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grither55 · 4 years

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The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 50 - In the Tent

Elle lay on her back with her head resting on Azula's cushion while she relaxed with headphones on her ears.

A muffled music floated into the night air while she held a book over her head with finger pressing into her lip.

In the corner of the royal tent sat a small torch lamp that provided just enough light to read comfortably.

That was when a tall woman stepped into the flap of the tent.

Azula entered with a refined smile adorning her lips while she quickly took notice of the music playing in her tent.

And curiously enough…the girl was reading a book.

Add to the fact that her pet had her back turned to her.

A truly devious smile curved onto her red lips while she quietly walked forward only for her brow to quirk upward in amusement when her handmaid began singing to herself.

And somewhere deep inside her frozen heart she couldn't help but find her young girlfriend's voice…soothing.

"Well, I know it's kinda late. I hope I didn't wake you. But what I gotta say can't wait. I know you'd understand. Every time I tried to tell you. The words just came out wrong. So, I'll have to say I love you in a song." The blonde-haired girl sang to herself with a cheerful smile on her lips before she turned the page of her novel.

All the while unaware that her master was staring down at her with her golden eyes flashing in a hint of strange emotion.

The princess stood unmoving with her fists falling down to her womanly hips while she listened with the barest hint of pink on her regal cheeks.

'She's…singing about me.' Azula thought with a strangely subdued smile on her lips while her fingers grazed the sides of her scarlet pants in something akin to a haze.

"Yeah, I know it's kinda strange. Every time I'm near you. I just run out of things to say. I know you'd understand. Every time I tried to tell you. The words just came out wrong. So, I'll have to say I love you in a song." Elle sung to her lonesome or so she thought with a lovesick flush on her youthful cheeks.

And she never even had the faintest idea that she was singing a live performance for her taken aback master.

Azula peered down at her handmaid with her strict eyes conveying a gaze of fondness that was for her betrothed alone.

All while she listened in a captivated silence as her singing pet neared the end of her little song.

"Every time the time was right. All the words just came out wrong. So, I'll have to say I love you in a song. Yeah, I know it's kinda late. Hope I didn't wake you. But there's something I just gotta say. Know you'd understand. Every time I tried to tell you. The words just came out wrong. So, I'll have to say I love you in a song…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off in a lovelorn sigh while she read her book only to blush as she found herself unable to focus on anything but her master.

In that moment the princess quietly plopped down behind her handmaid with her full lips curving into a strangely moved smile while she silently twirled a hand in her ebony tresses.

While her callous golden eyes honed in on her pet's lovely hair before she inexplicably found herself reaching down to pet the smaller girl's hair.

To her amusement the serving girl didn't notice her presence until her palm lowered into her pet's golden hair.

"Aah!" Elle squeaked in a startled voice only to find the strong hand held her down just as her amber eyes widened when she caught sight of Azula's seated form towering over her.

"Calm yourself little peasant. It's me." Azula assured with a sophisticated smile still gracing her cheeks while her fingers already began dancing through her surprised pet's hair.

"M-master! Y-you scared me! For a moment I thought that someone dangerous had snuck up on me!" The blonde-haired girl cried out with a childlike pout while pointed boots loomed in her line of vision while her master's icy eyes now narrowed down at her.

"You forget the nature of the company that you keep Elle! I am more dangerous than your little mind could ever fathom!" The princess shouted with a pompous huff as she glared down at her handmaid's gulping face.

"Sumimasen Azula-sama! But you aren't dangerous to me…because I know that you would never hurt me…ow!" Elle yelped after she recoiled when a finger sharply flicked her forehead while Azula sat rolling her eyes over her.

"You would do well to remember that not even you are exempt from the wrath of the Great Princess Azula!" Azula boasted with a haughty flip of her hair just as she reached out to get another drink of her liquor while Elle sulked on the floor.

"T-that hurt…" The blonde-haired girl whined with a hand nursing her face while her master snorted through her nostrils as she gazed down at her.

"Please Elle. It was just a flick." The princess stated with another roll of her eyes but she found herself unable to resist gazing down at her pet to verify that the girl was uninjured.

It was absurd to think that it has come to a point where she is so taken by this peasant that she finds herself fussing over the girl like a mother would her own child!

