Wandering Firebender
Seventy Nine: The Escapee
It happened in the dead of night, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Aang and his friends had already left the Fire Nation to deal with another matter that required their attention.
It happened in the dead of night when even the Fire Lord had gone to sleep. No one was expecting it, which is why it was even able to happen in the first place.
It happened in the dead of night when everyone had their guard down.
"Elio! Captain Elio!" There was a frantic knock on Elio's door late at night, loud enough and urgent enough to shake him out of his relatively peaceful sleep. He shook his head in a tired confusion, unsure if the knocking was real or part of a dream.
He waited, and another knock came, "Wake up, sir!" A servant called to him from the other side of the door.
"What the...?" Elio muttered to himself, sweeping his hair out of his face, "Hello?!" He called out.
"Captain! The Fire Lord needs to see you right away!"
Elio groaned, sluggishly getting out of bed. He rubbed his eyes as he opened up the door, "The Fire Lord? It's not even morning yet." He pointed out.
"I apologize for the disturbance, but it's urgent. I don't know all the details, but I was told to inform you that an important has escaped." The servant explained. Elio looked up at the servant and saw his worried expression.
"Okay. Give me a few minutes to get properly dressed." Elio requested...
After putting on his uniform, Elio followed Zuko's servant. Elio expected to meet with Zuko in the throne room, but instead he was escorted to his private chambers. Elio's eyebrows furrowed. He rubbed his wrists as he started to speculate on what was going on.
Why had Zuko called for him specifically?
"He's waiting inside for you." The servant stepped aside and gestured to the door to Zuko's bedroom.
"Alright. Thank you," Elio nodded appreciatively before approaching the door. He knocked on it a few times before cracking it open. "Zuko?" He called out to him.
"Elio, come in. Close the door behind you." Zuko invited him in. Elio entered, allowing the door to shut behind him.
Elio walked in to find Zuko pacing back and forth at the foot of his bed with a serious expression, his face downcast towards the floor. He didn't seem to be in distress, but it was clear by how he was carrying himself that he was anxious about something.
"Hey. What happened? You say someone escaped?" Elio asked, getting right to the point.
"My sister." Zuko revealed. Elio's eyes widened at this.
"Azula...how?" He immediately asked.
"I told the staff that she needed to be kept under careful guard, but she must have found a way to slip out. Soon as she saw her opening, she fought her way out. We don't know where she is now." Zuko explained.
"Was anyone hurt?"
"A few guards around the facility were roughed up, but no one was seriously hurt...urgh, I can't believe they let this happen!" He exclaimed in frustration, pressing his palm against his forehead.
"So what's the game plan?" Elio asked, folding his arms.
"For now, I'm waking up the extra reserve of guards to keep the palace secure. Wake up your friends and have them help with sweeping the halls. We need to make sure that she isn't in here anywhere." Zuko said.
"Why would she come here?"
"The last time we fought was in an Agni Kai for the throne. I wouldn't put it past her to come and try to take it back from me." Zuko shared his reasoning.
"What, by challenging you again?" He asked.
"By killing me." Zuko answered.
"You really think Azula would do that?" Elio asked, his eyebrows raising in surprise, "I mean, I know how fierce she can be – I've seen that up close and personal, but...murdering you? You're her brother." He pointed out.
"She's unhinged, Elio. She's already tried it before. With her on the loose, I can't afford to put anything past her right now."
"Right, I see...I'll wake up the others right now and we'll get to it." Elio nodded.
"Thank you. We'll talk again soon. I need to start organizing my men." Zuko said, walking towards Elio. He backed up to the door and opened it for Zuko.
"Be careful, sir."
"You do the same." Zuko said in turn before walking down the hallway. Elio went the other way, back towards where he and his friends' rooms were.
"Hey, Cindra!" Elio stopped by her room first, knocking on her door repeatedly, "Cindra, I need you to come out here!" He called to her.
Finally, Cindra came to the door. She was wearing a silk Fire Nation robe. Her hair was extremely messy and lopsided. She rubbed her eyes and grumbled sleepily.
"Mm, hey, Elio. What time is it?" She asked with a yawn.
"I don't know. Late? Early maybe? I need you to get dressed. We've got a situation." Elio said.
"Situation? What kind of situation?" cindra asked, groaning a little to herself as she stretched her arms out.
"Princess Azula has apparently escaped from confinement. The Fire Lord wants us to do a sweep of the palace, and he wants all of us to help out in case we do find her hiding somewhere." Elio explained.
