A/N:
To those who weren't paying attention last week, this site collapsed for several days, including our traditional update day, Friday. This means you had no choice but to read Gladiator's new chapter whether on the app or to jump over to AO3 to read it there instead. I'm simply writing this note in case you DIDN'T notice, and failed to read 358 without your awareness. Anyone who left off at the ramping up of Jeong Jeong's offensive as the cliffhanger last time really ought to backtrack to the previous chapter and read that one before moving forward to this one.
Anyway, that would be all for now. Hope you enjoy the beginning of a new arc!
The Next Move
1
Some of Yu Dao's common folk had decided to stay safely in refuges, or in their own homes, in the aftermath of the battle. Only some.
Everyone else had poured out into the streets, mostly desperate to learn of what had happened, with the occasional troublemakers – particularly older children and teenagers – keen on seeing the signs of the battle from afar. None of them understood just how dangerous the clash between their defenders and the enemy forces had been: all of them had survived, safe and soundly, without coming close to the danger that the troops by the port had faced.
The Fire Nation soldiers, especially those who hadn't needed to fight at all, ensured to keep people in line inside the city: the war medics tended to the wounded in Yu Dao's hospital, even though there weren't too many injured at first, to their relief. That changed once the group tasked with the harbor's defense finally entered the city.
The death toll in the port had been far more significant than anyone would have liked: the injured either matched or outdid that number, too. Gradually, the wounded from the harbor were transported back to the city on carriages and tended to upon arrival… though some, unsurprisingly, were ready to disregard their health to ensure others were taken care of, first.
"Princess," Kori called Azula, as they dismounted the carriage by the hospital. "You should get checked out. They'll tend to your wounds…"
"Song helped me already," Azula said, climbing off after her friend and wincing over the bloom of pain in her rib area. "Or tried to…"
"Everyone in this city would agree that you should be prioritized," Kori told her. "I know Song may have checked on you, and you'd rather go to her, but the physicians can help. They might have more medical supplies at hand than she does."
Azula sighed: with her clothes torn and tattered like this, with the exhaustion and weariness that clung to her whole body, she hardly wanted to go anywhere, and even so, there was so much to do upon the battle's conclusion. She wanted to check on Chan, on Mayor Morishita, to talk with the waterbenders – the local prisons awaited them, and she meant to question them there –, but above all else, she wanted to hug her girls and sleep for three days straight. She needed to tell Mayor Morishita about them, she had told Song and Rei to take Hotaru to the Morishita home and stay there permanently, from now on… but she certainly didn't want to go anywhere looking like this, and Kori wouldn't be likely to accompany her to her home for a fresh change of clothes until after Azula had been inspected properly by Yu Dao's best physicians.
"Please…"
It wasn't Kori who spoke this time: Renkai had ridden on the carriage with them, and while he hadn't reported any injuries, he certainly didn't appear dignified either. He hadn't put on his armor or his helmet yet, only refitting his boots, and his hair was in disarray too, not too differently from Azula's.
Usually, Azula ignored Renkai whenever he said anything she didn't want to hear. She had certainly perfected the art of ignoring her guards' counsel long ago, no matter how sensible it might be. But after what he'd been through trying to save her, Azula knew she owed him her life, just as much as she did to Sneers… he had found her in the water. He had tried to bring her to safety and the waterbenders had torn them away from each other. He had fought afterwards, as fiercely as he could, to keep her safe.
"I… Renkai, you're not in the best shape either," Azula remarked. He swallowed hard and shook his head.
"I'm not as important as you are. Please…"
"I'll only go if you agree to come with me."
Her ultimatum startled both Kori and Renkai. The order seemed to be more about protecting him than inconveniencing him… a rarity, just as her unusually soft tone was. Renkai blinked blankly, meeting Kori's gaze briefly before shrugging.
"If that's how you'll accept it… fine," he said. Azula breathed deeply and nodded in his direction.
"I'll go find my father, make sure everything's going well. I'll come back to check on you in a bit," Kori said, with a reassuring smile at Azula.
"Find out if… if scouts were sent already," Azula asked. "We need to be sure Jeong Jeong won't be coming back. If he's retreating for good…"
"I'll see to it," Kori nodded, and Azula sighed as she marched towards the hospital's doorway with her head hunched, followed by Renkai.
She hardly wanted to be looked at, let alone by strangers, but Azula endured the discomfort regardless. The physicians displayed proper professionalism, while undoubtedly starstruck to serve her in any capacity. What mattered most, however, was their confirmation that, despite the bruises, cuts and ice burns, her ribs hadn't been cracked. Their ointments to tend to her wounds sufficed to ease the pain slightly, and Azula thanked them for their services before retiring quickly. Others needed to be tended to, and she didn't want most of the available physicians to focus solely on helping her.
She didn't leave, however, without asking about Renkai first: he had been discharged even faster than Azula, given some food to replenish his energy and some ointments of his own for his bruises and ice burns. Her concern skyrocketed upon confirming he had been wounded at all…
Upon exiting the hospital, she found Renkai resting on a wooden crate propped against the building, beside the front door.
Renkai sat, slumped, with a bowl of rice in one hand, chopsticks on the other. He wasn't moving. His eyes were set on the ground before him. His hair, usually neat and tidy, remained unkempt still. Even for a man as stoic as he often was, this wasn't normal.
It didn't alarm Azula, though: the sight of him conveyed a deep truth she felt down to her bones.
He was exhausted, and so was she.
She didn't ask. She didn't have to. She simply stepped closer to him, sitting down beside him on the wooden crate. He shifted slightly, perhaps noticing her presence, but he said nothing for the better part of a minute or two.
"Are you injured?" he finally asked.
"Nothing serious. Feels worse than it is, I think," Azula answered. Renkai released a deep breath.
"Good. Though… I would have preferred it if you hadn't been hurt at all," he said, though his voice wasn't reproachful. Azula glanced at him, a glint of remorse in her eyes, regardless.
"And you?" she asked. He shrugged half-heartedly.
"Nothing serious either. I got lucky."
"Renkai, I… I know you weren't ready to handle my sudden appearance in the middle of that battle. If I threw a wrench in whatever strategy you were working with, I…"
"You did no such thing. Everyone in the harbor would have died if it weren't for you."
Azula gritted her teeth, tightening her hand over her lap.
"That's… not how you're supposed to do it, Renkai," she whispered. He raised an eyebrow.
"How I'm supposed to do… what?" he asked.
"You should… tell me I'm a reckless fool. That I shouldn't have jumped into the fray and endangered myself, and so on. I'm ready to hear it," she said: he thought he detected a hint of teasing in her voice, but he couldn't be certain.
"You… huh. You want me to say that because that's… what Rui Shi would've done? How he would have reacted?" Renkai ventured a guess: he smiled a little once she did, too.
"Spot-on," she said. He let out a humorless laugh.
"I wish I could be as confident as he was… I wish I could say that I could've handled everything if you hadn't arrived when you did. I'm not, though. I'm not like him."
"You don't have to be. I was only teasing."
To his surprise, the Princess's hand fell upon his fist. He froze: she never made displays of affection of any kind towards him. Gratitude, yes, but not… this. Whatever it was.
"I'm sorry I caused you more trouble than you were ready to face," Azula whispered. "I must have made you worry a lot."
"You did, but… even when I was panicking, I didn't stop believing in you," Renkai said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I knew… I knew you'd survive and win the battle if we carved an opening for you to take advantage of. I believed that without even realizing I was believing it. At first, when they showed up… I got caught in the initial wave. The one they froze all across the port."
"You did? Renkai…" Azula frowned. Renkai swallowed hard.
"I didn't get frozen as badly as others did. I made a firebending shield when the wave arrived, I kept most of the water at bay. But it did catch one of my legs before it started to freeze. I broke free from its grip, thinking the others would do the same… but most of them didn't. I suppose… fighting that waterbender must have felt as terrifying as this for Rui Shi, too. But I got luckier than he did… he had to defeat him, kill him, by himself. I don't think I could've survived if I had been facing the same odds against so many of them. Even now… I can't help but think I'm nowhere near his level."
