highness. The barracks should be safe enough at this time. Then we can wait for the rest of the guards here." he argued for what was on the surface, a reasonable idea; she shook her head, already having decided as soon as she saw the vessel burning with her own eyes.
"I need to get to the ship, inspect the damage, and find the interlopers. Whoever is behind this will be sorely punished for their crimes." she declared, before turning her gaze over to her friend, "We need to get moving now." she decided, before dashing downhill.
Ty Lee was right behind her, and glanced back and forth frantically "What if they send more people after us?" she asked, "I mean... they could have figured out it was you."
"I've already considered that. That's why we're running." she assured her that she had already considered the possibility.
"Didn't this happen to your uncle as well?" she asked, and Azula just laughed.
"They have no creativity." she derided her opponents, before turning a corner, wanting to get to a more direct road that would lead to the port; that was when they ran into some city guards, who were a bit confused by their running.
"Hey now!" one of them called them out, "Just what do you think you're doing?"
"I have no time to explain." Azula snapped back, before lighting a blue flame in her palm, "Is this enough?"
"Y-y-your highness." he realised her identity, the guards all frantically bowing towards her in respect.
"Enough of that, I need everyone down at my ship. Whoever decided to attack me will soon learn to regret it." she declared, and the guards nodded.
"You heard her." the leader addressed his men, "We're going to find the traitors responsible... and make sure nobody can even get within a yard of her highness."
"Yes, sir!" they sounded off in response, before letting Azula, Tiao, and Ty Lee through.
She ran as fast as she could in the cumbersome robes she was wearing; with the guards right behind her, the civilians parted instantly, understanding something serious was going on, even if they didn't understand her ship had been attacked. The street they were taking luckily dodged much of the market that lay in the centre of the city, and allowed her to keep pace as they approached a set of gates that led into the port; they weren't the same ones she had taken earlier in the day, but they would allow her to reach her ship all the same. Those standing duty were understandably flabbergasted by the sight of a few servants leading a mass of guards their way, and they readied their weapons, seeming more confused than poised to fight.
"What in the name of the spirits is going on here?" one of them asked, and Azula lit flames in her palms.
"Let us through at once. This was an attempt on my life." she declared, and the guards immediately stepped out of the way.
"Your highness." they addressed her, and their leader knelt down before her.
"Should we join you, Princess?" he asked, and she shook her head.
"I need people manning the gates and walls here. This is a military facility... and there are traitors in our midst." she warned them, "Send a messenger hawk to Commander Zhao at once and inform him of this attack. I will require another vessel once I return from the Northern Air Temple." she explained, and the commanding guard nodded, before rising to her feet.
"You heard her!" he shouted at his men, "Somebody get to the coop at once!" he ordered, before the Princess stepped past, using her firebending to blast open the unlocked, but cumbersome gates.
She paced down alongside the length of the port, past the various piers where Fire Navy ships were docked, all in various stages of being repaired or altered with new weapons or systems. However, her own ship was simply there for refuelling, requiring a bit more coal so she could last for the journey east to the Air Temple and then back to the colonies. When she made sight of her ship, she was frustrated, though that expression became concerned quickly enough as she saw people running from the vessel's interior, some even jumping into the water beside the ship to try and avoid getting burnt by the fire that had consumed the rear of the ship. The towering pagoda that formed the superstructure no longer existed, having been burnt out, and the remaining metal frame bent out of shape, slumping over like an overused candle.
There were a few guards helping people out of the ship, though all of them seemed to be burnt and injured to varying degrees. She turned to face the guards behind her, "Those less confident with your combat skills, you need to aid those injured off of the ship." she ordered, and some did step forward; she gestured to the ship, and they hurried along, to help those who could not help themselves.
"The rest of you..." she spoke up, before smirking, "We have some traitors to find."
She was not happy with the turn of events, but she would certainly be pleased to enact her justice upon those who thought they could attack her ship, kill those in her service, and get away with their own lives. That would be an injustice and an insult to her honour as master of all those who had been terrorised. With the power of a Princess came the duties of one too, and she was not her father; she would not shun duty and honour for self-gain. She would relish in that honour, and make sure nobody tried to stand in her way ever again.