"So…were you listening the entire time?" Elle pondered just as she dropped her head onto the royal woman's soft thigh while she listened to Azula take a graceful drink of her liquor.

All the while she relaxed like a kitten in her master's lap when the princess's palm began to pet her hair once more.

"I was…" Azula spoke with a sliver of pink on her royal cheeks while her crimson lips began to curl into yet another smile just as she petted the smaller girl's head.

"O-oh I didn't know." The blonde-haired girl murmured in a lovable voice just as her book dropped from her hand while she melted under her princess's skilled hand.

"Why does that not surprise me? Is…that a song that you like to listen to?" The princess questioned in turn with a shake of her head before she set her bottle down while she held her serving girl's face against her thigh.

The girl was going to be her wife one day.

So, it was a strategic move to get to know her as much as she could.

"Yeah…it's Jim Croce! My mom…liked his music…" Elle answered in a reminiscent voice with her hands taking her headphones off her ears while Azula quirked a curious brow above her.

"I see…" Azula commented as she leaned back while she pulled the smaller girl into her toned arms with her fingers still fiddling about in her girlfriend's hair.

"Oh…. Azula-sama…" The blonde—haired girl mumbled in a lovesick voice as the back of her head pressed into her girlfriend's pillowy chest while she felt hot air wash against her tickling neck.

"I want to hear more…sing me another." The princess purred in the shorter girl's ear while she wrapped her arms around her gasping pet's chest.

"S-sing you another princess?" Elle stuttered in an adorably timid voice while Azula smirked at her from over her shoulder.

"You heard me little peasant. I demand that you sing for me." Azula ordered with a charming smile on her red lips while Elle blushed from where she sat against her breasts.

"If you say so Azula-sama…then I will do so." The blonde-haired girl spoke with a bashful smile while Azula brushed the hair from her eyes.

"Now that…is what I like to hear." The princess stated with a trace of fondness lacing her callous voice while she steadied her young girlfriend in her lap.

And not a moment later the small girl pressed a button on her mp3 player before a surprisingly fitting song began to softly play in the tent once more.

And soon Azula found herself sitting there with her hardened eyes softening ever so marginally when Elle began to sing along with the music.

"Like the pine trees lining the winding road. I got a name; I got a name. Like the singing bird and the croaking toad. I got a name; I got a name. And I carry it with me like my daddy did. But I'm living the dream that he kept hid. Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway. Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by." Elle sang over the music with a carefree smile on her lips while Azula listened in an increasingly captivated silence.

The princess sat back with an uncharacteristically soothed expression in her golden eyes while she stared down at her young friend's happy face as the girl hummed to her music.

"Like the north wind whistlin' down the sky. I got a song; I got a song. Like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry. I got a song; I got a song. And I carry it with me and I sing it loud. If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud. Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway. Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by." The blonde-haired girl sung with a gleeful grin as she snuggled against her girlfriend's warm chest while the firebender's arms pulled her in closer.

It was no small wonder why the girl liked this particular singer so much.

It contrasted with the girl's whimsical ideas about 'flow' quite well.

"And I'm gonna go there free." Elle sang in a joyful voice while she beamed up at Azula only for the royal woman to release a smug snort.

"No, my pet. No, you will not." Azula taunted with her breath washing against Elle's reddened cheek while her handmaid reclined in her well-muscled arms.

And for a moment she almost thought that she had tripped up the girl's tune.

But to Elle's credit she continued on to the finale.

"Like the fool I am and I'll always be. I got a dream; I got a dream. They can change their minds but they can't change me. I got a dream; I got a dream. Oh, I know I could share it if you'd want me to. If you're goin' my way, I'll go with you. Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway. Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by." The blonde-haired girl sung with an endearing blush just as the music ended in her ears while golden eyes peered back at her from mere inches away.

"That was pleasant Elle. You did well." The princess remarked with her lips curving upward into a mesmerizing smile while her young girlfriend peered up at her with taken aback amber eyes.

"R-really?" Elle asked in a voice of low self-worth while she numbly removed her headphones from her ears.

Only for her music player to drop from her hands while her cheeks turned as red as a tomato when found herself being pulled to the floor of the tent.

Their bodies landed side by side while she gazed back at the royal woman's gorgeous face just as Azula began to stroke her cheek once more.

