"She's grown up," was my first thought when I saw Princess Azula at the port. Elegantly descending from a palanquin, the attractive sixteen-year-old girl moved toward the only ship bustling with life in the early morning.
The first rays of the sun hadn't yet appeared in the sky, and I had already managed to inspect my crew and ship. Yes, my ship. Upon receiving the rank of Captain, I also acquired a vessel and a crew for it. After all, what else would carry the Princess to the location of her assignment?
The crew was hastily assembled from seasoned veterans and youths who had just completed their basic training. This meant there would be no cohesion among the crew members. Why talk about cohesion when the simplest order, to scrub the deck before the Princess arrived, wasn't carried out properly? The old soldiers had gotten into a fight with the recent graduates. Not a crew, but a complete disappointment.
An additional reason for my distaste for the members of my crew was certain individuals among them. They reeked of blood. I could see in their eyes that they had killed, and killed many. But they didn't resemble ordinary soldiers who fought on the front lines. They were more like the same type of liquidators, the quiet assassins I had recently become for Ozai.
So far, I've managed to identify only three among my subordinates. They were given away by their seemingly shifting glances. In reality, this wasn't absentmindedness or an interest in everything around them. The soldiers were simply using this method to mask how they constantly analyzed the situation, trying to identify danger. And they also tried not to turn their backs on anyone. They probably wanted to prevent the same kind of treacherous strike they usually delivered themselves.
It was, incidentally, amusing to watch the trio exchanging wary looks. I got the impression they didn't know about each other. And now they were frantically wondering if the others were bodyguards sent for Princess Azula or assassins. I wouldn't be surprised if the ship suddenly ended up short a couple of people.
The question of why Ozai infiltrated the escort group of his daughter with so many elite fighters, who clumsily pretended to be ordinary soldiers, remained open. There were actually many possibilities.
If it had been done for Princess Azula's security, for her protection, they would know about each other. I would probably know about them in that case, too. Perhaps the Fire Lord no longer distinguishes between allies and enemies. He seems to think traitors are everywhere. And it looks like he's begun to suspect his own daughter of betrayal as well. Especially since a rumor was circulating in the palace that about an hour before my audience, the Fire Lord had a fierce argument with Princess Azula.
Unfortunately, I couldn't verify the accuracy of this information. I couldn't linger in the palace to question acquaintances. Perhaps so many fighters are needed for round-the-clock surveillance of the Princess and to ultimately obtain reliable information about her actions.
But it was clear to me that Ozai had trust issues. So many people among the nation's elite wanting to dethrone him and then quietly strangle him to appoint, say, his own brother as the new Fire Lord, would put anyone on edge. It is much easier for his own children to do this than for any aristocrat or army officer.
Now, Prince Zuko's exile looked completely different. No, Zuko would not claim the throne, nor would he try to overthrow his own father. His character is rumored to be too soft for that. I think that by exiling Prince Zuko, the Fire Lord eliminated a threat not from his own son, but from the former General Iroh, who, rumor had it, returned from the Spirit World after unsuccessful attempts to find his own son and father there.
Prince Iroh saw something of Lu Ten in the Fire Lord's son. He confessed this to me himself when we accidentally crossed paths in the palace and talked briefly over a cup of jasmine tea. The former General grew attached to Zuko. And seeing Iroh's affection for Zuko, Ozai quickly figured out how to get rid of the headache that was his own brother. He banished Zuko, and Iroh followed him. Voluntarily.
Other reasons for the unusually large number of… not-so-ordinary people on the ship cannot be ruled out. Depending on the Princess's choice, we might embark on a secret mission: the search for the legendary library of the mighty Spirit of Knowledge. Ozai definitely wanted to gain access to it and confiscate everything. I saw the greed in his eyes. It practically asked: "If there's a way to eliminate the Water Tribe there, what else of value could be hidden among the numerous books and scrolls?"
For this reason, Ozai seconded only his most loyal people, all of whom happened to be assassins. He couldn't allow any information about the library to leak. The enemies of the Fire Nation must not find out about it. It's not hard to guess that it contains a way to destroy Firebenders as well.
The library was also probably the reason why I was the head of this expedition, if Princess Azula is excluded from the command structure. Ozai was well aware of my thirst for knowledge. The greed for the library wasn't just burning in his eyes. It was quite clever to place a person motivated to find the Spirit of Knowledge's lair in charge. The likelihood of a successful outcome increases.
Incidentally, that is precisely why Ozai is still alive. I wanted to find the library myself, but I understood perfectly well that it would be very difficult for one person to do so. I needed at least a squad, and Ozai provided it for me.
