Burning Chapter 12: The Approaching Storm

Holding my arm out, I bit back a wince as Katara pressed some cooling balm against my bicep. A large purple bruise already formed where Koh had bit down. I had a few other wounds, but it was by far the worst one.

“Sorry,” Katara flinched, placing a little more balm on my arm. “I’m almost done… Just bear with me a little longer.”

“Sure… No problem,” I murmured, feeling as if my arm was going to fall off.

It was definitely one of the most unique wound’s I’d gotten, being inflicted by one of the oldest spirits in existence… Well, he had been. Between Hei Bai and my own efforts, Koh was very dead.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any spiritual side effects from the whole ordeal, but seeing as it hadn’t even been an hour since I’d come back…

As it stood, the only reason why we were still here was because Aang hadn’t returned from his own Spirit world journey. That would have been a bit of a problem, especially since Zuko was here, alongside several of his soldiers, but, luckily, I had something to keep him busy for the time being.

He was a little stuck at the moment, having been mostly encased in Jennamite with only his head visible… A head that Sokka had taken to poking fun at, knocking him with the butt of his spear while laughing. Judging by the angry jets of fire coming from Zuko’s mouth, he didn’t appreciate it.

As for the others, they’d been tied up by Hakoda who was watching over them, making sure that there wouldn’t be any attempted escapes.

Iroh on the other hand…

“That is an interesting wound you have there. It must have been quite the spirit that gave it to you.”

“You could say that,” I replied. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as he slowly made his way over. “Really big centipede… So, not that I don’t appreciate your company, but I thought you’d prefer to be at Zuko’s side.”

Especially after he’d been trapped in the Spirit world for most of a day.

“I will… In a moment, but I thought we should have one last talk,” Iroh hummed. “It’s never easy… Helping an enemy, but I am grateful that you did. For your actions today, I would like to offer my sincere thanks.“

Oh… Well… “I–“

“MY BUTT IS FLAMING!!!”

Clutching said flaming rear, Sokka all but ran in circles as he searched for something that would put him out, only to be hit with a bucket of muddied water courtesy of Hakoda. Lying on the floor next to a smoldering spear, Zuko appeared smug.

Slapping my free palm to my face, I let out a short laugh at Sokka’s misfortune. How he managed to keep getting himself in these messes, I’d never know.

Whimpering softly as steam wafted from his rear, Sokka looked over at his sister. “Katara…”

“Nope, sorry,” Katara apologized, not looking the least bit sorry. “I’m still busy with Honō. There’s some burn salve in Appa’s saddle, why don’t you go there? We’re still going to be a while.”

“Okay.” Sokka moaned weakly as he stood up.

You know, I was pretty sure Katara just said that she was almost done… Giving her more than enough time to help Sokka out. Shooting a knowing smirk her way, I was met with an exasperated look.

“What?” She asked defensively. “I don’t see you jumping to help him with his butt.”

She had a point... But it was still a no from me. Sokka could handle that on his own… It’s not like the burns were serious either, so there wasn’t any real reason for me to help him out.

“While it is always best to help one's family when in need, in this case, I agree with you,” Iroh chuckled. “It is nice to see such a light hearted interaction between siblings.”

“Katara,” Sokka called out from Appa’s saddle. “I can’t find it.”

Nursing her forehead, she let out a quick sigh. “I guess we’re doing this then,” She muttered under her breath. “Look, I’ll help you find it, but you’re applying it yourself, you hear me?”

“…Okay.”

Muttering incoherently under her breath, Katara marched off towards Appa. Leaving Iroh and myself behind.

Rotating my arm, a dull throb made itself known, radiating all the way to my fingertips before bouncing back into my body. I might need to look into helping her learn how to heal using Waterbending… And maybe see if there was something there that I could apply to Firebending.

Glancing over at Iroh, I gave a short hum. Given everything that’d happened over the past day, I didn’t really have the chance to speak to Iroh. I had more than a few questions, but since we were on the subject of siblings.