He laughed humorlessly again, dropping his head against the wall. Azula sighed, suspecting Renkai's insecurities might not be the truth of what troubled him right now. Much remained unsaid… she still couldn't help but expect a scolding from the captain of her guards, even if he wasn't the same man who often did it whenever her reckless actions warranted it.
"Maybe this isn't what you want to hear, but… maybe you don't need to be," Azula whispered. Renkai hummed, eyeing her sideways. "Rui Shi was the man I chose as the captain of my guards long ago. I never chose you for the role… and yet you've inhabited it and become someone I rely on fully. When you found me in the water… I was scared, at first."
"I noticed," Renkai said. Azula smiled.
"When I realized it was you, though… I think I resonated by instinct. I can barely tell what the hell happened now, I barely could make out my bearings, hardly had any air left by then," Azula said. "But once I sensed a fire I knew, your fire, I… I felt relief. I felt safe, even though we weren't actually safe yet. Considering how badly we started out, I can attest that I never anticipated I'd ever feel that way because of you."
Renkai snorted at her admission, and Azula smiled sadly at him. He nodded, glancing down at the hand she had placed upon his.
"I know I made things difficult out there, even if I helped. But you did your job as best you could, too," Azula whispered. "You fought, you stood your ground, you did everything in your power… I feel that I owe you my life just as much as I owe it to Sneers."
"No… no, you don't," Renkai said, shaking his head. "He owes me his. You owe him yours. But in the end… considering the way you changed the tides of a lost battle, every survivor owes you theirs, including myself and Sneers. So…"
"That so?" Azula said, with a huff. "Well, you'll regret that selflessness one day. Having a Princess owing you a favor isn't a bad thing, Renkai."
"I was doing my duty. Sneers was carrying out his. And you still saved us all," Renkai declared. Azula smiled, though her mid certainly strayed back to the battlefield before she knew it.
"I… I can barely believe we won, to be honest. I know holding the waterbenders won't be easy, of course. There's also a chance that Jeong Jeong's not done yet…"
"He might not be. But he'd have to be entirely mad to attack anew after we captured as many waterbenders as we did," Renkai said.
"I've never heard anyone vouch for his sanity," Azula said. Renkai chuckled.
"Fair. I just hope… if he's coming back, he'd better give us a week of rest, at least. I feel…"
"Exhausted," Azula finished for him. He nodded. "Me too."
Renkai pulled his hand out of her grip, but not to reject the reassuring gesture: he placed the hand on her shoulder delicately. Azula glanced down at it, making no move to reject it.
"You could leave everything to the rest of us," he proposed. "After everything you've been through, everything you did… all the bending, too, you must be far more drained than I am. Oh… you can have the rest of my rice, if you'd like."
"I'm good. Everything that's happened… if I attempt to eat right now, I think I'll just throw it up," Azula admitted. Renkai winced. "And I suspect you relate to that feeling, because that bowl's so full it looks like you haven't eaten at all."
"I… might have eaten one mouthful. Then I realized I felt just the way you described, yes."
"Give it a moment, then," Azula said, breathing deeply. "Let's just try to… to calm down. We survived and… and so did the people we wanted to protect. Though…"
"The deaths by the port still hurt," Renkai said, gritting his teeth. "I wish we could've done better. But at least this was no massacre of the likes of… of the North Pole."
"Huh. I hadn't thought about it that way," Azula said, her voice as good as a whisper.
"You said, just now… that you could never imagine you'd ever feel safe with me, and yet you did when I tried to save you from drowning?" Renkai whispered. Azula nodded. "Well… I never imagined I'd be ready to drown if that was what it took to save you. Just… I figured I'd say it."
"What a pair we make," Azula said, with a more genuine smile. Renkai chuckled. "You're not Rui Shi, Renkai… but as much as I loved that bastard, not that I ever told him so, I've found that the differences between the two of you aren't all that disagreeable, in the end."
"Because I don't scold you as often as he did?" Renkai asked. Azula snorted.
"Admittedly, that's the biggest difference," she said. Renkai chuckled. "I should be used to it by now… bad beginnings leading to something unforeseen. But frankly… it's taken me by surprise with you, no matter if it's been brewing for a long time now. Thank you, Renkai."
"You have nothing to thank me for. I… I wish I could've done better," Renkai whispered. Azula shook her head.
"We all do. But it's not just for today. It's… for everything so far," Azula said. Renkai glanced at her with unusual vulnerability, finding it answered in the Princess's own. "You're a far better ally than you give yourself credit for. A far better leader and guard, too. I know how tired you are, I share the sentiment… but maybe knowing that you didn't let me down at all will help you sleep better, once you finally do."
"Well… it might," Renkai said, with a sad smile. "I will protect you. That's my duty. I swore to Rui Shi… that I'd never do anything to hurt you. That I would keep you safe while he couldn't watch over you himself. I thought I might not be able to fulfill that vow… but if you believe I have, I'll certainly rest easier."
"Good," Azula said, smiling kindly at him. Renkai smiled back.
He lowered his hand, feeling strangely calmer after speaking with her: she had looked ready to tear the world apart merely an hour ago… but now, she soothed him with her companionship. Knowing they were relying on each other in their moments of weakness sufficed to smooth over his troubled heart. She didn't blame him… she didn't appear to hold him responsible for the near catastrophe they had averted.
Such was the extent of her trust in him, hard earned as it had been, that the Princess startled him once he felt her weight against his arm. He glanced down at her to find her eyes were closed… that even though she remained too tense to eat, and to properly sleep, she still felt comforted by his side. His throat thickened with emotion, something rare for him… but Renkai breathed deeply and closed his eyes. They had survived. Against the best efforts of the waterbenders, particularly their leader, they were still alive, and their wounds were not as severe as they could have been. And if she was emboldened enough to find support by resting on his shoulder, he certainly had enough to speak his mind…
"You're the worthiest leader I've ever followed… rather, that I'll ever follow," he corrected, swallowing hard. "I don't know what will come next, if our duty in this city has been fulfilled by now. But whatever it may be… I intend to remain by your side for as long as you'll have me."
"Even if I make you jump into the ocean to rescue me again?" Azula asked.
"I'm afraid so," Renkai said. Azula smiled slightly, but the grin waned quickly.
"Even if… if I get us killed?" she asked. Renkai breathed deeply.
"I was ready to die for you today. I didn't realize just how ready until you arrived. That won't change in the days to come, I'm certain of that."
"Heh. I elicit suicidal loyalty in people, apparently," Azula said, with a sad smile.
"I barely knew what loyalty meant until I began to serve you. At first I saw it in the others… in the guards who thought the world of you. But you awoke that very feeling inside me… and now you'll have to face the consequences."
"Oh, I rue the consequences indeed. I have a ridiculously loyal guard captain who would go to hell and back for me. What a nightmare," she said, teasingly. Renkai chuckled, closing his eyes and dropping his head against the wall again.
They rested there, in silence, regaining their strength through their unexpected bond. Renkai couldn't help but elevate a silent prayer to whatever spirit might listen, though… a prayer of deepfelt gratitude that the woman beside him still drew breath, regardless of the enemies' best efforts to prevent that. Her strength and stubbornness would keep motivating her, urging her to protect her children, her friends, her allies and her people. He had feared for her fate after his conversation with Song in the Palace grounds, even if Renkai knew he would be powerless to change her mind… but after a day as fierce as this one, a battle as deadly as the one they had faced by the bay, perhaps he would do best to reroute his concerns going forward: the Princess wanted to live on – if not for herself, for everyone who needed her.
"Heeeey, there you were…! Uh, huh? Wait a minute, am I interrupting something?"
