To say Azula was confused would be an understatement, as her eyes shifted from one man to the next. She could see their hands tremble as they grasped their weapons, the sashes worn by the officers sagging upward as they prepared to draw their swords, the one to the left of Nikolai slowly standing up, his brown eyes staring intensely at her. She knew something like this could happen, so she brought herself into a fighting stance and prepared- "Everyone, stop!" bellowed Nikolai as he stood up after regaining his composure. "Everyone, stop!" he turned to Azula and her companions. The desperation was evident in his eyes and voice as beads of sweat formed on his brow before he took a deep breath and recomposed himself. "You don't move. I'll be right back," he stated, though it sounded more like a command. Azula stared at him as he walked past her before using both hands to lower the weapons pointed at her back, with the two guards allowing him to pass. She noticed how even when he left, they kept them lowered, though their fearful eyes remained trained on her. She turned back to face the men at the table, noting how all of them had released their swords, and the one who attempted to stand sat down, though they continued shifting silently, fearfully, between the blue flame on the end of her fingers and her companions. Much to her confused horror, she noted Ivan was among them, though his eyes betrayed something she couldn't quite place. However, while the rest appeared afraid, the one to the left of Nikolai's seat, the same man who attempted to stand, continued to stare at her intently, waiting for her to make a move. Azula also noted he was the only one who wore a black collar and cuffs with red piping on his jacket, while the others wore pure red, all with gold embroidery.
On the other hand, Azula's commanders seemed ready to fight at a moment's notice, save the War Minister, whose posture showed he was preparing to flee. The tension was palpable, both sides squaring each other up, and it seemed a fight would ensue at the tiniest provocation. She couldn't help but feel- She didn't know what she felt. One moment, everything was going well. The next, she was threatened, yet, this didn't feel like blackmail and seemed to make no sense. Why had they reacted this way? She recalled how they had only looked at her in this fashion when she'd demonstrated her firebending. Were they afraid of it? She thought. Suddenly, she turned, battle-ready, when she heard the tent flap open and saw Nikolai enter. "Okay, good," he said as he stepped back, allowing an elderly man in flowing dark robes to walk inside.
The man slowly bent toward Nikolai while his wrinkled face and tired eyes faced Azula. "Это Азула?" he asked slowly.
"Да, это она, отец Кузьмин," Nikolai answered back before stepping aside. Azula stared at the pair in concern, wondering who this stranger was and why he seemed so focused on her.
The bearded stranger walked up to her, his lips curling upward in a kind smile as his grey eyes shone upon her. Despite how tired he seemed, there was so much life behind those eyes. Then, he stopped. "Come, child," he said, his heavily accented tone gentle yet commanding.
For a moment, Azula hesitated. Why should she listen to this old crow, and why did he look at her like a lost little girl? She should've insulted the man, wishing to tell him she was no mere child and demanding he shows her the respect she deserved. Yet, instead of this, she slowly walked up to him and put out her flame. "What is this?" she asked, her voice softer than she would've liked.
Instead of answering her, he took out a small vile from a pocket in his robe and emptied a small amount of yellowish liquid onto his hands before he turned to Nikolai. "Не могли бы вы помочь мне с этим?" he asked, to which Nikolai nodded, walking up to join the other man. As they stood before her, Azula couldn't help the worry she felt as these two towering men (even though the older man was shorter than Nikolai, he felt just as tall as him) slowly placed their hands on top of her head.
"What are you doing!?" she demanded before they made contact.
"I apologize, Your Highness. But we must be sure. I promise, no one is going to harm you," said Nikolai in as gentle a voice he could muster.
Inwardly, Azula was furious! How dare these men touch her! She fumed. However, at that moment, there came a whisper in her ear. She couldn't hear it clearly, yet she knew it was there. As she strained to listen, she felt her mind soften, a sudden calm coming over her. As the men lowered their hands and touched her head, she made no effort to oppose them. She felt the old, wrinkled hands of the man slowly rub into her scalp without disrupting her hair. Once he finished, his hands remained still, and both he and Nikolai bowed their heads forward and closed their eyes. She, on the other hand, kept her's open.
"Азула, силой святого священства, которое я держу, я возлагаю свои руки на твою голову. И силой этого освященного масла спрашиваю тебя, есть ли в твоей душе ложная магия. Если да, пусть это проявится,"
When the older man finished speaking, he and Nikolai opened their eyes and gazed at her. As she looked up at them, there seemed to be a glint of light in their eyes, but it quickly disappeared. Then, all at once, any prior tension in the room dissipated as Azula looked around to see the Ruskians visibly relax while Ivan gave her an apologetic gaze. Now she found herself even more confused. Not a moment ago, it felt like the situation would turn violent at any moment. But now, the Ruskians were content to return to their more positive attitude. Azula was only shaken out of her confused stupor by Nikolai clearing his throat. "Princess, I wish to apologize for this. We allowed our fears to overtake us. I pray you will forgive our actions and allow us to continue the negotiations?" he asked, his eyes sincere.
