As she walked outside, Azula found herself feeling uncertain. Here she was, willingly following men who had considered killing or subduing her less than an hour before. Yet, here they were, their fear and concern replaced by an atmosphere she couldn't decipher, though she knew they felt no negative feelings toward her. At least save for Ivan, as the young Grand Duke seemed unable or unwilling to even glance at her. Whatever the case, Azula decided to take the time to gaze around as her group continued to follow the Ruskians. On her way to their Headquarters today and last night, she had previously not taken the time to focus on the camp proper, as she'd been more interested in the Ruskians themselves. However, as she allowed her sharp gold-amber eyes to wonder, she found them drawn to the array of wooden poles connected by lines and a steam tractor crawling its way through the camp off to her right. It looked similar to the overlord transport she'd used while pursuing the Avatar from Omashu through the Si Wong desert before leaving it at a fort to take a ship to Ba Sing Se. However, unlike the overlord, it was unarmoured, with two small wheels in the front and two larger ones in the back. The super-structure consisted only of the large boiler with a long, thin funnel sticking out the top and a small cab for the driver in the back, with the machine hauling two large carts packed with metal shaped into cylinders with conical ends stacked neatly inside. Why were they shaped like that? Surely an ingot would be better?
Soon, however, Azula lost sight of it behind a row of tents as she and her guides continued through the encampment. However, further along, she noted a grouping of at least eight large machines being towed by horses, consisting of a long metal tube attached to a metal frame with a pair of wheels connected to a carriage pulled by four horses each, heading in the same direction. As these were alien to her, she moved closer to War Minister Qin before whispering: "Do you know what those are?" she asked, gesturing with her eyes toward the row of strange machines. In response, the older man gazed in the direction she had gestured and found himself unable to identify them, so he shook his head. Azula had expected as much, but it was worth a try.
After several minutes of walking, they finally arrived... back where Azula had started. To their front stood their mounts, their harnesses held by the aides they'd left to keep the beasts under control. Not too far from them stood Ruskian soldiers similarly holding their horses, though she presumed these were for the Ruskian commanders. In hast, everyone mounted their respective beast of burden and, with Nikolai's direction, arranged themselves facing the "parade ground," as he called it. To Azula's left was Ivan riding a different white steed, and slightly behind her were her commanders, while to her immediate right was Nikolai, riding the same horse Ivan rode the other day. As for the other Ruskian commanders, they stood further back to the right. However, once arranged, Azula found herself inwardly fuming, not because she was upset about reviewing foreign soldiers, but rather because she was to ride alongside Nikolai and Ivan.
Now, while some might have thought this was petty. To Azula, it felt almost like a veiled insult for this man and his son to believe themselves her equal. Not only could they not bend, but nothing stuck out about them to her enough to make up for it. Sure, Nikolai was clearly no fool and knew what he was doing, but she had known them for so short a time that she could only surmise and make guesses. If anything, the only thing she could say in their favour was that the two Grand Dukes had remained careful of their words, for even Ivan had given her very little to work with. However, that still did not make them on par with herself. In fact, quite the opposite, as otherwise, they seemed practically as ordinary as most she'd met in the army, if only slightly better mannered.
Then, unexpectedly, Nikolai turned to her with a firm look, though his eyes betrayed something she couldn't place. "I do hope you are impressed, Your Highness," he said.
In response, she proceeded to turn to him. For as much as Azula wished to avoid speaking to the man since she still hadn't forgiven him for daring to place his hands on her head as though she were a child that needed coddling. Not that she even understood his reasoning for doing so. He was, at least for the moment, in a better position, surrounded as he was by his nation's soldiers. "Hm, that remains to be seen, Your Imperial Highness," she shot back as she turned away.
In response, he maneuvered closer and whispered. "If this is about what happened, again, on behalf of myself and my countrymen, I apologize. Unfortunately, let me say that we Ruskians do not commonly associate such abilities with anything positive. However, it would seem this bending of yours is indeed something the Lord intended."
In response, she turned to him with a confused look. "I'm sorry, what?"
It seemed he was about to respond when suddenly, music echoed through the camp, and he shook his head. "Nevermind, we should be going," he said as he ushered his mount forward, with Azula and the others doing the same. Unfortunately, much to her ire, his horse proved slightly faster than her komodo rhino, and Nikolai ended ahead of her.