Renkai frowned, opening his eyes just as Azula shifted against him, relinquishing any hopes of resting further against his shoulder. Most of all because the voice responsible for that interruption belonged to no one but Chan.
"You are," Renkai answered, curtly, as Chan gulped, squirming awkwardly in place. "I don't know about you… but we're tired. Rightfully so."
"Heh, I'm not really that tired, I feel like I could keep firing that cannon for days!" Chan exclaimed: his high energy caused Azula to groan with annoyance as she pushed herself up to her feet. "U-uh, sorry if I annoyed you, though. Are you okay? I bumped into Lady Kori just now and she said you had to fight a lot by the bay… but, uh, barring the damaged clothes and the wild hair, you look alright?"
"It took a lot out of me. We prevailed somehow, though," Azula admitted, glancing at Chan inquisitively. "How about the frontlines? No injuries? Did anyone try to attack you after I left?"
"Nope. They scattered and scurried off like rats, I'd say," Chan smirked smugly.
"Is the fire still burning?" Azula asked.
"In the forest? Yeah, I think so," Chan said. Azula sighed.
"I suppose hoping for some rain to fix that won't be much use at this point," she said. Chan crooked an eyebrow.
"Why would you want rain? It's better if it keeps burning, that way you keep the enemy at bay for longer…"
"Did Kori send the scouts?" Azula asked, knowing better than to waste what little strength she had left discussing environmental catastrophes with a man who was unrepentantly responsible for one.
"Oh, yeah. They're already checking the area, making sure we're really clear," Chan said, nodding. "Though I'm pretty sure they fled. I mean, I don't know, it's more of a gut feeling than anything, but…"
"Even if they did, we can't drop our guard completely," Azula said, breathing deeply. "We'll only know for sure once the scouts report back on whatever they might see. For now, though…"
"Is there anything urgent you want to do?" Renkai asked, frowning. "I'm not sure you're in any shape for anything of the sort right now, Princess. How much lightning did you use today? And that large fire attack…"
"She used a lot by the walls," Chan reasoned. Azula scoffed.
"I have been getting back into shape. I may have pushed my limits slightly, but I've done worse than this… I think."
Though even in the Gladiator and Sponsor Race, she hadn't been pushed to bend quite as extensively as she had today. Her exhaustion after multiple days of running added up to the exercise she had done across that time… this might just have been as much effort as the entire Race, packed into less than half a day.
"Even so, there's much left to do," Azula said, firmly. "I've been treated, I rested for ten minutes, and that will have to do for now."
"What do you need? We could do it for you…" Chan suggested, but Azula shook her head.
"I'm not as keen on underestimating you anymore, after your success today," she said. Chan smirked proudly. "But that doesn't mean I'd ever ask you to interrogate our waterbending prisoners."
"Well, that's… w-wait, waterbending prisoners?" Chan's eyes widened.
"You can't go like this, though," Renkai said, surprising Azula. "We can take you to the Morishita family house… find a change of clothes. They know you were hurt by the enemy, but…"
"But if I present myself as flawlessly as possible, it might daunt them further?" Azula finished for him. She sighed, casting a glance in the house's direction: it wasn't all that far, at least. "Very well. I'll go change… in the meantime, you two can inform the prisons that I'll be on my way there soon."
"Oh. Well, I guess I could go inform them by myself, but… should I? Am I allowed to?" Chan asked, with an awkward grin. Azula shrugged, starting on her way to the Morishita house.
"As long as you get it done… I don't think I care anymore."
The freedom he had craved finally lay within reach, Chan realized… but his gut wrenched as he watched Azula and Renkai walk together to the Morishitas' house. Before he knew it, he wound up following them, at least at first: it seemed the Princess was so tired she didn't care to shake him off this time.
Chan left again after seen them to the Morishitas' house safely: he informed the prisons of Azula's intentions and then returned to the Morishita house once more. It took around fifteen minutes for the Princess to change into undamaged clothes. Renkai only assisted her by helping her remove the armor, but she handled everything else privately, far more slowly than she would have, if she hadn't been wounded. Her chest remained tight, her throat closed in as though she hadn't cried at all, even if she had. The tension, the pressure, hadn't truly receded… but she needed them to do so. She would face the waterbenders next… and if she allowed any cracks to filter through her pretense of perfection, they would exploit it immediately. She had earned their hatred, their disdain… they despised her for what she had done to their leader, no doubt. She needed to intimidate them to find any answers that could be there for the taking.
Her reflection on her room's mirror showed her a most chaotic, unpleasant reflection once she finished dressing up. She sighed, making her way to the bathroom… simply to wipe the remnants of the makeup that had mostly been washed off by her unwanted falls into the sea. If she had enough motivation, she might have redone her makeup completely… but instead, she'd go exactly as she was. The coldness of her glare and harshness of her voice would have to suffice to intimidate the waterbenders.
Azula did reassemble her hair, however, composing the half-knot as best as possible with hands that shook under the fine movements the act required. Perhaps the final blast of lightning had taken a toll on her body… She gritted her teeth as she finished off her work by setting her hairpiece in place. The waterbenders wouldn't find a perfect princess… but a jaded, tired and yet determined one, instead.
She turned on her heels, returning to Chan and Renkai: they helped hoist her armor over her head again, though she handled the fastenings herself. The wounds underneath the armor pained her more under the weight of the metal, but she endured it, much as she had earlier. The two men eyed her with concern, but she didn't speak as she led the way out of the house anew. She dared glance towards the shed briefly before leaving, but she withheld the urge to check if Song, Rei, Hotaru and Sneers had arrived yet. Were she to find a chance to hold her daughter anew, she might just never let go.
Yu Dao's prison stood close to the walls where Azula had been fighting alongside Chan. The building was thick rather than tall, unlike the Prison Tower, though it functioned much like it. The local warden appeared perplexed by the waterbenders left in his charge, so much so that he hadn't even sorted out whether he wanted them in separate cells or not. It was all the better for Azula that he had kept them in a single room for now, though: her footsteps echoed across the building, as did Chan's and Renkai's, as they approached the only holding cell in the prison large enough to host fourteen waterbenders.
A few were standing up. Others sat on the floor. Some seemed to flock towards the only window, high up on the wall, providing them with some idea of what time it was… one hid below the window's ledge, making it so his face was impossible to detail with that beam of light in the way.
Disparate as they all appeared to be, every single one reacted visibly once Azula stepped into view.
She said nothing at first. She simply daunted them into silence with her presence as the warden opened the cell's door, as she had requested. She stepped inside the jailcell quietly, and Renkai and Chan followed, standing at either side of the door they left open, as though they were unafraid of the waterbenders. As though they couldn't possibly escape…
Would they dare, when their leader's killer stood in front of them, arms crossed over her chest menacingly?
Her eyes studied each of them, recognizing the usual features of their Water Tribe heritage. Dark skin, blue eyes… and yet none of them was familiar. None of them brought the sense of comfort and peace that only one man ever could.
Somehow, thinking about him right now was anything but tranquilizing. Most likely due to the dead leader of the waterbenders she faced right now.
The memory of her helplessness in his vice grip only worsened her scowl.
They gazed at her with eyes she recognized easily. What she had done to that man, to their other allies, tormented them. Normally, she wouldn't feel entirely comfortable with being a monster in their eyes. Right now, though… their fear could prove useful. She simply had to figure out how to exploit it.
"'There's no greater threat to firebenders than highly trained waterbenders,'" she recited, startling the cowering men inside the cell. "I've heard those words for as long as I can remember. The previous Fire Lord even used that notion as an excuse to systematically murder as many of your kind as he could get his hands on. I have no doubts it's true, more so if the environment favors you. I also don't doubt that you've heard the opposite words, too: firebenders are the menace that will destroy the world unless someone stops them."
Some averted their gazes from her, whereas others watched her cautiously, perhaps terrified that she might unleash lightning upon them again. No one spoke but her.