It was a bit unsettling, though, that Ozai called this my last assignment. Such cliché words have never led to anything good in my life. Most often, after a final task, assignment, or mission, the executor is eliminated. Ozai had a reason: I knew too much. In his place, I would likely eliminate such a person myself.
But if I manage to find the library… The chance that I'll return to the Fire Nation or even show myself in its colonial territories is negligible. I can't even imagine what could force me to leave the Spirit of Knowledge's lair. I wonder if Ozai understands this? Or is he, like all my previous opponents, seriously underestimating my skills? I'll chew up his assassins and spit them out.
For some reason, the absurd desire arose to throw a knife at the feet of Princess Azula, who was now proudly walking up the gangplank past the soldiers lined up in two rows, but I overcame it.
That could have disgraced Azula, for example, if she fell into the water trying to jump away from the knife. And those liquidators would definitely have misunderstood me. They would have attacked immediately. I had to postpone the unusual greeting for a better time and restrict myself to a simple bow.
"Where are we heading, Princess?" I immediately asked when she reached the deck.
The Princess, who had clearly been lost in thought elsewhere, couldn't keep a straight face when she saw me. For a moment, surprise flashed, and then a smile. The kind you give when you see a good old acquaintance you haven't met in years. The smile turned predatory a second later.
"Long?" Princess Azula decided to confirm. "The one who once escorted my brother?"
"Yes, Princess Azula," I nodded.
The officer uniform was different from what the ordinary soldiers wore. For example, it didn't include a mask, so anyone could see my face. I could have taken the helmet off altogether. Its usefulness had noticeably diminished. It didn't protect the neck, for instance, unlike my previous one. Instead of metal plates, simple fabric was used, like on some units of ordinary soldiers. And the armor itself felt lighter and thinner somehow. Probably because command often stands on their feet, they decided to lighten the armor.
But I wasn't used to this armor. I would have to expose myself to fewer attacks. And change my fighting style slightly. Not that I used to rush into every enemy attack… It's just that the thick Firebender armor gave more confidence in survival.
"I hope you'll handle my service better. I'm still too young to die," Azula's expression was caustic. But there was nothing of the sort in her voice. It sounded more like a friendly jest than an attempt to provoke me, as officers in Iroh's army had done. The Princess walked forward a bit, turning her back to me. "Escort me to my cabin. And set a course for the Earth Kingdom."
"I obey, Princess Azula…" The new bow was almost my last.
Azula produced a painfully familiar knife from somewhere and nearly slashed my exposed neck with it. I managed to duck and turn my head away. The knife struck sparks on the helmet, and the next second, I took the Princess's arm in a hold and knocked the weapon out. I immediately distanced myself and carefully monitored the Princess's actions. Looking at me with obvious interest, she rubbed the arm I had put a pressure hold on and picked up her knife.
"At the very least, you haven't lost your skills," she sneered. "There will be at least one person to train with on the way. Take me to the cabin now."
The soldiers, who had been watching us with alarm, let out a noticeable sigh of relief. They clearly didn't know the Princess's character and hadn't assumed we were already acquainted. Some, as they thought, discreetly hid the weapons they had previously concealed. In this way, I identified two more of Ozai's agents.
Princess Azula also granted them a fleeting glance. She drew some conclusion and frowned slightly.
Meanwhile, Princess Azula's servants were climbing the gangplank, but I didn't honor them with a personal greeting. I finally needed to escort Azula to her cabin.
"And are there many such… peculiar fighters among your men?" Azula casually inquired as we walked down the corridor.
"They are not my men, Princess," I answered firmly. "The exact number of such specialists is unknown. The crew was assembled a couple of hours ago."
"I see. When we reach the sea, throw them overboard," a note of dissatisfaction and slight resentment was audible in Azula's voice. She clearly did not like that the Fire Lord had ordered someone to spy on her.
"I fear that would raise questions from the Fire Lord, Princess. But we can get rid of them in another way. I think we should simply leave them to guard the ship when we go ashore. But before that, we need to identify all the… rats."
"Try to," Azula replied, slamming her cabin door shut in my face.
From her look, it was clear she suspected me of working for the Fire Lord as well. I'll need to convince her otherwise. Of course, I'm not sure she'd throw me overboard, but the problem of distrust needed to be solved.
To this day, any member of the royal family remains a valuable source of information on Bending. And she could simply order me, as the ship's Captain, to stay behind and guard it along with the other fighters she dislikes. That would be a great loss.
Although… I wouldn't obey such an order. I'd desert and secretly follow the Princess. But it's easier to slightly discredit myself in front of the Princess so she believes I'm not Ozai's agent. But I'll have to tread a fine line. To walk on very thin ice, because crossing the line would give Azula reason to kill me on the spot. She is, after all, her father's daughter, and I can't yet judge how bad her relationship with him truly is.
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