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5 Times Azula tested Mai's devotion, and the one time she didn't think she had to.
1. The Royal Fire Academy for Girls
Azula at ten years old was no stranger to girls trying to befriend her for their own gain. Her father had warned her of this before she attended school. She remembered the lesson well.
"People want to be near greatness, near power. You can let them, but always for a price. Let them work for it, only reward those who are useful."
It was an easy enough lesson, and Azula kept it in mind. So even while girls were swarming around her, trying to give her gifts or tell her gossip she might like, Azula knew there was to be gained if she found the right people.
The girl who threw knives at her head was the first one who truly caught her attention.
Mai wasn't the most high ranking girl, she wasn't the funniest, nor the prettiest. She didn't bring gifts and she didn't compliment the princess on everything she did. Yet, she seemed to be the only girl who truly understood what Azula's father had told her. She showed Azula her skills, offering them up without pretense. A transaction. Her skills for protection and power.
Azula found it refreshing.
Most of the other girls at the academy soon proved themselves weak and rather useless, breaking under the slightest pressure or crying at the smallest insult. Almost none of them offered anything Azula couldn't do better herself. Mai and Ty Lee were the only exceptions, so Azula kept them close. They were both her friends and the most powerful tools Azula had at her disposal, and they both knew it. Ty Lee managed to walk the tightrope of pretense. Mai didn't bother. Her apparent indifference was unlike anything Azula had encountered before, and she couldn't resist pushing against it, testing how far she could take things with Mai until she snapped.
She tested the other girl, telling her she wanted to do an experiment with her knives. Mai had an impressive skill, so Azula told her they should play a game where Azula could pick her targets and Mai had to hit them with a knife as soon as possible. Azula started off easy enough during breaks or outside of school; a tree branch, an apple, the wall above a classmate's head while no teachers were around. But soon she whispered a target in Mai's ear during class, in the hallways, even while being watched by the headmistress. Times and places that would get Mai in trouble. Yet, she passed the tests and she still did as Azula asked without question, always throwing one of her blades at her whispered command no matter the consequences. After the third time Mai got detention, Azula decided Mai had proven her loyalty. She loudly declared the game boring and said she was over it. The only sign of relief Mai showed was a small sigh.
2. The Fire Nation Palace Gardens
In the long summer months without school, Azula often invited her friends to the palace. She knew her mother approved of her spending time with friends, and it was an easy way to get her to leave her alone. Things were also just more fun with Mai and Ty Lee around. Playing with them made the hours pass quickly, and they both always knew exactly how Azula liked to play.
The one downside of bringing them to her home was that it meant Zuzu was also there.
Azula was a nice sister and let him play with them sometimes. He didn't have any friends, so he was lucky Azula let her borrow hers at all. It was during a game of tag that Azula noticed something strange about her friend that bothered her in a way she couldn't quite put into words.
Every time Zuko was 'it' (which was for most of the game) Mai would slow down and let him tag her. The first time, Azula thought it was an accident. But as she kept watching Mai, she started to realize it happened over and over again. Part of the fun of the game was how Zuko could hardly keep up with any of them, and it was frustrating to see Mai take pity on him. Azula didn't understand it, until she heard Ty Lee giggle behind her.
"Look how Mai is blushing!" She whispered to Azula, covering her mouth with her hand as another giggle escaped her.
Azula frowned, squinting at Mai who was now chasing Zuko around. She was a little red, though Azula had at first chalked it up to exertion, but that was clearly wrong. She had seen Mai run for much longer without any trouble.
Something about the idea of Zuko making Mai blush filled Azula with fury for a moment, almost angry enough for fire to burst from her balled fists. But she did as he trainer had instructed, taking a deep breath to quell the fire inside her a little.
Mai could like Zuko, if she wanted. Azula just had to make sure she'd never like Zuko more than her. That was what was really important.
She stopped the game by clapping her hands, a signal nobody had agreed on beforehand yet everyone understood. Once Azula was done with a game, they moved on to something else. No discussion needed. She cleared her throat once she got everyone's attention.
"I'm tired of tag, we're playing a new game," she said, clasping her hands together with a smile. "For this one, we need teams. Mai and Ty Lee can each pick someone for their team. Me or Zuko." Her smile grew a little as she saw the alarm on both Mai and Ty Lee's faces. Normally, Azula chose the teams, they both knew this was unusual. Even Zuko looked wary, though that didn't matter to Azula now.
She turned to Mai slowly, watched as the other girl lowered her eyes quickly, avoiding Azula's gaze.
"Mai, you can choose first. Me or Zuko?"