"Oh...oh wow," Cindra's eyes widened when the realization hit her. "Didn't you say she's, like, really dangerous?" She asked.
"Extremely. So get ready fast. I'mma get the others." Elio pointed down the hall with his thumb.
"O-Okay! I'll be out fast!" Cindra said, starting to wake up now. She nodded to Elio then closed the door.
Elio woke up Alger and Sri too. They all met with the night guards to assist in a sweeping search of the palace room by room. Thankfully, they didn't find any sign of the princess having been there. That meant that they only had to worry about making sure no one came in or out...
Morning came finally, and everyone felt quite tired from lack of proper sleep. Elio stood near the front gate, his eye occasionally twitching from drowsiness combined with the chill morning air. It was silent, which allowed him to think.
He was concerned for both of the royal children. Of course, Zuko is the acting Fire Lord, and he has all the right intentions, which is something that the Fire Nation solely needs right now. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that he stay safe and well-guarded.
But he couldn't help but be concerned for Azula too.
Despite their volatile history, he could tell that she had been really messed up by a number of things involved in her upbringing. If she was truly as unhinged as Zuko had said, she needed help. Refusing it and now escaping made her dangerous and unpredictable.
It was a question of her well-being as well as everyone's safety.
"Hey, Elio," Alger made his way over to him by the gate. "Just wanted to let you know that the sweep was just completed. She's not here." He informed him.
"Well I suppose that's for the best. I'm guessing the next step is to have soldiers start searching town?" He assumed. To his surprise, Alger shook his head.
"She's fled the Fire Nation. The Fire Lord received a report earlier about a stray sailboat being stolen and going out towards the Earth Kingdom. We're not sure why." Alger explained.
"She's going out into isolation, trying to figure out her next move. She's determined to try and figure this out on her own. I doubt she'll stay away long, which means we'll need to find her first." Elio thought aloud.
"Uh...what makes you so sure about that?" Alger asked, bewildered by how confidently Elio was speaking.
"'Cause it's what I did," Elio answered, turning towards Alger. "I'm going to speak with Zuko again. We'll see what he wants us to do." He said, patting his hand on Alger's shoulder as he passed by him.
"You know her, right? The princess?" Alger asked, prompting Elio to stop and turn back around.
"I've had my encounters with her, yes. Some of them violent." He answered.
"Sounds like you two have a history." Alger commented.
"It's complicated. I'll tell you about it later." He promised before urgently going into the palace.
Elio found Zuko in the throne room now. He was speaking with members of his private council. Upon entering, Elio immediately stopped and bowed, "My apologies, my lord. I wasn't told you were busy. I'll wait." He said, beginning to back out.
"It's alright. Please, come in, Elio," Zuko gestured for him to come before the throne. "I was actually about to send for you. We need to talk." He said.
"Yes, sir." Elio nodded and approached the throne. As he walked towards the Fire Lord, the council members excused themselves and exited the room, passing by him. Elio knelt down before Zuko's throne.
"I'm sure you've heard by now that my sister has managed to escape. It's hard to say how long it'll be before she makes landfall in the Earth Kingdom, but I doubt it'll be more than a few days." Zuko shared.
"Yeah. Does she know how to sail?" Elio asked curiously.
"Not to my knowledge. She never mentioned it. Maybe she learned at some point." Zuko answered uncertainly.
"You don't know?" Elio questioned, sounding surprised.
"I was in exile for 2 years before I took my father's throne. I don't know how much I missed out on." Zuko pointed out.
"Right. Sorry."
"I want you to get your team together and go after her. I'd like you to bring her back here so she can resume her treatment." Zuko said.
"Me?" Elio's eyebrows raised up and he lifted his head to look at Zuko, "You know how skilled she is, right? Aang and the others would be better suited..."
"They're away. But I trust you to take care of this. She told me that you were able to best her once." Zuko said.
"I didn't best her, I ran away the whole time and caught her off guard. I'll definitely need to take my team with me 'cause I'll lose in a direct fight." Elio said, shaking his head.
"No one's asking you to do it alone, Elio. I couldn't do it alone. I'm not sure what state of mind she's in right now, which makes it even more important that you all stay cautious." Zuko advised them.
"Oh I know...why do you say you trust me to take care of this?" Elio asked curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"That's what I'm asking you. What do you mean by that?" Elio clarified his question. Zuko took in a breath and let it go before answering.