“You know, I’ve been wondering about something for a while now,” I hummed, glancing at Iroh. “Why is it that you’re so focused on helping your nephew, but not your niece?”

Between the two of them, Zuko was obviously the one who needed the most help, but when it came to Azula, he seemed to have completely written her off… At least… That’s what it looked like from my perspective.

“That is a… Sensitive subject,” Iroh admitted. “Azula has always been very much her father’s daughter. Being a prodigy, he made sure to keep any negative influences away from her… Me being one such influence. After becoming Fire Lord, my brother reminded me of that fact and the distance between us has only grown since.”

“And Zuko was his mother’s son,” I finished.

Being the brother of the Fire Lord, Iroh drew a lot of attention to himself, making it all but impossible to interact with Azula without others knowing about it. Zuko on the other hand… Ozai didn’t care about what Iroh said to him… Not after he cast him out.

“Precisely,” Iroh nodded. “But it seems to have all worked out in the end.”

Repeating the exact same thing I’d said to him earlier… I could only shake my head.

“It would seem that our time together is at an end,” Iroh noted, gesturing towards an orange clad figure that was flying over. Reaching into his pocket, he flicked a small wooden disk my way, which, upon closer inspection seemed to be a Pai Sho tile. “Hang onto that for a while. When the time comes, I’ll be happy to show you how to play.”

Initiation into the White Lotus… I couldn’t say that I wasn’t interested.

“There you are,” Aang breathed a sigh of relief, landing right in front of me. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I tried to find you in the Spirit world, but then I ran into this dragon that showed me… Well…” Glancing at Iroh, Aang looked a little unsure of what to say. “But then when I asked it to take me to you, it took me to this really big tree that was burning down.”

It was still burning? I would have thought it’d have gone out by now.

“Sorry about that,” I chuckled awkwardly.

“That was you?!”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a long story,” I hummed. “I ran into the spirit responsible for abducting everyone on the beach and it wasn’t willing to let them go… Not without keeping a part of them, so I set it on fire.”

Hearing a loud crack, I looked behind Aang just in time to see Zuko, who’d managed to free one of his arms, unleash a small jet of reddish-orange fire our way, only for it to be stopped by Iroh of all people.

“Uncle?” Zuko gasped. “What are you doing? That’s the Avatar!”

“I am well aware,” Iroh nodded. “But he is not the only one that is here. There is a spirit, one that has been angered by the Fire Nation’s presence. If it were to see us fighting, it may just return and snatch you back into the Spirit World. Starting a fight here would be foolish.”

“I can’t keep letting the Avatar get away.”

“And what happens if you capture him here?” Iroh asked. “We’ll have to hike through miles of Earth Kingdom territory before we even reach the ocean. Will you be able to not only keep the Avatar contained, but also fight off whatever Earth Kingdom patrols we inevitably come across?”

“It’s better than doing nothing!” Zuko snapped.

Iroh shook his head. “Getting captured by the Earth Kingdom will only hurt your goals.”

Seeing that this wasn’t going to end anytime soon, I gestured for Hakoda to follow, before silently leading Aang towards Appa, leaving Iroh and Zuko to their argument.

Hopping onto Appa’s back alongside Aang, a few short moments passed before Hakoda climbed on as well.

“Hey guys,” Aang greeted, softly landing on Appa’s head.

“Aang,” Katara hummed, pulling said Airbender into a quick hug. “Where were you? We were starting to get worried.”

“Yeah,” Sokka deadpanned, lying on his stomach with a wet towel resting on his butt. “Super worried.”

“I’ll tell you all about it later, for now, we should probably leave,” He said, taking the reins he prepared to snap them, only to pause. “But before that, does anyone know anything about comets?”

Sighing, I shifted a little closer. “I do.” I’d been holding off on it for long enough. It was time Aang learnt about Sozin’s comet.

At least after this, there shouldn’t be any more big surprises for a while.

…Burning…

To most, the Royal sloop would seem like a technological masterpiece and they’d be correct. It was easily the most advanced ship in the entire Fire Nation military, outclassing even Empire-class battleships in speed, size, durability and sheer fire power.