It wasn't the most subtle idea, Azula knew, but she had to see what Mai would do. It felt of vital importance to hear the answer from Mai's lips.
Mai lifted her chin, raising her gaze up to Azula. Their eyes met, and to Azula's delight, Mai didn't even glance in Zuko's direction.
"You, of course, princess."
Azula beamed in victory.
3. Omashu
Azula felt more secure have both Mai and Ty Lee with her on the mission to capture her brother. Mai agreeing to come with her without any argument was refreshing after the ordeal it had been to get Ty Lee to join. Azula was pleased, though not surprised. Mai would have agreed to anything if it got her out of this dismal place. Not that Azula could blame her.
It had been a while since she had seen her friend. Mai had grown taller than Azula had expected. It was strange to look up to her now, even if it was only slightly. She moved with an easy grace that was difficult to look away from, even when she wasn't hurling knives at her enemies.
Even though Mai had agreed without any issue, Azula still knew she had to test her devotion. Her loyalty. Especially as their mission concerned Zuko. Surely, Mai had gotten over the silly crush by now, but Azula still needed to know Mai would pick her over anyone— do whatever she asked, no matter the consequences.
The hostage swap was an easy solution. Mai's parents had the ridiculous notion that they could swap out one of the Fire Nation's most important prisoners for their two year old son, and Azula wondered what Mai would do when she pointed out the unfairness of the deal. Knowing Mai wasn't all that close to her brother, Azula had left her in charge of the exchange, curious to see whether she would hesitate to follow orders.
As they met with the representatives of the rebellion with the the annoying Earth King in a cage behind them, Azula turned to her friend. "I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?"
Mai turned slightly, looking entirely unsurprised. "Of course not, Princess Azula."
"We're trading a two year old for a king. It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?" Azula watched Mai closely, saw her gaze dart to her brother, then back to her. She knew Mai well enough to know she was considering this carefully. Noting how the rebellion seemed to be treating him well enough. Weighing her parents' reaction to Azula's. It only took a few seconds for her to make her choice.
Azula had to stop herself from grinning when Mai agreed, stepping forward and announcing the deal was off. Willingly leaving her brother in enemy hands, just because Azula said so.
She had passed another test. Azula was delighted.
4. Ba Sing Se
With the Dai Li under Azula's control, the coup was going swimmingly. Soon, Ba Sing Se would be in her hands, the hands of the Fire Nation. There were just a few loose ends to wrap up. The Avatar, her brother, her uncle. Azula had plans for all of them.
It had been almost absurdly easy to find Uncle in the city. If he had wanted to hide away, he should have picked a more subtle name for his teashop. She wondered what his end game was in all this— surely, he couldn't actually be settling down in an Earth Kingdom city. Not even Uncle was pathetic enough for that. It was no matter, the trap had been laid. An invite to the palace, one her uncle couldn't possibly turn down.
Azula leaned against the wall, waiting for word from the Dai Li that her guests had arrived. She glanced sideways at Mai, who was sitting with Ty Lee and playing idly with one of the Kyoshi fans. She seemed oddly intrigued by the weapons, even though she had announced them far inferior to her own blades.
"I wonder what Zuzu's face will look like when he sees me. What his reaction will be." Azula said, breaking the silence.
Mai didn't look up from the weapon, simply shrugging with a noncommittal noise.
Frowning slightly at her reaction, Azula turned fully her way, focusing her attention on her friend. "Well, what do you think he'll do?"
Closing the fan with a snap, Mai looked at her with a frown of her own, clearly frustrated she was being pulled into this conversation. "How am I supposed to know?"
"Well, I think—" Ty Lee started, an attempt at peacekeeping Azula cut off by holding up her hand and halting whatever she had been about to say.
"No, I want to hear what Mai thinks." She wasn't even sure why she was pushing this, there was just this urge to push— like an itch under her skin. Azula narrowed her eyes as she watched Mai closely.
Mai's frown only deepened, and Azula had to admit she appreciated how Mai didn't back down.
"I just told you I have no opinion on it. I don't know him anymore. He'll probably be upset you tricked him, like anyone would be."
Azula studied her for a moment, then smiled and nodded, Mai admitting she didn't know Zuko anymore felt like triumph. She moved on, turning the question to Ty Lee and letting Mai off the hook for now.
5. Mai's Apartment
The Day of Black Sun had gone well, all things considered. Minimal losses, plenty of new prisoners. Knowing the plans ahead of time had saved them. Azula would have hoped to keep the Avatar from escaping, but it didn't matter much int he long run. His best chance at doing any damage had been thwarted easily and he had barely any allies left to help him out. They would get him soon.