When they arrived, Azula found that the area previously packed with soldiers now only sported many small formations. Although she could tell that each seemed to represent a different unit, as each had a similar but differing coloured flag and those mounted on horses she presumed to be their version of cavalry sporting various uniforms. Suddenly, the music stopped as the group arrived, and Nikolai and the other Ruskians raised their right hand to their brow in salute. Or at least, that's what Azula presumed it to be. Suddenly, every man carrying a flag moved two paces forward before bringing their banners parallel with their chests, rolling the flag out before raising them, allowing the fabric to catch the wind, and stepping two paces backward.
"Здравствуйте, солдаты!" (Greetings, soldiers!) Nikolai shouted boisterously, with Azula trying not to flinch as his deep bass voice echoed across the plains.
"ЗДРАВСТВУЙТЕ, ВАШЕ ИМПЕРАТОРСКОЕ ВЫСОЧЕСТВО!" (Greetings Your Imperial Highness!) replied the soldiers in nigh perfect synchronization.
Not understanding what was going on, Azula quietly turned to Ivan and whispered. "What did they say?"
In response, Ivan turned to her for the first time since leaving the headquarters. "They are simply exchanging greetings," he whispered back before again facing the troops. What?She thought to herself. Never in her life had she seen or heard of such a ridiculous thing as a Royal greeting one's underlings, though considering the tone used and Ivan's explanation, it seemed that this was indeed the case and not some elaborate scheme on his part.
Once the two finished, Nikolai lowered his hand, followed by the other Generals at his side and Ivan. "Храбрые солдаты и офицеры Рускианской 10-й армии, позвольте представить: Ее Королевское Высочество, наследная принцесса Народа Огня Азула!" (Brave officers and soldiers of the 10th army, allow me to present: Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Azula of the Fire Nation) He said before gesturing to her.
Before she could even utter a word in question at her name being clearly spoken: "ПОЗДРАВЛЯЮ, ВАШ КОРОЛЕВСКИЙВЫСОЧАЙШЕЕ!" (Greetings, Your Royal Highness!) Shouted the soldiers as loud as they could, and Azula once again tried hard not to cover her ears from all the noise. She'd never liked anything she considered noisy, preferring the quiet and peace of palace life, where none even spoke to her without express permission, save her father and her friends. However, she could clearly recognize that this was meant to be an honour, or at least, she hoped so for Nikolai's sake.
Once the soldiers concluded their response, she turned to Nikolai. "What did you say?" she asked, and he turned to her with a slight smile.
"I merely introduced you, Your Royal Highness," he said before turning back to face his soldiers with a neutral expression. "ТЕПЕРЬ, СОЛДАТЫ, ОФИЦЕРЫ, Я ОСТАВЛЯЮ ЭТО ВАМ! ПРИНОСИТЕ ГОРДОСТЬ НАШЕМУ ОТЕЧЕСТВУ!" (Now, soldiers, officers, I leave this to you! Bring pride to our Fatherland!)
"УРА!" (Hurrah!) the soldiers replied on an extended note. Soon afterward, the band played another song, hardly sounding any different from the first, and the officers began shouting orders that she again did not understand. After several quick motions, the soldiers on foot held their weapons at their shoulders, and the officers did the same. Then, the various units wheeled to the right, forming larger groups with units which seamlessly connected with them as they followed suit.
Again, Azula found herself at a loss as she watched this particular display. Though, now that she knew none of them were benders, she had to wonder if they fought in such formations, as, unlike the Fire Army, or any other she'd heard of, they wouldn't require to have looser groupings for benders to function. However, this brought her to another thought: If these Ruskians were non-benders, how did they hope to take on Ba Sing Se? She could see it now: their formations crushed under the boulders of the Earth Army raining down from the Great Wall or buried alive from enemy counterattacks. Then, she suspected, they would come back and kowtow before her, BEGGING her to bail them out, which she was still considering.
Suddenly, she was brought out of her musings when she heard Ivan say something, and she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, I did not catch that."
"Oh, I said the parade is starting," he informed as he saluted, causing her to refocus on the current situation.
The units previously standing before her now stood off to the left in large, closely packed blocks consisting of single units, with the cavalry in front. Suddenly, the band, which Azula only now realized had stopped playing, erupted with music, and the cavalry began to advance. The lead unit wearing the same uniforms as the men who'd escorted Ivan to her camp earlier, all mounted on black horses. "Those uniforms hardly look practical."