"The few times Azula talked about you, it was pretty obvious that you two had some...strange understanding or connection, whatever it is you wanna call it. But if anyone can talk to her, it's you. That's why I want you to take charge of this mission.
"I've tried my best to do right by her since our fight, but of course she won't listen to me – she's never listened to anyone aside from our father. Whatever you can do to make this situation easier for everyone, including her, you have my go-ahead.
"She's not a common prisoner or a target. Just do whatever it takes to get her back safely. This is where she needs to be." Zuko concluded.
"I will do my best," Elio lowered his head before standing. "I'll let my team know right away."
"Once you're done, come back and see me again. There's one more thing we'll need to go over before you go after her." Zuko said before standing up too. He allowed Elio to leave the throne room before exiting himself...
"Listen up everyone," Elio spoke before his crew once they had all been assembled on the grounds of the landing strip. "This mission is of the utmost importance to the Fire Lord, and you'll see why in a minute. He, as well as me, are expecting you to all proceed carefully and properly.
"We're going after the princess – Princess Azula, who just escaped the Fire Nation last night," He revealed. Everyone's reactions conveyed their shock; some even gasped audibly. Cindra looked nervously at Sri and Alger, who seemed less surprised but equally concerned.
"I can't share all the details, but the princess is not in her right mind right now, and the Fire Lord has ordered that she be returned safely unharmed. She is still the princess, and you will all be expected to address her as such. If one of you are able to secure her, bring her to me. I will be running point on speaking with her.
"Does everyone understand the assignment as it stands right now?" Elio questioned.
The soldiers all answered yes in unison, but it was clear that a lot of uncertainty still hung in the air.
"Good. Prepare the ship. I will speak with the Fire Lord one more time before we depart. If I'm given any new info, I'll relay it over the speakers before we leave. You're dismissed." Elio finished. He stepped aside and walked around the men, making his way back into the palace as his men started to enter the airship.
Everyone was discussing their theories on what was going on.
"This feels kinda crazy," Sri said to Cindra and Alger. "I mean, I don't know much about the princess, but obviously this is really serious."
"I'm concerned for Elio," Alger said. "Since he was given the news about her escape, his attention has been divided." He shared his observation with them.
"I'm concerned for all of us," Cindra added. "Elio's told me about her, and she's really strong. She is not a nice person either, and if she attacks us, she is totally capable of taking us all on."
"Yeah..." Sri sighed nervously. "Well, if it were easy, they wouldn't have sent us to take care of it."
"Tell me, Cindra, what else has Elio told you about this Princess Azula? What is his relationship with her?" Alger inquired.
"She put him in prison for a month. She doesn't like him." Cindra answered, shaking her head.
"Elio did mention that most of their encounters were violent in nature. Seems odd for her brother to choose him for this mission." Alger noted.
"Well...there is one other thing." Sri brought up.
"Hmm?" Alger and Cindra looked at her.
"I don't know the context, but Azula once gave Elio one of her tiaras. So there's gotta be more to the story." Sri reasoned. Cindra's eyes widened.
"You're right! He had it in his bag when I first met him! I completely forgot all about that!" She exclaimed.
"So it seems that there's more to their history after all. I wonder how this will affect the mission." Alger wondered aloud...
"My lord. Captain Elio is here to see you. He says you're expecting him." One of Zuko's servants peeked his head through the door to his private training area.
"I am. Let him in." Zuko permitted with a nod. As Elio walked inside, Zuko turned to face him.
"The ship is nearly ready to go. You wanted to see me one more time?" He asked.
"Yes. Shut the door behind you, please, and take off the outer part of your uniform." Zuko ordered.
"Okay," Elio nodded and did so, hanging the excess clothing on a hanger by the door. "Do you want me to train with you?" He asked.
"Not exactly. I have a technique that I need to teach you before you face Azula. It's something my uncle taught me, and it could save your life."
"Oh wow. Okay. I'm ready then." Elio said, stepping forward.
"Elio, how familiar are you with lightning bending?" Zuko asked. Elio swallowed heavily, his eyes drifting downward.
"I...I've seen Azula use it a few times, and I did it once myself, but I didn't know know what I was doing at the time." Elio answered honestly.
"It requires a great deal of focus, something Azula's always been really good at. I can't teach you how to generate lightning, but if she tries to use it on you, I can teach you how to redirect it." Zuko explained.
"You can redirect a lightning bolt?" Elio asked in amazement.