Now, this man STILL wanted to negotiate? That said, it was better than the alternative; trying to fight seventy thousand men was something she knew would end poorly, even if she won. So, she sighed before turning back to him. "Since you were willing to apologize, I will allow it. But if this happens again, I won't hesitate to turn you to ash," she whispered as Nikolai nodded.
"I promise you, it won't," he whispered back. "Now then, shall we continue?" Azula's commanders gazed at her, silently asking what she planned to do.
"Yes, we shall," she replied, as her men gave her nods of affirmation but otherwise said nothing before turning to face their Ruskian counterparts. "Now then, what are your demands?"
It was a long and arduous process, but eventually, both sides reached an accord. As Azula agreed the previous night, the Ruskians could attempt to capture Ba Sing Se and the surrounding regions unoccupied by the Fire Nation. Furthermore, Nikolai and Azula signed a non-aggression pact and, for the time being, allowed Azula and other Fire Nation officials to come and go as they pleased under supervision in Ruskian-held territory. He also agreed to hand over any wanted individuals to the Fire Nation while expressing interest in meeting with the Firelord to discuss matters further. Aside from this, Nikolai reaffirmed his objectives while inquiring about information regarding the Earth Kingdom. However, Azula allowed her commanders to take the lead, as she still felt uncomfortable after what happened earlier. "So, what you're telling me, is that they have the power to use the earth itself as their weapon?" Nikolai asked, concerned.
General Chi nodded, his aged hand stoking his graying beard. "Yes. However, their technology remains behind ours. But they make up for it in numbers and sheer determination," he concluded.
General Xang chuckled mirthlessly in response. "And that's if they get out from behind their great walls and fight man to man," he stated as he shook his head.
"Speaking of which..." began War Minister Chin. "Do you even have a way to penetrate Ba Sing Se? I didn't see any trebuchets on my way here," Azula perked up at this, as she hadn't given it much thought. After all, her uncle had also brought a great army. But, even though outnumbered, the Earth Army never let him make it past the great wall. So, she wondered how the Ruskians would manage. Now that she thought about it, she didn't see any clear solution for them, as the Avatar was inside, meaning they would have to contend with him as well.
In response, one of the Ruskians leaned forward, his sharp brown eyes directed at the older man. "We have everything we need," he retorted, his voice soft yet powerful. "It should be no problem," he concluded before sitting back and folding his arms confidently. Azula silently stared at the man in shock. Judging by his words, he seemed a fool in her eyes, yet she couldn't help but feel a chill run up her spine at his manner of speech and the smouldering intensity in his eyes. Perhaps there was something that justified his overconfidence.
Nikolai turned to him, though Azula couldn't see his face. "Indeed, General Alexeev. Still, we should be cautious," he said before facing one of the other commanders. "General Boskovsky, is there anything you or the others wish to add?" he asked.
The man in question shook his head. "No, Your Imperial Highness," he said before sitting back, with the others following suit.
"Very well," he responded before turning to face Azula. "You've been rather quiet, Your Highness. Do you have something you wish to say?"
Azula, though taken off guard, nevertheless kept up her composure. "Yes. I do," she said as she turned to her left to face General Alexeev, who gazed back at her, his brown eyes trained on her from under the shade of his large, feather-plumed hat. "What did you mean by that?"
"I beg your pardon?" he asked politely, his brow raised.
"You said: We have everything we need. What did you mean by that?" Azula inquired as his eyes lit up in realization.
In response, he smirked before facing Nikolai. "Великий Князь, нельзя ли провести демонстрацию?" he asked to which Nikolai nodded. With his approval, he again turned to Azula, his smirk morphing into a grin. "You shall see, Your Highness," he finished with that soft, polite tone that made her feel uneasy.
Instead of responding to his statement, she nodded before turning to Nikolai. "Now, if that is everything, I believe we should be heading back," said Azula as she prepared to leave.
"Wait. Your Highness, have you forgotten that we wished to celebrate our agreement with a parade in your honour?" Nikolai asked.
Azula paused as she recalled Ivan's words from the night prior. Now, while she wished she could leave, she realized it would mean passing up a valuable opportunity to see their capabilities for herself. So, she sat back down and straightened herself, her expression firm and unwavering. "Yes, it would appear I did," she replied. "Now, when does it start?"
At this, Nikolai smiled. "The men are ready and awaiting my orders as we speak," he said as he stood up, with everyone following his example. "Now, shall we go?" Azula nodded and waited for him and his commanders to take the lead before following them. Though, as Ivan passed her, she noted his eyes were downcast.