In response, Ivan chuckled. "That may be, but the Life-Guard Hussars are among the best light cavalry in the army," he said as they passed by, turning to face them as they did.
Azula didn't reply, instead watching as the next unit came up behind them. Her eyes lit up upon seeing the black, plume-crested helmets and armour they wore, with a single white leather band worn across the left shoulder over the chest. Under the armour, they wore a white jacket and a pair of long white gauntlets, while on their legs, they wore gray pants and black shoes. She also noted that they had smaller versions of the weapons carried by the infantry, though seemingly without a blade. Are they perhaps a ranged weapon? Then, she turned to Ivan with a smug smirk. "I was beginning to think none of you wore armour."
However, he didn't seem to react, instead continuing to watch the parade. "Most of us don't. The Cuirassiers and Horse Guard are the only exceptions, save sappers," he replied with a tone that sounded a little too much like the one Mai always used, causing her smirk to falter.
"Why? Surely armour would be better suited to armed combat?" she asked, curious why an army of non-benders wouldn't wish to protect themselves from their enemies. Of course, she'd never known as much about weapons as her brother or Mai, seeing the art of armed fighting as beneath her as a result of bending prowess. However, that didn't mean she was ignorant, either. Of course, when she was younger, she had wished to train with Piandao, but her Mother had quickly nipped that plan in the bud, even though Father supported her.
In reply, his mask cracked slightly as his face morphed into a look she couldn't place. "You would think that, wouldn't you," he said with a derisive snort and a snide glare before turning his eyes back to the parade.
As the Cuirassiers passed, the next unit came into view, which was another unit of Hussars. Although they wore dark blue jackets with white lace and pants with white plumes on their headdresses, similar to the Life-Guards: though with white cords in place of gold and orange and black ribbon in place of the golden bird. Or at least, she hoped she understood the differences, and she thought the Fire Nation army was complicated. "These are Hussars, correct?"
In response, he fully turned to her for the first time since the parade began, his impassive look replaced by a slight smile and mild surprise in his eyes as he put down his hand. "Yes, they are. The Rodna Hussar regiment, to be exact," he said before facing them and saluting.
"Hm. Though, I must ask, why do you use so many colours for your uniforms? Surely it would be better to wear the same?" she asked as they passed, with the unit following being yet more Cuirassiers.
"To be honest, it is merely tradition at this point, as every Hussar regiment wears different colours," he said without turning to her.
"Well, that's- Wait, how many are there?" she asked as she turned to him.
"I believe twenty," he stated while keeping up his salute.
"Twenty? And each one is unique?" Ivan gave Azula a light nod in response. "How do you keep track of them all?"
"I had to learn each one in cadet school," he stated as the Hussars passed. Behind them came four units in succession who wore almost the same uniform as Ivan and the majority of the soldiers, save they wore all green, with a single strip of varying colours on their pants, green cords on their headdresses and, much like the cuirassiers, a single white belt across the left, with another at the waist. They also wore the same weapon.
"I see..." Azula replied, thankful that the Royal Fire Academy for Girls never forced her to learn anything so dull. Even the etiquette seemed more interesting than that. "So what are these then?"
"Mounted Jagers, Your Highness," he stated plainly.
"Well, at least they seem more practical, if only just," she replied, not wishing to get a headache due to all the various complexities in uniform.
Surprisingly, Ivan seemed to find her stance humorous as he elicited a quiet chuckle. "On that, we can agree, though I doubt Pyotr would wish to hear that," he said, his smile turning further upward, if but a moment.
"Well, at least- Who's Pyotr?" she asked with a cocked brow, not that he saw it.
"One of my dearest friends. A Hussar Officer by trade," the young Grand Duke relayed, again without turning toward her.
"I can see why he might be offended then," she said with a snort as the last of the Mounted- Whatever they were called- passed by, making way for the first infantry unit. They wore almost the same uniform as Ivan, at least, the soldiers, as the officers literally did, with the soldiers sporting the gold bird, white cords, and black wool plumes with a red pom-pom at the base of the plume. At their shoulders, they carried the same weapons she'd seen many times already. While on their chests, they wore two crossbelts with a backpack and several other items. At their head were two flags, the first of which had a yellow background with a two-tone diagonal cross tapering inward, with the black, double-headed bird in the middle surrounded by a gold wreath, at the top of which was a strange crown. The other was white with the colours inverted, save the gold wreath at each corner with other symbols in the center, similar to the first, while the middle details of the banner were also the same. "I would assume this is your unit?"