"I'll be forthright and say… I had never fought against waterbenders before," Azula admitted: some of them reacted to that, staring at her in chagrin. "I learned of the destruction that one of your… former compatriots, I'd dare call him, wreaked across the Fire Nation on his own, about a year ago. Perhaps, because of him… I anticipated too much. Perhaps I went overboard. Or perhaps the only way to put a stop to people with your powers is to be every bit as merciless and harsh as I was out on that port. Admittedly, the amount of fire necessary to evaporate water requires far more effort on a firebender's part than on a waterbender's to simply find an existing water source and whip it towards their enemy…
"I suppose that could be one of the reasons why firebenders developed ways to bend lightning. Not quite so easy to defend against that with water, is it?"
Her voice lost its conversationalist edge by then, replaced by coldness instead. A few more eyes shifted away from her, though she noticed some snarls, too.
"Perhaps you didn't think of it. Perhaps you didn't anticipate that I would be in Yu Dao. It wasn't public information, after all," Azula said. "Or perhaps you assumed that I would willingly crawl to your army and beg you for mercy and even to let me join your ranks by any means necessary… the way your leader spoke, it sounds like your opinion of me must be terribly lowly and undignified."
The man hiding behind the beam of light shifted uncomfortably. Azula took note of that.
"Frankly… you could call me a monster if you wished," Azula said, with a slight, bitter smirk. "A cold-blooded bitch, maybe, a firebending fiend, the worst ashmaker, mock me in whatever way you care to… but what your leader said certainly caught me off guard. It really did. I can't help but acknowledge that my outrage over it might seem… foolish, even, in retrospect. And yet I find myself seething just to think on it again because… is that truly the character of the Order of the White Lotus? Because I'm guessing you're all White Lotus agents, there were only two waterbenders in the south and they're most likely in the North Pole right now…"
The man behind the light beam shifted again. Azula continued regardless, disregarding the confused, terrified grimaces of the men before her, who no doubt panicked over her seemingly inexplicable knowledge of their troops and their positions.
"Which means you were most likely affiliated with the White Lotus, and you only joined the Gladiator Army once… once he came about. And he accepted the likes of you in his midst, he let you partake in his great heroic journey, he counted you as his allies… and he saw no harm in doing so when the lot of you would gladly call me 'the Blue Wolf's Whore.'"
Chan yelped behind her: he had no idea her pride had been slighted that way. Even Renkai, barely getting out of the water by the time the waterbending leader had caught Azula, hadn't heard those words. The waterbenders seemed to shrink further, guilt upon their faces… though some appeared moments away from speaking out, whether to defend themselves, or their leader.
"I haven't seen him in quite so long…" Azula said, with a bitter grin. "But I had thought… I had hoped, even, that he might not have changed quite as much as to become entirely unrecognizable for me. That even if we stood at opposite sides of a conflict, he would never compromise who he was, or what he believed in… but I guess I overestimated him in the end. Perhaps I gave way too much credit to…"
"That's not true."
Azula's sharp eyes rose towards the man hiding behind the beam of light. The only one with enough guts to speak, it seemed.
"He… he would have never allowed anyone to speak of you as… as Unnuaq did," he said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Not that he could stop it from happening whenever anyone badmouthed you behind his back, but… Unnuaq would have never said a word against you in front of him. No one with sense would have. If that's what bothers you, then…"
"Enough things bother me," Azula said, firmly. "But I suppose it's a relief to know that it's his allies who are disloyal rather than him…"
"You have some nerve," the same man said, viciously. "You were afraid that he'd be disloyal? When you're the one fighting alongside the Fire Nation instead of joining his effort to liberate this world?! You have no idea what he's been through, what any of us have been through, to get as far as we have! And yet… and yet you stand there, talking down to us, saying we're disloyal over what one man said about you? Is your ego that fragile, Princess of the Ashmakers?!"
Azula smirked. Chan, behind her, tensed up, a hand firmly tightened into a fist. He would have stepped forward to enforce proper behavior out of that man… but he didn't dare do so without Azula's say-so. At least, not before he said anything worse than that.
"My ego is indeed quite fragile," Azula conceded, and the waterbender scoffed. "But Princess of the Ashmakers is certainly far better than what the other one said. I'd much rather you stick with that one."
"He said that to piss you off. To humiliate you," the man said. "And you're just proving that he succeeded."
"Am I supposed to be ashamed of that?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "I have spent the past year attempting to endure every single whisper, every accusation, every word slung against me that ultimately lines up with the exact same thing your leader dared say of me. It angered me enough then… perhaps that anger burst fully now, seeing as I expected better than that from the people my… my Gladiator aligned himself with."
She withheld the urge to say the true word that nearly slipped past her lips then. It didn't feel right to say it. As it turned out… even after learning Sokka hadn't condoned this behavior, she couldn't help but be irrationally angry about it.
"But you're probably right," Azula said, breathing deeply as though to calm herself. "I should forego my ego and stop being quite so sensitive and instead focus on asking the real questions… like what, exactly, were your army's plans going forward. Is that what you'd rather we discussed instead of my hurt feelings?"
The man flinched: no doubt he would much rather not be tortured for information rather than continue discussing Sokka's loyalty… that provided an advantage she could press.
"Now, then, perhaps you've heard about a certain story from… oh, well, from the greatly disloyal army leader who abandoned you to your attack in the port," Azula said, with a shrug. "Come to think of it, I suppose you'll have some utterly pathetic ideas on what loyalty means to a Fire Nation individual, what with your only examples being the admiral who deserted our armed forces, or the captain who deserted them too, or… the piece of shit general who also deserted when it suited him, and with whom I'd much rather not share a single drop of blood. But I have to say… it is kind of ironic that you would rally behind Jeong Jeong when his best-known feat in the Fire Nation forces was forsaking his soldiers to their deaths. What made you assume he would be any nicer to the lot of you?"
"He… he didn't do that," the man said, though the doubt in his voice rang strong and true. Azula snorted softly.
"Our scouts are currently looking for him in the depths of the mountains and forests to the south. Granted, we scared him off quite effectively… but I thought the point was for your group to deliver sufficient damage that he would then follow up on by using his huge army," Azula reasoned, a hand on her hip. "And yet… I hadn't even taken off to the port to fight your group by the time he was turning tail and leaving. In short? Jeong Jeong abandoned your group to your fate. Curious how you didn't see the signs of disloyalty there, but you certainly see them in me, don't you?"
The waterbender snarled but didn't speak this time. Azula shrugged, guessing that even if the waterbender was bitter over being abandoned, he might have thought it was the best way for their army's forces to not be wasted in a pointless endeavor. She would have thought that, in his shoes.
"Either way, though, that was not what I wanted to get at," she said, with an insincere smile. "Long ago, Jeong Jeong decided to make an appearance near Yu Dao just as I was in the area. Heard of this story before?"
No one responded, and Azula shrugged as she paced in front of them, hands behind her back now.
"I had two allies with me… one of them, the superior leader of your great army, of course. The Gladiator himself," she said, with a sardonic smirk. "Turns out all Jeong Jeong wanted was to kill him. All because he had dared be loyal to me… because he had worked against the White Lotus once, many years ago, while having no idea of who they were, when he owed them no allegiances. His choice ingratiated him with the Fire Lord, even, after saving the Fire Nation Capital, as well as my own life… and Jeong Jeong didn't like that. So, he had to die.
"But we didn't know that was his goal. And once we caught a couple of Jeong Jeong's goons, I threatened to do harm them, didn't I? Ah, I did indeed, and the minute they found a chance to flee, they ran like a demon was chasing them… a bounty hunter was, rather, but they didn't know that. The point is, however… that they believed I would torture them to death to gain information about Jeong Jeong. To find out everything I needed to know about their leader. Why did they believe that, you'll wonder? Because… I was in a very bad mood. And that was exactly what I said I'd do to them."