It was a true testament to the Fire Nation’s might, being capable of weathering almost any storm, intimidating sea creatures with its sheer size and brushing off any attack that could be sent its way. It was the best ship the Fire Nation had, one that was specifically designed with Royalty in mind.

Azula, however, found it somewhat lacking. The route they’d taken was completely absent of any danger. What was the point of having such a powerful ship if it wasn’t going to ever see action? If it wasn’t ever going to be used to the best of its ability.

Here was the most powerful ship the Fire Nation had ever produced and it was little more than a decoration.

There was a time where she wouldn’t have paid it any mind, but now, all she could see is how wasteful it was. A ship like this could easily flatten a small Earth Kingdom fleet, but instead it was left to rot in the harbour.

Personally, she blamed Honō for her sudden change in perspective. She’d been perfectly content with her life until he had to show up and make her question things. The only reason she was here to begin with and not back in the Fire Nation was because of him.

Hearing the hatch to her deck open, Azula let out a soft hum as she continued to stare out on the ocean. “Finally managed to tear yourself away from your family?”

“If only,” Mai murmured, dropping into the seat next to her. “My father sent me this time. He wants to once again offer his gratitude for your invitation.”

And once again, Mai’s father was proving to be spineless... Ordering his daughter to do something that he himself should have done. Well, no matter. It wasn’t like he was relevant. The only one of any actual importance was sitting across from her.

Shooting a quick glance towards her friend, she smirked. “Then perhaps I require further assurance of his gratitude... To ensure that it is completely sincere. Why don’t you stay a while, Mai?”

“Thanks,” Mai sighed, leaning into her chair. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Simple, we’re going to be visiting a certain circus, before making a quick stop to conquer Omashu,” Azula answered. “After that, we’ll have time to track Honō down… I also promised my father that I would look into this talk about the Avatar being back..”

With Sozin’s comet coming, the Fire Nation was well on its way to achieving total victory. The only thing that could possibly stop them now, if the legends were to be believed, was the Avatar himself. Luckily, rumor has it that he was just a kid… A powerful one, but a kid no less.

“Isn’t retrieving the Avatar Zuko’s task?” Mai asked. “If we interfere, he might not be allowed to come back.”

That was a fair point, father had assigned the Avatar's capture to Zuko, but it was far too important of a task to leave to his hands alone. If he didn’t capture the Avatar before they won the war, there wouldn’t be any place for Zuko in this world.

“Then I suppose we’ll simply have to get him to assist us,” Azula said, tapping a finger to her chin. “Honō too.”

Between the five of them, taking down the Avatar should be as easy as lighting a candle… Assuming that Zuko didn’t let his temper get to him and do something to screw it all up. He did have a tendency of putting his foot in his mouth.

Her uncle on the other hand… He could just sit back and drink his tea as usual. She didn’t need him. Never had and never will.

Blinking, Mai shot a dull look towards Azula. “Somehow I don’t imagine Zuko and Honō getting along. Zuko doesn’t exactly take well to being teased and you already know what Honō’s like.”

That she did. He’d make it his solemn duty to annoy Zuko as much as humanly possible… He’d done something similar with her, once even referring to himself as a rash that she couldn’t get rid of… As if the princess of the Fire Nation had such poor hygiene.

“I’m sure they’ll learn to like each other,” Azula commented, smirking lightly.

“After a lot of fighting,” Mai groaned. “We should probably introduce them somewhere that’s not flammable… Or at the very least, near something that’s worth burning down.”

If that was the case, then perhaps she should introduce the two near the great wall of Ba Sing Se… To see if Honō could anger Zuko enough that he’d level the outer walls himself. It’d certainly beat their uncle’s record of nearly two years.

She was joking of course, but it was an amusing thought.

“Have you considered why Honō did it?” Mai asked cautiously, taking a quieter tone.

