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The afternoon sun infiltrates through the clouds, almost to the point of creating heat waves in the still air. However, two young innocuous girls in the Fire Nation don't seem to mind the blaring sun as they cartwheel on the hot, soft grass. One girl, with black hair that is tied up into a bun with a crown with two strands framing her small yet determined face, was invigorated by the sun, as if she was deriving her energy from it. The other girl, the one with long, plaited, chestnut brown hair and kind eyes seemed invigorated too. However, she seemed to be absorbing her energy, her enthusiasm through her playmate, who was learning how to stick the landing from a cartwheel from her.
"Enough of this," said Azula, as she plopped down on the flattened grass that was subjected to her forceful movements during cartwheeling, "You clearly seem to find my failure as a funny thing."
"No princess, never," Ty Lee said, earnestly, holding her hand over her chest, "I was only trying to teach you how to stick the landing perfectly. A perfect princess deserves a perfect landing."
"A perfect princess deserves a perfect teacher." Azula stood up before brushing off errant blades of grass on her royal outfit and stomping off to the large tree that was right next to the turtleduck pond. She leaned onto the sturdy bark of the tree, with her legs stretched out in front of her, lounging under the voluminous shade of the tree. Ty Lee, hurt by her comment, stood there, frozen.
"You should have known by now to follow me wherever I go, Ty Lee." Azula said from her place, not having expected Ty Lee to have not followed her. Ty Lee pouted, she wanted to defy the princess, to make her feel bad like how she always makes Ty Lee feel. She slowly walks up to the tree, twisting her long braid in her hands as she ambled. Azula smirked, Ty Lee would never not follow her orders, she was way too loyal for that. Ty Lee made it to the outline of the shade, making it look like she was about to walk up to the trunk, before swerving sharply to the right and walking to the turtleduck pond, with determination. Azula straightened, raising her body from the trunk in disbelief. She was so sure that Ty Lee was going to join her but she defied her. The insolence... Azula stood up before running to the pond, where Ty Lee was sitting on the edge, coaxing the turtleducks to come towards her so that she could pet them. The turtleducks, that were about to swim to the the warm and inviting hand of the beautiful human suddenly halted before swimming back to the middle of the pond, to their safe haven, once they saw the cruel shadow of Azula looming over the pond.
"Join me under the tree." No response. "Now."
Ty Lee just shook her head, not even looking back to see Azula. Azula's eyebrows furrowed.
"If-if you don't come with me...I will push you into the lake!" No response.
"I will burn your face!"
"I will burn all your pink clothes!"
"I will burn your braid off!"
Still no response. However, Azula was surprised to see that Ty Lee had lowered her head, more than how it was before, and she could hear muted sniffles coming from the girl. Oh no. Azula could feel her indignation and fury slowly melting away even as she tried to grasp onto it, like trying to hold water in a closed fist. Azula felt a feeling she very rarely felt, and only for one person: Guilt.
"No need to cry. I won't burn your braid." Ty Lee kept crying, her sobs getting louder and harder to stifle.
"Don't cry! As your princess, I command you to stop crying." Azula ordered, however it only spurred Ty Lee on. There was only one way to solve this issue.
"I'll grant you a wish if you sit with me under the tree." Ty Lee immediately jumped up and ran to the tree.
"I'm already here, princess!"
Azula groaned.
______
"So can I tell you my wish now?"
"No," Azula said, with her head on Ty Lee's lap and her eyes closed, "I still haven't forgiven you after the little stunt you pulled."
"But 'Zula, you promised!"
"I didn't promise, I just gave you an offer. I didn't say when I would listen to your wish. Now, let me sleep."
"It's alright, it's not like you would be able to grant my wish." Ty Lee quipped. Azula's amber eyes shot wide open as she got up from Ty Lee's lap, indignated.
"How dare you...insulting the princess of the Fire Nation is equal to treason!" She screamed, trying to intimidate the perky girl. Ty Lee wasn't intimidated, having been exposed to the princess's outbursts for a while already.
"What I meant princess, " Ty Lee cooed as she gently pushed Azula back to resting her head on her lap, Azula acquiescing like wet clay in a potter's hand, "was that you don't have the authority to change the law in a way that could suit me. Only the Fire Lord can do that."
"I suppose that you're right. However, you are talking to the future Fire Lord now, and so you may tell me your wish."
Ty Lee giggles, "Please don't take any offence princess, but you're fifth in line for the throne. After Fire Lord Azulon, it's going to be Crown Prince Iroh, then Prince Lu Ten, then your father Prince Ozai, then Zuko and then..." Ty Lee sighs, "And then you."
Azula pouted, feeling slighted by Ty Lee's dismissal of her offer.
"You just wait and watch. I will defeat whoever the Fire Lord is and take the crown from him. I will become Fire Lord Azula, conqueror of the Four Nations, and you, you will be by my side as my Fire Lady. That's when I will grant you your wish."
Ty Lee, who was captivated by the burning desire and fervour for the crown in the princess's golden eyes, was ecstatic to know that she was the lucky one who would be chosen to be the Fire Lady.
"Really, you would do all that, just to grant my wish?"
"Yes! And that's when you'll know not to doubt me."
"Oh Princess!" Ty Lee bends down to wrap her arms around Azula's shoulder, pulling her in towards her neck. Azula takes in a sharp breath, she should have been used to the girl's intrusion of personal space, but it still felt like a million butterfly-moths flying around in her stomach. She clears her throat, signalling Ty Lee to pull away, which she does after pulling her in closer towards her. Ty Lee just looked absolutely resplendent after the hug.
"Okay, so I have a list of changes-"
"A list!?"