She turned to face them again, the gold in her eyes colder and crueler than it had been in years:
"In case you're wondering where I'm going with this: I'm not in a good mood right now, either."
"P-please… don't do that. Please…!" exclaimed one of the waterbenders in the shadows. "He never would have wanted this! He believed you would join us! G-General Sokka…!"
She couldn't hold back a bark of laughter upon hearing the term again. She shook her head, a disbelieving, undoubtedly furious smirk across her face.
"General Sokka," she repeated, spitefully. "I have no doubts he deserves the title far more than anyone else in your gang ever could… but so much as hearing it makes me want to retch right now."
"That's his title in the army. He earned it," the first man spoke. "And I don't see why it should sicken you. You should… you should be proud of him. If you aren't, then rather than him not being the person you thought he was, you're the one who's not who he thinks…"
"Ah, and you weren't convinced of that just yet?" Azula asked, amused again. The man balked. "Here I thought he would have told you all that I would indeed turn my back on my nation, run into his arms and swear to never leave his side anew…?"
He didn't dare speak, and Azula chuckled, shaking her head as she crossed her arms over her chest again.
"It's no secret to anyone in this room what happened between him and I. No secret to anyone beyond it either, at this point, as far as I know," Azula said. "I find it curious, though… that of all things, he appears to have forgotten one of the very first things we spoke about when determining how this relationship would work between us. Perhaps, if he had remembered, he wouldn't have filled any of your heads with wild fantasies about what my choices would be…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" the man asked, his voice trembling with confusion.
"We swore to each other… not to hold our bond above our loyalties to our respective nations."
Everyone in the room appeared to fall quiet, to the point where not even a breath could be heard. Perhaps a few hearts skipped beats, too.
"I was powerless to stop my father from sending troops to the South Pole when he did," Azula said. "When I learned of it, I… I dropped on my knees and begged my own father for mercy he was never going to offer. He claimed Sokka was dead… just as I was asking him to withdraw the troops he had sent to stomp his nation. I thought, back then, that I had failed him… but of course, he was smart, strong, resilient. The leader I always believed he could shape up to be, and he saved his people.
"And now… he rallies an army to rise against mine."
"He… he's not trying to fight against the Fire Nation people," said the man, though his aggressiveness dwindled, replaced by uncertainty.
"Oh, no, they're just collateral damage," Azula said, with a sarcastic grin. "Just like every civilian in this war. And the lives of soldiers who serve the wrong causes? Those don't matter. Only the lives of those who served the right ones will matter, like that of the wretch you no doubt resent me for frying earlier today. Am I wrong?"
"It's… different," said the man. "The Fire Nation is the aggressor…"
"We weren't the ones attacking a city today," Azula said. "Yes, we seized it a hundred years ago, same as we took Omashu and Ba Sing Se eleven years ago instead… but the political choices made by your leadership are, quite unfortunately, choices that require setting aside your compunctions about who has to die in order for your group to be victorious. And that, perhaps, is even more alarming than knowing he would join forces with people who would call me his whore… because he never wanted to kill another person. He swore that to me. I promised I'd make sure he'd never have to do that again… and then he did. Twice, before we were broken apart, and who knows how many times since. Is it less painful this time? Somehow, I doubt it. But he keeps going… because he must in order to end the war, right? He can't stop to think of the blood he has shed because he has to keep moving forward. Just so… if I'm deployed to the frontlines to protect my people from having their blood shed by him, or his allies? I will do so with every ounce of strength I may have left in my body. Because I fight… I fight for the Fire Nation people."
The man remained silent again, though his silhouette suggested he was tense after hearing those words. Azula breathed deeply, calming herself again.
"So… I would have gladly stopped my father from sending his troops to storm the Southern Water Tribe. I would have honored the vow I made to him… I would have stayed true to our promise to respect our nations, the bonds we had with them, to accept just how much they mattered to us. He, however, is seemingly determined to set that aside and even if he regrets it, it won't stop him. He'll keep going… and I'll just have to deal with it. Because, of course, the Fire Nation is evil and it must go down. Am I right?"
"If you and your people surrendered… then maybe he would have no need to do anything dangerous or violent," the man rebuffed finally. Azula scoffed. "If you actually are the person he thinks you are…"
"I think we already established that I am not."
"Then you should be able to understand that he's not doing this because he wants to!" the waterbender exclaimed. "Any of it! If you just stand down, he wouldn't kill anyone else…"
"Ah, so you truly believe a peaceful compromise can be reached?" Azula asked the man behind the prison window's light beam, with a proud smirk. "Right. The compromise where the White Lotus insists on avenging all the dead for over a hundred years, and my father refuses to accept those harsh terms? I have the feeling that would go over really well."
"Then persuade him to…"
"If I can't even convince my own father to respect me, do you really believe I could persuade him to surrender to your forces?" Azula asked. "You certainly overestimate me now, don't you?"
"You didn't have to fight today. You could have surrendered…" he said. Azula shook her head.
"Sometimes… you don't understand other people's reasons to fight. You certainly don't, in my case," Azula said. The man scowled.
"You're misunderstanding that your bond with your nation is like ours. Our nation didn't start a hundred years of war…!"
"A hundred and eleven, but who's counting?" Azula corrected. "My nation did that indeed. It destroyed one nation, it damn near obliterated the second, it only had yours left to trample over. We all know that. No pleas of mercy would have stopped the Fire Nation from rampaging over everyone in their way… so, knowing this, why should I believe that your army wouldn't be guided by urges of revenge into destroying everything to do with my nation? Our side was certainly ready to do the same thing. For all I know, you've been doing exactly that across the colonies, tearing down statues and locking up or killing every dissenter…"
"We didn't… didn't kill as many as you might think," the man said, though he knew that defense was weak. Azula scoffed.
"No doubt. Not a single blade of grass was injured across your journey, right?" she asked, sarcastically. "Well, then, let's pretend that's how it is. That you hurt no one at all, regardless of how you killed well over thirty people today in the bay alone…"
"Soldiers…"
"Don't count? I suppose your lives should be considered meaningless too, apparently. No doubt Jeong Jeong agrees with that notion," Azula said. The man winced. "Let's say Ba Sing Se and Omashu saw no Fire Nation casualties whatsoever. It's incredibly unlikely, but I'll give you some credit and pretend that it's not: Yu Dao, the first city you've faced that prominently supports the Fire Nation regime, is not the same as those two. What, exactly, would your people have done if you stormed through these walls to find rejection and rebellion rather than celebration and compliance?"
Again, no answer. Azula smiled and shrugged.
"And that's not even the worst part: let's see… how about what comes next? I should have been questioning you about that, rather than having ideological discussions with you… though it's apparent that, if any of you have any greater information than expected for low-ranked goons, you'd refuse to yield it to me. Therefore, none of you would ever tell me what Sokka's next plans will be, would you?"
The silence emboldened her further, tapping her elbow with one finger.
"Then I suppose I'll have to guess, won't I?" she whispered. She started pacing again, closing her eyes carelessly as she hummed theatrically. "Your plan upon reaching Yu Dao wasn't merely the liberation of the city but acquiring its naval resources for future purposes. Your army is far too large to be moved easily across the sea, after all… therefore, your forces have split in three, one group in the Northern Water Tribe to seek the best ships to rival the Fire Nation's fleet, one group in the south to recruit all possible ships in the ports of those areas, and one here, to take the ones in Yu Dao. Curiously, some of you didn't quite understand your job considering your waterbending displays actually caused infrastructural harm to the very ships that you were sent to secure… efficiency might not be your strongest suit.