“I have,” Azula nodded. “Several ideas come to mind, but none of them really matter right now. I’ll make him tell me when we find him.”

Mai looked just the slightest bit uncomfortable. “I hope he’s got a good excuse.”

He probably didn’t, but that didn’t matter either. She’d help him clean up his mess, starting with Zhao. He seemed to be where this all began. Whatever it was that Honō learned about the man, it was enough to drive him to steal his ship… Twice.

Forming a blue flame in her hand, a small, almost invisible smile graced Azula’s face. “That works both ways, dum dum.”

…Burning…

Out of all the places Azula could have dragged me to, the Royal Palace hadn’t been one that I would have expected. When they said they were taking me to the Capital, I hadn’t exactly been expecting to visit the heart of the Capital.

The fact that I was in a building absolutely crawling with Fire Nation guards, servants who were prone to gossip and the freaking Fire Lord himself was slightly concerning to put it mildly.

Azula on the other hand, took it all in stride and had taken to using secret tunnels and hidden doorways to smuggle me into the most guarded building in the entire Fire Nation.

We’d already been to see her hairdresser… Sorry, Royal hairdresser… The poor woman, I felt a little bad for her. She looked to be in her early twenties and that was being generous.

Initially, she’d been a little wary to cut my hair, stating that she was to only cut the princesses hair, but at Azula’s insistence and compliments, she’d given in and seen to me.

It was only after she was done that Azula had subtly informed her that should anyone become aware of my presence here, she’d know exactly who was to blame, leaving the woman shaken.

She’d know who to come after.

It really wasn’t the worst threat she could make, but the way she said it left a lot to be imagined, somehow managing to make it worse.

Currently, I found myself standing under a gazebo in the gardens just outside of the Royal palace. It was nice here, but…

“Are you sure this is a good place to stop?” I asked, looking around at the palace's separate wings that encircled the garden. “It feels a little exposed out here.”

“Worried that you’ll get caught?” Azula asked, smirking lightly as she gestured towards the building. “Well you can relax. Hardly anyone ever comes out here and if they did, they’d assume you’re a Noble. It helps that you look the part.” Humming she ghosted her hand over my hair. “Although your act could use some work.”

Well that was a relief. The last thing I wanted to do was to accidentally bump into Ozai… That would be an awkward conversation.

“So… What’s there to do out here?”

“What isn’t there to do?” Ty Lee beamed. “Look at all the open space. There’s so much room for activities. We could do cartwheels and, uh…” Staring at my still bandaged hand, she grinned sheepishly. “Or maybe something a little less physical… Mai?” She looked to her friend for help.

Standing with her arms folded, she sighed. “There’s a pond over there, we could always try skipping stones. It only takes one hand.”

“Ooh, that sounds like fun.” Grabbing a hold of the railing, Ty Lee vaulted over it, landing in the garden where she proceeded to wave us over. “C’mon slow pokes, let’s go see the pond.”

I’d known Ty Lee for a while now, but… “Is she always so energetic?”

“You have no idea,” Mai groaned, slowly making her way down the gazebo’s steps.

Following her while Azula took a more sedated pace. I joined up with Ty Lee, looking for relatively flat stones to throw, although the highly energetic girl seemed to find the best ones as she darted back and forth around the pond.

Hearing a chirp as I picked up my next rock, I found myself staring down at a baby turtle duck that dangled from my hand. Staring back with a curious look, it let out a second chirp.

“Sorry about that little guy,” I apologized, looking around for any other turtle ducks in the area. “Didn’t mean to disturb you. Do you want me to take you to the lake?”

Chirping for a third time, it began moving its legs, waddling in the air.

I’d take that as a yes. Heading over to the lake, it didn’t take long before I attracted the attention of Ty Lee and therefore, Mai and Azula.

“Aw, a baby turtle duck,” Ty Lee crooned. “It must have gotten separated from its flock. It’s a pity that we don’t have any bread to attract the others.”

“You’d want to use peas actually… Cold peas,” I hummed, watching as the flock of turtle ducks floated near the center of the pond. “Their stomachs can’t handle bread.”