The biggest surprise had been Zuko's escape. Azula hadn't been that shocked to hear about his departure, but she still felt strangely disappointed. She had known he was struggling with what he had done in Ba Sing Se, and she had known Uncle's influence on him was strong. But still, it was a shame.
She could admit to herself she had strangely enjoyed Zuko's presence in her life again. And if nothing else, he made a good scapegoat. Her father had raged both about Zuko's betrayal and the Avatar's apparent return. He never found out Azula had suspected the Avatar was alive, or if Zuko had told him, he didn't believe it. It had all gone as well as they could have hoped, considering the circumstances.
There was one bad side effect of Zuko leaving that had surprised Azula a little. She sighed softly as she knocked on Mai's door for the second time in the past two days. The servant let her in, and Azula headed to Mai's room quietly.
The misery on her face when she opened the door felt like a stab. She hated seeing how much pain her friend was in after Zuko left. She also hated that he'd had the power to cause that much pain. It said something about Mai's feelings for him, something Azula hated to think about.
"Hello, Mai. Have you left your room today?"
Mai rolled her eyes, leaving the door to sit down on her bed. "Go away, Azula. Just leave me alone."
Azula felt like the dismissal was halfhearted enough to ignore it. She stepped inside the room, glancing around. It wasn't unlike Mai to leave the curtains closed, but the room felt extra gloomy this afternoon. Azula was itching to tug open the heavy drapes and let some sunlight into the room. Unfortunately, she knew Mai wouldn't appreciate it. Instead, she joined her, sitting on the edge of her bed.
Looking over at her friend, she searched for the right words to say. She could say Zuko wasn't worth being this upset over, but that probably wasn't what Mai wanted to hear now. She suddenly wished she had brought Ty Lee with her, she was much more likely to know what to say.
"You'll… feel better with time," she tried, the words coming out haltingly.
Mai scoffed. "Great. Thanks."
Azula's mouth twisted a little. "Well— what I mean to say is that Zuko is an idiot and he shouldn't have left like that."
That made a ghost of a smile flicker over Mai's mouth. "Thanks," she said again, more sincere now. "I just wish he'd… talked to me, instead of writing a letter," she gestured to a scroll at the foot of her bed.
Azula fought the urge to pick it up. Instead, she focused her attention on Mai. She reached over, hesitating for a moment before placing her hand on Mai's shoulder. "The Fire Nation will win the war, with you and Ty Lee by my side— I'll win the war if I have to. We already conquered the Earth Kingdom," she smiled slightly. "He'll see the error of his ways."
It was a hollow promise and she knew Mai knew it. There was no path back for Zuko, no way to be a part of the winning side again. He had signed his own death warrant when he left.
Azula hadn't examined her feelings about that too closely. But as Mai nodded and leaned into her touch. As she scooted closer and leaned against Azula, her warm comforting weight pressing into her side as Azula put an arm around her, the feeling that surfaced was one of victory.
She's mine now. A voice inside her whispered. Azula knew it was true. Zuko had ensured Azula had Mai's utter devotion from now on.
1. The Boiling Rock
Azula exhaled in relief when her feet landed firmly on the second gondola, the thunk of her boots on the metal sounding like safety. Ty Lee landed behind her, and Azula smiled as she watched the panic-stricken faces of Zuko and his new companions.
Drowning in a boiling lake was a crueler fate than Azula would have wanted for her brother, but he had chosen his path, it had been his own mistakes that led him here. She hoped he realized that in his final moments. She hoped he wished he'd stayed.
Her father would be happy. Glad to finally be rid of his traitorous son— proud of the daughter who made it happen. It would be a blow to the Avatar, losing three of his friends in one go. This was a victory.
A sudden shout pulled her attention away from the shrinking gondola in the distance. Azula turned, frowning at the commotion down below. Guards were scrambling, falling down asa dark figure attacked them, pinning them down with ease.
The sun flashed on one of the blades and Azula knew.
"What is she doing?" She asked, though she knew the answer already.
Mai fought hard, moving quickly. Before Azula was close enough to see the expression on her face, she had taken all of the the guards out and had the gondola back up and working. She stood straight and proud, no regret, no shame as she betrayed Azula's trust and broke her heart.
Azula's mind flashed back to that moment in the palace gardens all those years ago, when she noticed Mai slowing down to let Zuko tag her.
She was still doing that, throwing her life away to save his. Azula's idiotic, ungrateful traitor of a brother who didn't deserve her.
Her father's words came back to her. Only reward those who are useful. She knew how he'd deal with betrayal, how those who turned their use into a weapon fared. How it had to be to hold onto your power. Azula knew what she had to do now, even if it broke her.