"Alas, after this, all three groups would reconvene once they were ready… presumably to plan and strategize their next assault, this time deep in the Fire Nation's territory, making a point to show that you're ready to invade, and unafraid of doing so. Considering the damage our fleet sustained in the north, the likelihood is that the plan your leadership would settle on would be to target the Capital directly instead of wasting time and resources fighting in smaller cities like Fire Fountain City. As for the location to reconvene… it would be in the Fire Nation, of course, like I said. I would suppose a deserted island… maybe the hot spring cove near Shu Jing? Ah… but perhaps the Gladiator Army would find it so much more poetic to gather in the Slate's island instead. Yeah, that would likely be their choice…"
She continued to pace, still tapping her arm with a hand. She glanced over at the waterbender she could barely distinguish under the beam of light, and she noticed he seemed even more tense than before. The others appeared to be surprised by her words, instead… that was good enough, then. He hadn't been subtle so far, but he certainly had confirmed her suspicions by now.
"And once there…?" she said. "Well, I probably should stop now. I'm sure Sokka hasn't worked it out any further than that. If I said what I think he'll do, and any of you managed to escape somehow, it would be quite inconvenient if you told him what I'm anticipating from him."
"The hell… y-you think you can predict him that accurately?" the man huffed. Azula shrugged.
"You seem to think I can. Your defensiveness speaks for itself," she said, with a smirk.
"I don't think… y-you're underestimating him, actually. You have no idea what he's capable of…"
"Nobody knows what he's capable of quite as well as I do," Azula said, sharply. The man tightened his fists visibly. "And no, I'm not just saying that, it's a fact: he's a decent planner, but an excellent improviser. He doesn't plan too far ahead because the circumstances in the battle can change in the blink of an eye. He needs to be ready to think on his feet, and he can do that better if he's not committed to a single course of action. Therefore, he may have ideas rounding his mind already… but he would withhold from telling you, and the whole senile leadership of the White Lotus, until he's entirely certain that there's no better, more unforeseen and effective paths forward. No?"
Again, the man remained quiet. Azula sighed, shaking her head.
"I suppose it's ironic that I would be bothered by Water Tribe stubbornness when I'm probably worse at that than any of you…" she commented.
"You definitely are, yes," Chan confirmed, behind her. Azula scowled and shot a glare at him. "I'm just saying…"
"Don't," Azula huffed. Chan grinned guiltily as she rolled her eyes and focused on her prisoners again. "It doesn't need to be said, does it? You're all prisoners of the Fire Nation, going forward. Be grateful that I have no intentions of muddling my name further by following on Fire Lord Azulon's footsteps. You won't be treated to every indignity his twisted mind could come up with. This being said… any attempts of escape will be cut down violently. Any suspicious behavior will result in consequences. I have nothing to gain with your deaths, so don't waste your lives, more so when you firmly believe your forces will be triumphant. If that's indeed how things will turn out, waiting patiently for your allies to free you should work out smoothly… it did for King Kuei, at least. You'd likely wait a much shorter span than he did, too…"
"You're not funny," the man said. Azula smirked.
"I'm not trying to be. But you are," she said. The man scoffed. "The way the others look to you… maybe the foul-mouthed fool at the bay wasn't the leader in the end."
"I… I'm not. I'm no leader," he said: Azula's smile widened.
"You're lying."
The waterbenders near him proved her correct by flocking towards him, defensively so. Azula chuckled, shaking her head as the man urged the others to get away. Whatever the story behind his attempts to shirk away responsibility, Azula would likely learn more about it later, if she ever did. Truthfully, she doubted the man's life's story would be all that meaningful for her. He would serve other purposes for her.
"I don't need low-ranked nobodies whose own army leaders can't remember their names," she said, no doubt hurting their pride upon wording things that way. "But I can certainly make good use of highly-ranked commanding officers who knocked elbows with Jeong Jeong… with Sokka."
"You don't… you don't know what you're talking about."
"Certainly, and I'd like to know more. That's why I'm singling you out, Anorak."
The fact that she knew his name without it being mentioned at all caught everyone in the cell by surprise, including Chan and Renkai. She spoke it so naturally, so simply, with every confidence… and Anorak shivered upon hearing it.
"H-how do you…?"
"I know far more than you're ready to accept… I see more, hear more, than you realize I do. It's not so hard to reach some conclusions on your own when you know what you're looking for," she said, eyes narrow. "You're not some common nobody. Not only are you far too outspoken for that… but your concern to clear Sokka's name, to assure me that he has no ill intent and is as noble as I ever believed he was, suggests that you know him far more personally than anyone else among your forces did. You're far more fearless than the others, willing to stand up to me… with conviction and deep faith in him that I should be shocked to see he brought out of you in such short notice, but it's Sokka after all. He's certainly made a sport of turning his worst enemies into his best friends for as long as I've known him. Not too shocking to know he pulled that off with you lot, too."
"You…" Anorak snarled, fists tight: how did she know? Nobody had been careless enough to use his name so far. She couldn't be implying Sokka had communicated with her somehow… told her about him? Would Sokka truly waste whatever chances he had to communicate with her to talk to her about his troops? That didn't seem likely, and Anorak knew of no such opportunities to begin with…
But she certainly was succeeding at eliciting feelings he never had wanted to experience over anyone, let alone the Fire Nation. A feeling he had thought he would be able to avoid ever since the White Lotus and the Gladiator Army began their progress towards liberating the world from the Fire Nation's yoke…
But right now, he feared her far more deeply than he had ever thought he'd fear anybody. His gut clenched upon hearing her say she would single him out…
But better him than the others.
He might be able to reason with her, even if so far it seemed that she had ways to rebuff every single word he'd spoken to her.
His previous apprehension about her only worsened. The pity, mercy he had felt towards her when Jeong Jeong showed none, were well and truly gone now. Even the dread upon seeing Unnuaq holding her up in the air as he had, freezing her body and crushing her in his grip…
She was angry. She had said so herself. She might take it out on everyone else if he didn't try to pacify her. Perhaps he could, without giving away key information about Sokka's next moves…
… Information she already had, though. Either she truly knew him that well, or she didn't… and there was a traitor in the White Lotus's highest circles. Could that be it? Could it be Sokka himself? Anorak could find out, perhaps, but…
But she scared him. Her cold eyes seemed to freeze him from the inside, as though she were a waterbender instead of a firebender. How had Sokka ever been quite so bold as to love a woman like this one? She certainly was extraordinary… but it truly was no wonder anymore that the Gladiator would have the courage to fight a war of that magnitude. Surely he had fought more than enough battles against the Princess of the Fire Nation throughout their partnership…
"Will you come willingly, then, or will you force us to make a scene?" Azula asked. Anorak scoffed.
"Come… come where?" he asked. "Where would I be taken? What would happen to my allies?"
"Why… I suppose that's something I'll have to discuss with the Mayor," Azula said. "I can't say I mind in the least if the rest of you stick together in this cell, but it's likely that you'll be taken to separate ones instead. As far as I understand, we don't have a lot of prisoners from this battle, do we?"
"Nah. But the sketchy guy who was trying to spy on you is here somewhere," Chan said. Azula hummed.
"My, my, I forgot about him. Well, then, perhaps we could play a fun game," she said. "I'll see if the Mayor can assign the waterbenders near him, and if any of you can break that guy and find out every kernel of information he knows about the spy ring he belongs to? You'll give me that information and I'll let you all go free. How about it?"
"WHAT?!"
Chan and Renkai stared at her in disbelief after the waterbenders let out that unanimous, astounded exclamation. Azula blinked blankly, eyes shifting from one to the other without fear.
"And here I thought it would be a valuable exchange. You have nothing noteworthy to offer me, information-wise…"
"We truly don't, so why are you trying to single me out at all?" Anorak snarled.
"Are you saying you'd rather give it a go at breaking the spy, Anorak?" Azula smiled. "That's almost funny…"
"You don't mean it. You wouldn't let us go…!"
"You don't know anything about me, clearly," Azula said, folding her arms over her chest. "I've allowed worse men than you to go free over lesser deeds than what you'd achieve if that spy actually knew anything noteworthy. He might not, which would be sad for all of you, just as it would be for me, but… it's the only thing I can think of worth trading for your freedom and, who knows, even a potential return to the Northern Water Tribe if the war ends in the Fire Nation's favor…"
"And… if it doesn't?" asked one other waterbender. Azula smirked.