The port was a complex site, with warehouses, barracks, and storage yards for fuel, parts, and supplies; she knew that the traitors were likely still within the walls, and if her feelings were right, they were trying to draw her out, if the destruction of her ship would not have killed her. So, Azula pulled her hair bands out, and pulled her hair into its usual headpiece; she wanted to be seen, and that, she hoped, would give her the chance she desired, and the chance her opponents desired perhaps even more. They probably thought they could kill her, and that overconfidence was something she would abuse maliciously. Her father was arguably the strongest firebender alive, and even then, she had lasted long enough for Zuko to intercede; with her Imperial Firebenders, and a mass of riled up city guards at her back, the enemy's defeat was all but assured.
The guards split up into groups, with Tiao and Ty Lee remained right behind her; Azula elected to inspect the barracks, guessing that the port had been infiltrated. Those people would most likely have been workers, as they would have been expected to board and resupply her ship; guards were a possibility, but she was doubtful, given that boarding the ship without her permission was impossible. The idea that somebody on her very ship was a spy was possible too, but unless they were foolish enough to sacrifice their own life for her father's cause, then they would have to flee, and that itself would be hard to miss.
"Your highness!" she heard one of her guards shout out, up from the deck of the ship itself.
"What?" she asked out, and he pointed back towards the rear section of the burning ship.
"The prisoner!" he exclaimed, "He's gone from his cell!"
"That doesn't bode well." Tiao admitted quietly, and he gestured towards the mass of crewmembers who had taken refuge on the docks, having brought out their things so they wouldn't be lost in the flames, "We saw his face. If he hides among them, I can find him, your highness."
She sighed, and pointed towards the servants and sailors, "Go, but I want him alive." she warned him, before continuing onward to the barracks; the guards had already busted the doors down, and were shouting inside.
They were probably harassing the port workers, accusing them of being in league with the saboteurs, but Azula wasn't stupid enough to outright accuse somebody of treason, not without good reason that was. She did think to intervene there, but she knew that there was still the possibility that some among them were actually guilty. So, Azula stepped forward, and kept her inner flame in her mind; she might have to fight at any moment, and thus, she had to be prepared to firebend.
The sounds of the guards shouting grew louder as she strode down the hallway, and Ty Lee grabbed her by the wrist, "Are you sure we should be doing this without the guards?" she asked her, and Azula smirked.
"Them being here makes my enemies less likely to strike." she whispered, and continued forward, "I need a fight."
"You don't need danger." her friend retorted, "I mean, I know you like fighting, but this seems... unnecessarily dangerous."
"We will never win if we cower behind walls and men." she retorted, "Victory comes from one's strength."
"And who told you that?" she asked her, and Azula stiffened up.
Even after all that had happened, after what he had done to her, she was still following her father's words like they were a guidebook for a student. She grit her teeth, and pulled her hand free of Ty Lee's grasp. Azula paced down to a chamber within the barracks, and glanced around to try and spot anyone there that seemed suspicious. The guards had more than a dozen port workers there, and they were checking them for weapons and anything else suspicious. She stepped around for a bit, wanting to make sure if her enemies were there, they recognised her for who she truly was, with her headpiece signifying her rank as a Princess of the Fire Nation, if they didn't know her face.
"Who has access to the explosives?!" one of the guards shouted at the workers, who cowered in fear, "Come on, I know you have them. There must be some you use when you're breaking down ships for their parts."
"Th-they're locked in one of the warehouses!" one of the workers spoke up, "Warehouse A-3. You can go there and check it."
"We don't need to check your fucking stock." the guard snapped back at him, "Who has been working with them?"
"Nobody recently! I swear it!" the worker assured him, and other workers nodded.
"We haven't had to use them in a while. Maybe check the quarters?" another suggested, "If you're looking for evidence, you might find them in somebody's room."
"How many people stay in this building?" Azula asked the workers, and their eyes turned to her, still clearly afraid.
"Tw-twenty." one of them answered her question, "The workforce gets rotated every few months. Most of us are either part of that rotation... or live in the city."
