Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: A fitting metaphor, I think. Azula and Ty Lee are certainly dangerous enough.

Zigzagdoublezee: Well, I do still have to do book 5 of my alternative Legend of Korra canon, picking up from Rise of the Earth Empire. I haven't forgotten about that. But I have no plans to do one for regular LoK canon.

As Always, Please Review!

For a moment, all Yue could do was stare at the blue glow in Azula's hand. Time seemed to stand still. She could hear Sokka shouting somewhere behind her, could see Katara diving for cover to her side. The entire deck was lit up in a blue glow, Azula's face most of all, and a cold sneer was on her face. But it was Azula's eyes which were most frightening, for there was no elation, no hatred, no emotion of any kind behind them.

Just simple, cold indifference.

Yue threw her hand up, and opened her mouth to tell the Fire Princess to stop. This was madness, she wanted to say, she would kill everyone here. But she never got the chance. A shadow fell over them, and suddenly Gembul was swooping in, slamming Azula with his tail. The Princess yelped as she was knocked into the air, losing control of her lightning bolt which went arcing off into the distance in a random direction. A mighty thunderclap echoed across the deck.

A moment later, Azula splashed down towards the bow of the ship.

"Yes!" Yue shouted at Gembul as the bison began to climb away. "Good boy!"

Gembul roared back, in what sounded like approval. But Yue's smile faded as she turned around.

Azula's friend was standing over Sokka, who was on his knees with his hands hanging limply by his sides. He appeared to be trying to nudge something with his torso. Yue's blood went cold as she saw it was Suki, inert and lying face down in the water.

Then she was moving, rushing towards the scene, splashing through the water as she hurled an ice ball at the girl in pink. She looked up just in time for her eyes to widen as it caught her full in the chest, knocking her backwards as Yue fell to her knees next to Sokka.

"Help me!" Sokka begged her. "She's done something to us! I can't move my arms!"

Yue waved her hand and the water receded, leaving the three of them kneeling in a dry patch surrounded by a circular wall of water. A gasp came from below them and she turned to look at Suki, rolling her over so she was face up.

"Are you alright?" She asked urgently.

"I can't move," Suki replied, panic in her voice. Yue tried to soothe her as she propped her up against Sokka, to make sure her face could not be submerged again. She nodded gratefully. Her sword was lying abandoned by her side and Yue grabbed it, pointing it angrily at the girl in pink as she stood up.

"What did you do?" She demanded. "And who are you?"

The girl just smirked weakly, still recovering from the ice ball. She coughed.

"Oh this?" She asked. "This is just the start of what I can do."

"Yue?" Katara called. "A little help?"

Yue turned to see Azula was on her feet again, advancing towards the Princess of the South with a wild look on her face. The soldiers she had brought with her were just standing there in formation, their weapons hanging loosely by their sides as they watched the fight. They made no effort to join in.

But Yue did not have time to wonder why that might be as she heard footsteps behind her and turned just in time to see the other girl vault over her. She brought her sword up to swing a water whip at her, but she danced backwards out of the way. But now the pink girl was retreating towards Sokka and Suki, and the southern Prince saw his opportunity. As Yue struck again, and she retreated again, Sokka stuck his foot out. With a yelp, she tripped over it, crashing to the ground with a splash.

By the time she rolled over, Yue was standing over her with Suki's sword levelled at her head.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" The girl asked.

"I'm sure I'll learn fast enough," Yue retorted. "Now, who are you? And what did you do?"

The girl grinned.

"My name is Ty Lee!" She chirped, very cheerfully with someone with a sword pointed at her. "I'm Azula's friend!"

"I didn't know Azula had friends," Sokka frowned.

"Haven't you only met her once?" Yue asked, turning to him.

"That's not the point."

Ty Lee siezed her chance. She lashed out with a foot, kicking the sword away, and leapt to her feet. Yue, taken by surprise, tried to take a step backwards but Ty Lee was faster. A few punches and she too was sent sprawling into the water, her head slipping under for a moment. She panicked as she found herself unable to move, but then she felt strong hands on the back of her clothes and was pulled back into a sitting position, next to Suki. She glowered at Ty Lee.

"Yue!" Katara cried, from where she was in the middle of a furious fight with Azula.

"I would advise you to surrender," the Fire Princess told the Water Princess. "You find yourself alone."

Katara gritted her teeth, but said nothing.

Azula sighed and clicked her fingers. Several soldiers began to advance towards the pile of bodies that was Yue, Suki and Sokka, who found themselves powerless to resist.

Yue decided that she hated this.

"So what's it going to be?" Azula turned back to Katara, who was watching the scene with a look of horror on her face. "Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks. Provided you come quietly, of course."

She smirked.

"Oh, who am I kidding. It's not like you'll have any choice."

BANG!

The door burst open, and the soldiers coming towards Yue stopped in their tracks. She craned her head to see Rinzen standing there, framed in the door. He took in the sight of their immobile bodies, and then looked at Ty Lee.

Then the airbender drew his arm back and summoned a gale force wind which blew Ty Lee clear off the side of the boat. A moment later, they heard a splash far below them.

Azula looked furious for a moment, but seemed to recover her composure. She pointed at the airbender.

"That wasn't very pacifist of you."

Rinzen shrugged. "I could try asking nicely. I don't think it would work. So I did something else."

He stepped to one side, and suddenly more figures were piling out of the door; these ones were wearing green, men, women and even some children who had armed themselves with every improvised weapon they could find. Some of them looked weak and emaciated, but they had numbers on their side.

Plus, judging by the expressions on their faces, they were absolutely livid. As they set upon the soldiers, and Katara attacked Azula again, Rinzen scrambled to his knees beside them.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"That girl did something to us. You knocked her into the sea!"

"She looked dangerous. I did what I had to," Rinzen replied. "Can you move?"

"No," Suki tried moving her arm. Nothing happened.

"I can move my legs," Sokka offered. "She only got my arms."

"Better than nothing, I suppose," Rinzen shrugged.

Behind them, the battle was raging, but increasingly, the prisoners seemed to be gaining the upper hand. Several fell, but more poured out of the door to replace them, smashing the guards with sticks, hammers, or even just their bare fists. Azula dodged Katara's water-whip, and looked around, seeing the way things were going. She realised she was outnumbered, about to be alone on the ship with people who despised her, and decided that this was not going to end in her favour.

She made full eye contact with Yue for a moment, and scowled. Yue knew that expression was a promise.

And then Princess Azula turned around, ran towards the edge of the ship and jumped over the side.

"Won't she drown?" Yue asked anxiously.

Rinzen stood up and ran to the edge of the ship. Then he returned, shaking his head.

"That other ship has turned around," he said. "She'll be picked up, I'm sure. So will the other one."

Despite himself, Sokka burst out laughing.

"I think we did it," he said happily.

"It's not the way I would have liked it to happen," Suki frowned. "But I think I'll take it."

Yue strained, and managed to twitch a finger. She looked around, frustrated.

"Did anyone think to ask that girl how long it takes for this thing to wear off?"