Looking at the duckling in my hand that’d noticed its family and was beginning to chirp more frequently, I glanced back to the lake. That was a pretty far distance for it to swim on its own.

“Did I just hear you say they shouldn’t eat bread?” Azula asked, moving closer. “You know… My mother used to spend a lot of time out here. She loved to feed the turtle ducks bread alongside my brother.”

Noticing a worried look on Ty Lee’s face, I simply smiled. “Then she obviously didn’t know much about them,” I replied. “Eating bread for them is the equivalent of drinking water because you’re hungry. It might fill them, but it doesn’t provide anything else. It can be pretty damaging to their health if done long enough.”

Staring at me with an intense look on her face, Azula glanced at the baby turtle duck in my hands.

“Ty Lee,” Azula hummed. “Why don’t you go to the kitchen and see if they have any cold peas.”

Dropping a few of the stones she was holding, Ty Lee blinked. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Azula replied. “And take Mai with you, you wouldn’t want to get lost. We can try feeding the turtle ducks once you get back.”

Looking cheerful once more, Ty Lee made her way over to Mai and pointed towards the pond, talking animatedly with the gloomy girl who appeared slightly concerned, before dragging her off towards the main entrance to the gardens.

Rubbing a bandaged thumb over the turtle ducks head, I waited for the main entrance to the garden to close before looking up. “So, you wanted to talk?”

“You know, most people would feel a hint of apprehension when caught making such comments about the Fire Lord's wife,” Azula noted, watching me curiously. “And even more when left alone with her daughter, but you don’t seem to care in the slightest.”

Well, yes, but I did have the benefit of knowing that Azula didn’t exactly get along with her mom. If I said something about Ozai, it’d likely be a different story, but as it stood, she wasn’t going to try and burn me over something like this.

“Everything I said was true,” I shrugged. “Why should I feel worried?”

Azula turned towards the pond. “Why is it that you’re so unafraid? Even my own mother...” Catching herself, she looked up in surprise. “Quite a few have thought of me as a monster in the past.”

“There’s a monster inside all of us,” I hummed. “It sits just beneath the surface… Waiting for the day when we finally decide to let it out and when it’s free, it’ll do precisely what it needs to keep us alive. Most never get the chance to realize it. You, however… You’re just ahead of the curve.”

Noticing a few of the turtle ducks heading closer, I kneeled down and placed the duckling on the edge of the water, watching as it jumped in, swimming towards the others happily.

Crossing her arms, Azula stared down at me with an unreadable look on her face. “And what happens when you let yours out… Or were you lying when you said everyone has a monster inside them?”

I wondered about that myself.

Looking at the burns on my left hand… The results of my failure to use blue fire, I’d initially wondered why I’d failed… Why it was so unstable. Now, however, I was beginning to believe I’d been missing a key ingredient.

Holding my unburned hand out in front of me, a small yellow flame formed at the center of my palm. Taking a breath, the flame suddenly surged with heat, flickering blue before shifting back to its whitish yellow colour.

Refusing to let it go out, even as it grew unstable, I doubled down, giving it more fuel. At this point, if it went off, it’d do significant damage to my hand while also attracting the attention of the guards.

Feeling the flame begin to go out of control, desperation pulsed in my chest as I clenched down on it with everything that I had, forcing it into a stable shape. Seconds ticked by as I fought desperately before it finally began to stabilize. The end result being a small blue flame that flickered in my hand.

Taking a moment to memorize how it felt to form these flames. I slowly stood up, holding the small blue flame out towards Azula who appeared ready to snuff it out the second it went out of control. “Does this answer your question?”

Running her fingers through the flame, a look of surprise crossed her face. “How?”

“I just forced myself into a desperate situation where I had no other choice, but to succeed,” I replied, smiling at the sensation of the blue flame. Normally, it’d feel like a little heartbeat, but this one was far more intense. “The kind of person it takes to produce these flames… I think I’m beginning to understand you, Azula.”