"Ah, now we're getting somewhere." one of the guards acknowledged, "I want the names of every single worker who has been rotated in since- well, in the past two months." he guessed, before turning to face the Princess, "That was when your father, uh- Prince Ozai, he tried overthrow his majesty, correct?"
"Yes, that is correct." she confirmed his presumption; he must not have been all that up to date on the political situation, but he was aware enough to come to the conclusion that the plotters must have come to Yingang relatively recently, since her father's plans had gone awry.
Azula turned her heels, and Ty Lee followed; she leaned forward to look her in the eyes.
"Zula, what are we going to do?" she asked, and Azula just smiled.
"Something stupid." she admitted, "I can't wait for this information to be gathered. I need my enemies to reveal themselves." she clarified, before pacing towards the front door.
Once she stepped out into the open, she called out into the port, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" she tried to prod her still hidden enemies, while covering her palms with fire, "I think people need a reminder of who they're dealing with." she told Ty Lee, before pacing over towards the warehouse the workers had mentioned; the etching of the characters for 'A-3' where easy to spot as she walked past the front of each warehouse, and she kicked the doors open.
Inside, she could not see that anything was amiss; that was disappointing, though a quick look through the shelves of boxes told her that there was a fair amount missing. A whole shelf of boxes was empty, and the ones on the neighbouring shelf all had warnings, stating what she knew, that they were combustible and highly dangerous.
"Tell me something I don't know." she muttered under her breath, before scrunching her lips, "I wonder if they were smart enough to set up a second-" she began to tell Ty Lee her thoughts, before her question was answered for her; another explosion went off, and she almost jumped into the air, "The spirits bless me today!" she exclaimed, giddy and enthused that things were going exactly as she imagined, "They want to draw everyone's attention so they can take their shot." she theorised, though she had to put that idea to the test.
She snuffed out the flames she was using to light up the warehouse, and turned back towards the entrance, "Come out, I know you're here." she spoke her words in a melodic tune, just for the added sense of mockery; she was not intimidated, and would not be until the cowards showed their faces.
They had wanted to poison her, then they had tried to blow her up from afar, and now, they were going to take their best shot while everyone else was distracted, "How afraid is Father that I'm going to come back and kill him?" she asked out, though Ty Lee answered her own question.
"I think he might be more afraid of Zuko." she admitted, and Azula shot her friend a glare, "N-not that you're not strong, it's just- he wouldn't- uh, hesitate."
"I know. Zuko hated Father before he even tried to have him killed." she acknowledged, before she heard the sound of flames being conjured; it was like a brief gust of wind, before she was enveloped by light.
Azula raised her hands up, and bent the flames away from her and Ty Lee, before stepping towards the source of the attack, "A fatal mistake! You have forgotten that you are not my father." she addressed her opponents, before she lunged forward, stopping the flames coming from the very palm of her attacker; it was just one man, at least at that moment, and she did not hesitate to bend his flames back at himself, causing his body to set alight.
His screams filled the port, and he quickly fell unconscious; she did not bother checking if he was dead, for that was not her immediate concern. As she heard footsteps, Azula grinned, before spinning around; another attacker was rushing at her with two dao, just like how her brother would, and that didn't break her smile. She leapt over him before he could swing his blades at her, before kicking him straight in the back. He grunted and rolled on the ground, before getting back up. Then, half a dozen assassins made themselves known, firebending at her from the roof of the warehouse.
She glanced momentarily at Ty Lee, raising up a wall of flames to block the attacks, "I am sure you can handle a few." she directed her, and the acrobat dashed off to find a way to reach her attackers; she was good enough at climbing that it wouldn't pose an issue.
While she was doing that, Azula kept her attackers occupied with a flurry of fireballs, trying to throw their focus off and force them on the defensive. The dao wielder had yet to try and counter attack her, and she had her left hand down, ready to set him alight if he tried anything.
"Death comes for us all." she warned him, "And it's coming for you all... much, much quicker than it is for me."
That seemed to agitate him enough that he rushed at her, weaving under a fire blast, before swinging his sword at her side. Azula weaved out of the way, before firing out an arc at the firebenders on the roof, wanting them preoccupied while she handled the dao-wielder.