"If it doesn't, then hope you chose your loyalties correctly because, if you're afraid that Jeong Jeong won't come here to break you out of this cell once the Fire Nation is in shambles, you probably picked the wrong man to follow," she said, sardonically. The whole group of waterbenders fell silent upon hearing those words: were they truly doubting him to that extent? That was almost funny to see… "I'd like to think I'm offering you a far better deal than incarceration, perpetual dehydration into death by torture…"
"That's…" Anorak frowned.
"What Fire Lord Azulon did, yes. I'd much rather not emulate his brutality, mind you."
Anorak gritted his teeth: the deal she was offering them certainly was far more lenient than expected, more so from someone who displayed such a merciless disposition upon entering the cell. Her wounded pride surely pained her still… but not to the point where she would mercilessly slaughter everyone to feel better about herself, or about being known as Sokka's whore – not that Anorak had been lying upon sharing that most nobody other than Unnuaq would have ever called her that, let alone in front of Sokka.
"What, exactly, do you want from me?" Anorak asked. Azula shrugged.
"Information you're not likely to yield unless you're isolated," she said. Anorak scowled. "No, I won't torture you in isolation, you'll be fed and given water, and your friends won't be harmed either while you're away from them. I simply need more of you than what any of them can provide."
"Like… what?" Chan asked. Azula's eyebrows drew together with irritation. "I mean, if you think he's higher ranked that's fine, but if you can see through the enemy's future choices so clearly, what's the point?"
"I'm afraid my explanations would probably be too difficult for you to grasp, Chan," Azula said, curtly. Chan scoffed. "You'll have to bear with the suspense."
"Here I thought you'd learned to trust me…" Chan pouted, folding his arms over his chest.
"She learned when to trust you and when not to, if anything," Renkai said. Chan huffed, scowling at him.
"You always think you're so funny…"
"The last thing I ever expected was for the two of you to behave yourselves all across this meeting. See how accurate my predictions are?" Azula said, glaring at Renkai and then Chan, over her shoulders. "Stop being ridiculous for five minutes, will you?"
"We stopped for longer than that, but fine, Princess…" Chan pouted.
"I don't like it," Anorak whispered. "My being with you, in whatever capacity you intend it, could be… to humiliate me. To hand me over personally to your father, maybe, so that I'm made an example of. Why should I believe that you won't be as bad as Fire Lord Azulon? If you can't trust us just because Sokka did… then I don't see why I should trust you just because he did. More so when you're hellbent on proving that you're not the person he thought you were."
"Why?" Azula said, raising an eyebrow. "For one thing, you're in no position to bargain. I'm not entirely certain what power you think you hold in this situation… because it's none, Anorak. The offer I made for the others does not extend to you. Your purpose will be different because you've made it different. You've sought to protect the others by taking the initiative, by speaking out when they have no idea what to do… and the best way to continue protecting them is by accepting that you have no say upon whatever happens next in this city, whether to you or to your friends. You're not being asked to trust… because you're a prisoner. You're not supposed to trust your captors. You certainly trusted the man I love… perhaps you should continue to trust him, to believe I would be on your side for good reason, whether that's right or not, just because he did. But either you're coming willingly, or you're not. The outcome will still be the same. That's the only choice before you, Anorak. So choose wisely."
He would have fought back. He would have sought to bend whatever water he could find in the air – although in this stale cell, it felt like there was none. But one thing, and one thing only, out of everything Princess Azula had said so far, stood out to him.
The man she loved.
She hadn't even said it in past tense.
She still loved him.
Anorak shuddered: that relationship curiously made more and less sense all at once upon meeting her. So far, he had thought she hated Sokka for his leadership of the Gladiator Army – and perhaps she did. But she still dared say she loved him… she had said it openly before her guards, too. She didn't try to hide what he meant to her from anyone.
Did that mean there was a chance? A possibility to turn her? To make her understand she could serve her nation and people far better by allying with the White Lotus, with the Gladiator Army?
He wouldn't have a better chance to convince her of that than by leaving this place and following her, wherever she intended to take him. His allies… he wouldn't want to leave them alone, but perhaps she was right. Perhaps he should simply trust that Sokka would have never loved the kind of monster who would torture waterbenders to their death… no matter if she had killed some of them already.
He breathed deeply before struggling to push himself to his feet, his shackled limbs making the effort more complicated than expected. The rest of the group gasped, reaching for him as though to ask him to stay, but Anorak shook his head, reaching down towards them carefully.
"I'll… I'll make sure she stays true to her word. I'll try, anyway," Anorak whispered. "Don't cause trouble. Don't try to do anything reckless. We… we've lost enough people as it is. Protect yourselves, understand?"
"But…" one of the waterbenders said, casting a wary glance at Azula.
"I know. I know," Anorak sighed, straightening himself out fully and stepping forward.
The light finally stopped hiding his features once he reached them: Azula's eyes narrowed as she confirmed her suspicions as to who the most talkative of their prisoners was. The man she had threatened just as the ships began to move, blocking the waterbenders' way out of the bay…
He was of Renkai's height, with long hair fastened into a long wolf's tail. While he appeared to be strong, his build seemed to be more lean than bulky. His blue eyes were cold too as he glared at Azula… but not quite as cold as Rhone's. Not quite as irksome as his, either… or as disturbing as Unnuaq's. She could see the bitterness in him… the anger, the willingness to do whatever it took to save his people.
If that was his true character, he might prove far more helpful than he knew he would be just yet.
"Very well. Thank you for being reasonable," Azula said, stepping back, at first walking backwards, but turning on her heels shortly after. "Let's be on our way, then, Chan, Renkai… Anorak."
The firebender scowled at the waterbender, who glared back at him. The non-bender simply clapped the waterbender's arm, though, urging him to move and follow the Princess out of the prison cell: Renkai closed the cell's gate afterwards, shooting one final judgmental glare at the waterbenders, hoping they would know better than to do anything reckless, before following Azula and Chan.
He caught up with them quickly, ignoring the tension between Anorak and the rest of the group as the Princess explained her intentions to the prison's warden. The man appeared perplex, even scared Anorak glared at him, but he didn't protest the Princess's choice as she led him away.
Was he singled out because of his leadership skills? It was a common Fire Nation tactic to separate teams from their leaders so that they would be at a loss over what to do… perhaps that was all there was to this. But Anorak remained uncertain, chest tight with concern, as the Princess finally led the way out of the prison's building.
Even Azula was caught off guard by the people gathered in the city's common areas when she marched with her allies and her new prisoner through Yu Dao's streets. Her sharp eyes shifted through what looked like a celebration of victory… premature, perhaps, until they were certain that Jeong Jeong was gone. She wouldn't obstruct it, wouldn't call it off, but she certainly wasn't about to join…
"Princess!"
Kori's voice gave her pause. Azula frowned, glancing in her direction to find the youthful, smiling woman rushing in her direction.
"I looked for you at the hospital, but you weren't there. The scouts have returned! The enemy forces have crossed the river!"
"What…?" Azula frowned, as Kori stopped before her. "You mean, the rivers from Pohuai…?"
"They crossed and then headed further south! They've left Yu Dao alone, Princess! They abandoned most of their siege weapons, at least the ones that were burning in the fire…"
"Is that fire still burning?" Azula asked. Kori blinked blankly. "Send firebenders to stifle it, if it is. The gas should have long run out, the flames should be easier to control by now."
"Oh, I'll let them know, but… it's over, Princess. Yu Dao is truly free from the Deserter's assault! You did it!"
"I… didn't do it alone," Azula said: Anorak winced behind her upon hearing those words. His movement alerted Kori of his presence.
"What's…?"