Ivan smiled slightly in response, though he did not turn his eyes away from the parade ground. "Indeed. This is the 1st Battalion of the Zlachny Life Guards," he said as he watched them pass.
Azula turned to watch the next unit march forward, dressed similarly to the Life Guards, though lacking the gold on the cuffs and collars, which were red instead of yellow, while the bird was replaced by a brass symbol she did not recognize. She also noted they only carried one flag instead of two, which was plainer than the one the Guards had, with a green background and a white cross, though the bird and other details remained. "And these are?"
"Soldiers of the 121st Infantry Regiment, Your Highness."
"So, these are your regular soldiers?" Azula asked as she allowed her eyes to linger. She'd seen many like them throughout the camp, though they usually carried a slight uniform deviation, so from what she could tell, it was men like these who made up the vast majority.
"That they are. Line Infantry have always been the backbone of the army," he replied with a slight smile while keeping up his salute.
Azula soon found herself wishing for the parade to end as she continued to sit uncomfortably in the saddle of her Komodo Rhino. Her thighs had begun to ache, and she could feel sweat forming on her brow as the desert sun beat down upon her and her companions, her only relief being the metal can of water that the Ruskians supplied her as the morning drew on. Of course, not that she wished to show how truly relieved she was at receiving it. As for the parade itself, there really wasn't anything which interested her anymore, as all their infantry practically looked the same, at least to her tired eyes. Not to mention, roughly halfway through, it seemed Ivan had also grown bored, as he had even stopped telling her which unit was what. In fact, she hadn't even bothered looking at him for the last five minutes. However, when she turned to him, she caught the young Grand Duke staring at her with a slight smile across his face. In fact, if she were Ty Lee, she might have even called the look dreamy, whatever that meant. "You know it's rude to stare," she called to get his attention, which caused him to snap out of whatever stupor he was in as his cheeks flushed brighter pink.
He quickly coughed into his sleeve and recomposed himself. "Oh, uh, my apologizes, Your Highness, I -Ahem- did not realize I'd dozed off, and I meant you no disrespect," he said with a slight nod of his head.
In response, Azula rolled her eyes. "I don't mind. Besides, what I find more curious is that you'd even dare to smile at me after looking so fearful of my fire," she finished with a questioning gaze.
Quickly shifting to a neutral expression, Ivan stared at her. "Wait, I was?" he responded in confusion.
"Don't play dumb with me, Your Imperial Highness! I saw you!"
Nikolai couldn't help but watch in amusement as Ivan and the Princess began arguing about smiles as the last units of the parade moved forward. "Ah, look at them. I knew I was right about her," he whispered with a sigh before turning to General Alexeev. "General Alexeev, are your men ready?"
"Yes, Your Imperial Highness," he responded. "They should be setting up the firing range now."
"Very good. Though I hope the demonstration is enough to prevent the Fire Nation from double-crossing us," he said as he continued to observe the back-and-forth between his son and Azula.
"Indeed. Though, considering that little display back at headquarters, I'm surprised the Princess didn't act out," said General Boskovsky, who was the closest of the Generals to Nikolai in terms of rank.
"Which would be a perfectly understandable assumption, were it not for the fact that she is no ordinary girl," Nikolai stated as he turned to them.
"I beg your pardon, Grand Duke, but what do you mean?" He replied.
"The way she speaks, the way she carries herself, the way her eyes seem to barely react. It demonstrates a nigh-perfect control of one's appearance and thoughts, both skills which are far from common," he began, causing his Generals to give him nods of agreement. "In short, she was raised to rule a nation. This is why she most likely saw the writing on the wall and knew it was better to give us what we demand now. However, knowing what we now know, who's to say she and her people wouldn't wait for us to present weakness and exploit it?" again, his generals nodded. "Therefore, I ask all of you to be mindful of this in the future, and please do refrain from mentioning any of this to her."
"Of course, Your Imperial Highness!" they all responded.
"Very good," Nikolai began before turning just in time to watch the guns arrive. Truly, he was grateful. One false move and Ruskia may have found itself at War with the Fire Nation. He only hoped his assumptions about Azula were correct.
Authors Note: Okay, I know this may not be the most exciting chapter, so please let me know what you think.