"You do not frighten me, girl." the assassin assured her, before slashing at her extremities; he was able to slash off pieces of fabric, but she was fast enough that he never made contact with her skin.
She swung her leg out, and swept him down; he was able to keep himself upright by leveraging off of his blades, but she could not focus on him for any longer, somersaulting back over to the entrance of the warehouse, knowing the firebenders couldn't attack her while she was inside. As she took cover, she heard a series of grunts as Ty Lee must have gotten onto the roof, and then a scream as one of them was tossed off the roof, landing down in front of the entrance with a mighty crash.
The dao-wielder leapt inside, and aimed his blades at her; Azula was down low, and at an immediate disadvantage, but she knew that it would take only a matter of moments for Ty Lee to leap down. So, she kept him preoccupied, setting his robes alight as he swung his swords down at her, before rolling out of the way. He swung again, and again, but she kept weaving, before she was able to shoot a fireball at his left wrist, forcing him to drop the weapon in that hand. Before he could try and counterattack, Ty Lee jumped in jabbing him a few times in the back, causing his legs to crumple down beneath him, and he fell flat on the ground, narrowly missing getting slashed by his own blade in the process.
"I should frighten you all." Azula retorted, before grabbing the dao he had dropped, before kicking him over, giving her a look of his anterior side, "You're not the leader, are you?"
His lack of response was enough, and she slashed the dao across his chest, making him grunt with pain; she then kicked him aside, and stepped outside, where she could see the injured and partially paralysed men trying to get away. Azula reached her arms out and set their clothes alight, making them shout out frantically, while her guards surrounded the whole place, ready to kill the men if she so ordered them. She held her tongue, preferring an answer to a pile of corpses.
She grasped one of them by the scruff of his collar, and pulled him from the ground, where he was trying to pat out the flames, "Where is War Minister Qin?" she asked him, and the assassin looked pained and terribly afraid, "I will kill every last one of you until I have an answer."
Her words were a bluff, but only because she needed them alive to give her the answer; she would hurt them, as they wanted to hurt her, until she knew what she wanted to know.
"I don't-" he tried to deny it, and she gripped his neck tightly.
"Don't lie to me. I know he would have requested aid to escape the authorities." she declared what she knew, "You are close enough. Where is he?"
"I- I have never met the man!" he stammered, "I don't know where he is!"
"Lies." she muttered through grit teeth, before setting her hand alight by his gut, setting his robes alight.
He cried out in pain, and then she shoved him back to the ground; she turned to the guards, "I want all of these men chained up and taken to the city's prison... or whatever they have that is close to that. They will tell us where Qin is, or at least, who will know where he is. This is my mission as commanded by the Fire Lord, and I will not fail in it." she made her stance clear, wanting the prisoners to know what she wanted and what she would do for it, "Find their names." she added, "If they will not speak, then I am sure my brother can provide the motivation to make them do so."
The prisoners looked afraid, more than they had before; she couldn't find their loved ones and threaten them, but somebody in the Intelligence Service certainly could, and that might be enough to get them to tell her what she wanted to know, if they were unwilling after all other methods failed.
"Who is your leader?" she asked out, and the prisoners looked fearfully among themselves as the guards restrained them with chains.
"The- the one you captured." one of them mustered the courage to speak, "He is gone now... we made sure he had enough time to escape. He's the one you want."
"I doubt that." she acknowledged, "The city gates will be shut by now." she reasoned, before smirking, "But in any case, I want the mongoose lizards prepared." she ordered her guards, who bowed to her; Azula cracked her knuckles before she punched that prisoner's lights out with a flame covered fist.
That was with the side she had burnt, and though it hurt, she was so invigorated by her own fury and excitement that she barely noticed it; she turned back to the guards and raised that fist into the air.
"Until my last breath, I serve the Fire Lord. If it is a manhunt across the colonies he so requires, then it will be done." she decleared her confidence in what she would do, "There is one lesson I will never forget from my father... and you will all learn it well." she addressed the prisoners, letting a grin form on her face.
Finally, she would have the chance to make up for her failings, and bring an end to her father's plot wherever the rot persisted.
"Mercy is a privilege, and you must earn it."