"He's a prisoner. Likely a leader among the waterbenders. I intended to question him more thoroughly, though I don't know where. Kori, the girls should already be in the shed right now…"
"Oh. Yeah, they should be. Sneers will be with them too," Kori smiled. "I can handle explaining to my parents, if you want? I feel like they already might suspect, though…"
"They might. I just need them to understand they have to keep things quiet, even though at this point I expect half the city suspects what I'm hiding," Azula said, shaking her head. "At any rate, I'll probably bring this guy there too, for now. I have to check on the girls, and I have no idea where else to take him, so…"
"You brought him all this way without a plan, Princess?" Chan asked, raising an eyebrow. Azula huffed.
"Try thinking clearly after firing more than ten bolts of lightning over the course of an hour, or however long it was, fall into the sea and nearly get crushed by a waterbender's ice grip, before judging me for my shortcomings right now," she hissed. "I have no idea how I managed to hold myself upright in that cell. But anyway…"
"Well, I understand that, but… people are waiting for you," Kori said, biting her lip. Azula frowned.
"People?"
"They've gathered by the center of the city, as you can see. They're expecting to hear you confirm that everything's fine," Kori said, with a bright smile. "You've led Yu Dao to safety, so…"
"Safety…" Anorak repeated, resentfully. He went ignored by everyone, though Kori's eyes shifted towards him quickly.
"You don't have to give a long speech or so. Just a short one would be enough," Kori said, reassuringly.
"I… can't even pretend I'm in the mood for that. Or in the right mindset for it, either," she said. "Can't General Ling…?"
"Yeah, even he thinks it should be you. He's sorry he couldn't help more during the actual battle," Kori said. Azula scoffed.
"Shinu?"
"He's even encouraging people to wait for you to arrive," Kori grinned awkwardly. Azula scoffed.
"Chan? Please tell me you brought your father to this city with you…"
"Uh, I didn't do that," Chan said. Azula grimaced. "Why do you ask?"
"Because if there's one military bastard who has proven he'd gladly take credit for my achievements, it's him. Curse every last one of them, being honorable when all I want is to…"
To run back to her daughters, to hold them, to rest and recover… to forget the horrors she was guilty of, the mistakes she had made, the dreadful pain she had subjected countless people to. Calming Yu Dao's population, reassuring them… worse yet, celebrating with them, sounded as appealing as visiting Hina and Hahn for dinner. She had nothing to rejoice in… but the sooner she was done with it, the faster she'd be on her way to Hotaru.
"Fine, then. Fine. I'll… figure something out," she said. "I can improvise a speech somehow. Done it before, I guess…"
Kori's smile waned slightly at her admired Princess's impatience. The whole group walked together, towards the area most people were crowding right now. Chatty, loud voices greeted them as they reached the central square, and Azula grimaced as soldiers urged her to approach them: a rudimentary dais had been erected near an inactive fountain by the center of the square, and that was where Azula would be expected to stand. As Kori had told her, Colonel Shinu lingered nearby, an unusually proud smile upon his face: it widened further once he caught sight of her, waving enthusiastically at her.
"Well, fuck my luck," Azula huffed, turning towards Renkai. "Keep an eye on Anorak. Don't let him run off or do anything stupid. Good damn thing the fountain's off…"
"Good? I beg to differ," Anorak grumbled. Chan chuckled at Anorak's displeasure.
"We'll keep an eye on him. Lady Morishita, you'll stay here too?" Renkai asked Kori. She nodded promptly.
"I'll talk to my parents after," she confirmed.
Azula swallowed hard before marching through the crowd: at first, people hardly noticed it was her, but it wasn't long before her golden armor began eliciting the reactions it often did. Some people bowed, others cheered, many applauded her, and before she knew it, the cluster of people had spread out, leaving room for her to reach the dais uncontested.
The excitement of that crowd startled Anorak, an unsettling, unpleasant feeling knotting in his gut. Princess Azula had managed to coax her soldiers to chant and support her back when she had been positioned at the wall. Now, he found that far more people besides soldiers would cheer for Azula as though she were their icon, their hero… their goddess, even. Again, the way Sokka spoke of her, his deep devotion for her, rang inside his head… these people were just like him. But a man as intelligent, as capable, as strong… could he truly love and cherish a woman who would tear the White Lotus and the Gladiator Army apart if she cared to?
The way she presented herself just bolstered the fear she elicited in him. Right now, it would be easy to think she was only mildly disheveled and inconvenienced by the battle she had starred in. Her image was that of perfection, even now…
Azula climbed on that dais, and Anorak swallowed hard as he watched the entire crowd fall silent upon sighting her. Expectation held the entire city at a standstill as she stood before them in her golden armor… was she anxious? Uncertain? Was that vulnerability…
Her brow drew together, and in the blink of an eye, she composed herself: the fierce, merciless woman returned when she was ready to address her public.
"People of Yu Dao!" she shouted, and upon hearing her voice, the crowd erupted into cheers. "Your city's walls have kept you safe from the threat that encroached upon us! The work of our soldiers deterred the dreaded Deserter, a traitor to the Fire Nation, and his legions have been defeated!
"Mourn for our dead, for all the soldiers who gave their lives for the continued survival of this city! Their sacrifices will not be forgotten, nor will they be in vain! We stand for Yu Dao as they did, and we shall carry out their will: the true strength of this city stands before me now! No matter how they may try to break us, we will never surrender! No matter the threats they field against us, Yu Dao will be free!"
Her words were preposterous: Yu Dao wasn't free, it hadn't been for over a hundred years, and it had no hopes of finding said freedom anytime soon, more so after she had destroyed Jeong Jeong's assault as she had…
But Anorak's wide eyes took in with utter horror as the people surrounding the Princess broke out in cheers: they chanted the city's name, they chanted her title… they would scream until their throats gave out, until their voices were too hoarse from singing her praises. To them, her words made sense, even though they made none to Anorak…
They saw Jeong Jeong as the oppressor. As the monster to hide their children from. As the disloyal leech who had turned his back on the Fire Nation and joined an enemy army. They didn't fear Azula… they revered her. They cheered for her. They believed her when she claimed their city was free…
He had seen a speech much like this one before. Back then, his heart sang with pride and joy upon knowing he had helped liberate Omashu… it never had occurred to him that any city in the Earth Kingdom could ever see them as the offenders, as the problem to be rid of. Perhaps there were a handful of supporters of the White Lotus in this city, lying low… but that wasn't enough. A few people who trusted and believed in the Earth Kingdom hardly amounted to anything compared to the massive crowd that rejoiced over their Princess, who stood above them all, the breeze blowing into her hair and clothes with unexpected gracefulness.
She was the hero. Anorak was the villain. Had it been the same in the eyes of countless innocents, of those they had overlooked in Omashu and Ba Sing Se because they had been in the minority?
The memory of the joyful celebration in Omashu overlapped with what Anorak was seeing now: instead of the Blue Wolf's daunting figure, he gazed upon Princess Azula's, instead. To each side of the war, they were hero and villain alike…
And as much as he hated that feeling, the same tingle of confusion he had experienced initially over Sokka started to gnaw at his chest upon watching Azula's imposing figure. As the men and the woman near him watched her reverently, with proud smiles or earnest gratitude… would he come to truly understand how and why they admired her, much as he had come around over Sokka?
His fear spiraled and strengthened further as that crowd echoed war cries, celebrating the Fire Nation's first true success in the latest escalation of the war. He lowered his head, wishing he could close his ears as well as his eyes… for he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear them chanting her name, chorusing it with fearlessness, emboldened by knowing that one of the sharpest minds born to the Fire Nation stood there, in a city flying the red-and-black banners, her golden armor gleaming under the dim twilight.
The Fire Nation couldn't win anymore. It was too late for them. It had to be. For, if it wasn't…
If the White Lotus and the Gladiator Army hadn't done enough damage against the Fire Nation, Princess Azula might just lead her people, her father's armies, and destroy every last hope of ending the Hundred Year War.