"Yes, a list, of changes to the laws of this nation." Ty Lee clears her throat, "Firstly, I would like it if Fire Lord Azula could kindly remove abacus from the syllabus."
Azula smirked knowing that Ty Lee was absolutely horrendous in abacus, "And why would I do that, my dear Fire Lady?"
"Because, it is causing severe mental trauma to the students, who are the future of the nation, and as the Fire Lady, I care about the people of this nation. Also, maybe, it might be just a teensy little bit hard for me." Ty Lee said the last part dejectedly. Azula couldn't help but feel her heart melting in the heat of her Fire Lady's adorable nature.
"Alright. For the future of the Fire Nation." Ty Lee beamed at Azula, happy that her friend was agreeing with her.
"Secondly, if I were to be the Fire Lady, I want to only wear pink."
"That is absolutely impossible. Red is the royal family colour, it is a symbol of the royal family and the Fire Nation."
"But I love pink. Pink is the symbol of me. I look great in pink!"
Azula couldn't argue with that. "Alright, we can table that discussion for now. What's your next request?"
Ty Lee hummed as she was thinking about her next request. "Ooh, I've got one! I've always not liked the name Caldera. It's too...boring."
"Hm, I have never really thought about the names of cities to form an opinion of that. I'm too busy for that."
"So could we change the name of the capital into something better? Pretty please..."
"To what?"
"Anything the Fire Lord wants."
"Ty Lee." Azula admitted, before realising her slip up. Ty Lee's eyebrows shot up. "I mean, since you will be the Fire Lady, it would make sense for the capital city to be named after you. Purely political, that's all."
"But you're the Fire Lord, shouldn't it be your name?"
"You're absolutely correct," Ty Lee grinned at her remark, "The capital city should have both our names."
Azula rose from her lap, "I will name it Azula and Ty Lee...place."
"Azula and Ty Lee place, oh it sounds perfect" Ty Lee dreamily remarked. Azula agreed with her.
"Just like me. Just like us. And now I shall declare a new law."
"Yes, 'Zula?"
"I will make it a rule to always let me lie on your lap and sleep. Under no circumstances can anyone wake me up when I'm sleeping on your lap and you should never move when someone calls for you."
"Yes my princess, I promise. I would follow it even when the world crumbles. Or when I want to do cartwheels. I'll wait until you are ready to get up."
"Great, then let's enforce the rule now." Azula places her head on Ty Lee's lap, facing her stomach as she wraps her arms around Ty Lee's hips, snuggling into her. Ty Lee simply smiles and leans back on the trunk of the tree, cherishing this moment where the princess willingly shows her vulnerable side.
______
Ty Lee, already bored within the fifteen minutes of Azula's slumber had began to weave thin blades of grass into the princess's silky bangs when she heard the rustling of leaves from the bushes that surround the tree, as if someone was searching for something. From the back of the tree, Prince Ozai emerged, looking infuriated at both the stifling heat of the afternoon, and his pursuit over something...or someone. Ty Lee gasped, trying not to disturb her princess with her nervous fiddling as she felt the steely gaze of the Prince fall on the two intertwined figures under the shade of the tree. He stood there, imposingly, waiting for Ty Lee to stand, to bow, or to even make a noise. But she sat there, frozen, trying not to meet his gaze. She knew that she had to bow to the Prince, as per the tradition, but moving even slightly would wake her princess from her sleep, and she promised her that she won't. Her pulse quickened as the moment went by slowly, like an insect trying to get out of a pot of honey. Neither of them made a move for a while. Prince Ozai looked absolutely livid, and she didn't even have to look at him to figure it out. The uncomfortable heat emanating from him only added on to the suffocating feeling Ty Lee had. And yet, she never acquiesced. The Prince's jaw clenched.
"HOW DARE YOU!" He roared, as the stillness in the air was pierced by his poignant rage towards Ty Lee. Azula, who was in deep sleep until then, suddenly jumped up like a cat, pushing herself off of Ty Lee, before realising that the voice was real and had belonged to her father. Quickly, she bowed down, her head touching the same ground her body was lying on. Ty Lee too, quickly leaped and bowed, shaking like a leaf.
"I'm extremely sorry, Prince Ozai, for everything. I didn't mean to disrespect you at all."
"Silence, you fool. Your words have no meaning to me when your lack of respect is so blatant."
"Father," Azula meekly called, before willing all the confidence in her soul to rest in her voice, "Father, it isn't her fault."
"Oh really?" Prince Ozai mocked.
"Yes father, you do know that she is a fool. I had jokingly asked her to not let anyone wake me and she did that exactly. She is a fool but a fool who had misinterpreted my orders. Please forgive her. It is below us to even grace her with our anger."
"I guess so. Look here child," he beckoned for Ty Lee, "it is good to be loyal. But make sure that your loyalty isn't just for one person," he looked at Azula who looked down at the ground, "It's for the royal family as a whole. Understood?"
"Yes Prince Ozai, I understand completely. This will never happen again."
Prince Ozai hummed, already getting bored of this irrelevant sycophant of his daughter, "Come Azula, you're already late for your one-on-one lessons with me." He started to walk away from the tree, leaving Azula behind. Ty Lee tries to say something, anything, to let Azula know that she was hurt by her statements but her voice got caught in her throat. Yet the hurt and disappointment that shone in her eyes tore Azula's heart apart. She also didn't have anything to say, feeling nothing but guilt again. She quickly ran away from the tree, from Ty Lee, from her Fire Lady, wondering how many more times will she continue to feel guilty over making Ty Lee sad before she leaves, just like her mother did.