"Follow my movements," Zuko instructed before getting into a wider stance. He extended his arm out to the side while sticking out the pointer and middle fingers of both his hands. He traced one hand down his arm and into his stomach before extending it out the other way. He explained as he demonstrated:
"My uncle explained it like this: imagine yourself as a guide for the lightning, letting it flow down into your stomach, where the center of your chi is, before letting it shoot out the other end. It's important that you don't let the lightning pass through your heart; it'll kill you."
"Good to know," Elio nodded before practicing the movements himself. "You said Iroh came up with this?"
"Yes. He learned it by studying waterbenders." Zuko answered.
"Have you ever done it?"
"Twice. The second time would've killed me if Katara hadn't been there." Zuko said, standing up straight. He moved part of his garment to the side to show Elio the deep scar over his heart.
"Oh..." Elio swallowed. "So through the stomach, not the heart. Got it."
"It's not easy to pull off, but just try to remember that you're guiding the lightning in and then back out." Zuko reminded him.
"Right. Like a catch and release." Elio said.
"If that helps you do it correctly then yeah." Zuko agreed.
"Okay. I'll practice on the way."
"Okay. Good luck, Elio, and be careful. I wish I could tell you what you'll see when you get there, but right now the only person who knows what's going on in Azula's head is Azula."
"Yeah, I know. I'll do my best to bring her back safely. But I can't really guarantee anything." Elio shook his head.
"I trust in the abilities of you and your team. You can do this." Zuko encouraged him.
"Thank you. I'll notify you soon as I have something." Elio said with a nod before excusing himself from the room, taking his uniform with him...
"Did Zuko tell you anything?" Cindra asked Elio once he had returned to the ship. Elio shook his head.
"Nothing new about the mission and nothing that I can teach you, unfortunately. Is everything ready?" He asked.
"I think so, yeah." Cindra nodded.
"Great. Where's Alger and Sri at?"
"They're in the commons area right now just hanging out." She answered.
"Okay. Go and get them. I'll meet you all there. There's one more thing I wanna talk about, but we can do it on the way." Elio said.
"Okay."
Elio made his way to the control room and signaled to his crew that it was time to leave. Within a few minutes, Elio's airship was flying enroute to the Earth Kingdom. His hope was that that they would arrive by the shore sometime before Azula did. Or at least roughly around the same time so they could intercept her before she got too far.
Elio's mind drifted back to the lightning redirection technique that Zuko had taught him, as well as the scar on his chest. It was a chilling reminder of what Azula was truly capable of. He would have to be extremely careful not to end up with something similar or worse.
After a few minutes, Elio met with his friends in the commons area. He sat at a table with them so they could all speak privately.
"Do you think we'll be able to track her in the Earth Kingdom?" Sri asked.
"If we get there fast enough, hopefully we won't have to." Elio said.
"I doubt she'll be much faster than this airship. Depending on how far ahead she is and how the waters treat her, we could end up either a day ahead of her or a day behind her." Alger pointed out, tilting his hand to one side then the other.
"Let's hope it's that first one." Sri commented.
"When we get down there and start our search, I want you all to remember your fundamentals and please remember the chi-blocking. From what I've gathered, only two things have ever worked against Azula: chi-blocking and a waterbending master." He listed. The others glanced at Cindra.
"Well, I'm not much of a master right now, so we better bank on chi-blocking." Cindra said.
"We'll do whatever it takes. If she fights us on it, our main goal will be to immobilize her so we can get her on the ship. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, but you never know." Elio said, tilting his head and throwing his hands up.
"We've got your back, Elio. We're following your lead on this one, since you know her much better than any of us." Alger said.
"Yeah...just be careful, alright?" Elio said again. The others silently nodded in response. Elio's worry made them worry too, which wasn't a good sign.
After their discussion, Elio decided that it would be best for them to get some sleep, since he had been abruptly woken up the night before and had been awake since. He locked the door behind him, taking his uniform off and setting it down on his chair.
He paused for a moment, glancing at a small nightstand mounted next to his bed. He went to it and opened up the shelf. Inside was his old travel pack – the one he carried with him all over the Earth Kingdom and beyond.
Elio opened it up carefully and dug through it, pulling out the royal headpiece that Azula had given him one year ago. He turned it from side to side, thinking back to when she gave it to him: how she acted, the way she spoke, and how slyly she smiled at him when she insisted he keep it.
He sat down at the edge of his bed and set the tiara down on top of the nightstand next to him. He took a moment to catch his breath before climbing under his covers and going to sleep...