"Foolish peasant. You should know by now that I do not offer compliments so tepidly." Azula sighed with a charming smile on her full lips while she peered back into her serving girl's emotional amber eyes.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl murmured with a gentle smile only to giggle sweetly while Azula exhaled against her cheek.

"Oh peasant. Wherever would you be without me?" The princess purred with a fond shake of her head before she pressed her red lips into her pet's quivering cheek.

"I-I would be lost without you to rule over me princess…" Elle admitted in a shy voice with a gulp while Azula's lips lingered against her skin.

"So, you would dear. That's why it's best if I subjugate your little life." Azula remarked with a confident smirk while Elle cracked a radiant smile over her words.

"Please do Azula-sama! I like living in submission to you!" The blonde-haired girl cried out in a cheerful voice while her princess lounged beside her with a pleased smirk growing onto her red lips.

While she shivered wonderfully when her master ran her finger along her lip with her captivating aura making her tremble in anticipation.

Only for domineering golden eyes to narrow back at her in such a way that she could feel herself melting under her demanding stare.

"Stand up peasant! I demand that you attend to my needs!" The princess bellowed in a tyrannical voice with a snap of her fingers only for her smug smirk to grow even larger when her girlfriend sprang to her feet in a panic.

Now that she just adored.

Watching this lovely girl take such delight in serving her every desire was just beyond delightful.

And to her great gratification she found herself gazing up at her little handmaid as she hastily bowed at the hip.

"Yes, Master Azula! If you say stand then this girl stands!" Elle cheered with bounce in her step while she bent over in a curtsy that had Azula smiling up at her.

"Look at you…such a good girl." Azula cooed after rolling over onto her belly as she twirled a finger in her ebony hair while she propped her chin up in her other hand.

She just couldn't help but smile in a strangely softened manner over her innocent handmaid's eagerness to curtsy her.

"I-I am so glad that you think so Azula-sama. How…how may I serve you?" The blonde-haired girl stuttered with her head inclined in a show of reverence while her master placed her cushion beneath her elbows.

Only for another demanding snap of the royal woman's two fingers to draw her attention to the older girl pointing over her shoulder at her booted feet lazily pointing into the air.

"It is time that you make good on your offer to give me that massage. Get to it…now." The princess ordered with a pompous smirk while her golden eyes observed in amusement when her pet sprung forward on command.

"My princess wants a massage and I shall see it done!" Elle yelled out in a jubilant voice before she quickly seated herself behind Azula's dangling boots.

And then she reached out to grasp a hold of the one on the left while she began tugging it off with a bashful smile on her face.

"Start with my feet and work your way…upward. But only if you want to. I would hate to overwork you." Azula commented in a haughty voice with a playful smile on her lips while she gazed over her shoulder at her handmaid obediently pulling off her boot.

"Oh no! You never overwork me Azula-sama…you are always so considerate of my lung condition…arigatou." The blonde-haired girl assured with a bashful shade of pink overtaking her cheeks just as she slid the boot free from her master's socked foot.

All the while Azula now glanced over her shoulder with her callous golden eyes expressing a rare margin of concern for the girl's wellbeing.

"Of course, I don't. You certainly are a pampered pet…although that reminds me. Are you…going to be okay without your breathing machine?" The princess pondered in an aloof voice while she watched her little handmaid yank off her second boot.

Her two socked feet now hung before her serving girl's face while she observed in satisfaction as her young girlfriend began sliding off her socks.

"I-I should be alright…as long as I abstain from anymore long walks. I trust you to take care of me Azula-sama." Elle mumbled with an adorable blush on her cheeks when the royal woman's bare toes now wiggled before her face.

"For the remainder of our time here this tent will serve as your cage. If I am not with you…you are not allowed to roam out of view of my tent. Is that understood peasant?" Azula remarked with a controlling smile on her red lips while her toes brushed against her pet's gulping cheek.

"O-okay princess. If you think it so then it must be so." The blonde-haired girl agreed in a lovable voice with her shaky fingers pulling off the second sock while her lovestruck amber eyes followed after her girlfriend's wiggling toes like a transfixed kitten.

"That's my girl. So good." The princess cooed with a fond sigh while she relaxed when her handmaid's soft hands began to massage her bare sole.

"O-oh Azula-sama." Elle swooned with an innocent smile before she hugged Azula's bare foot to her cheek while golden eyes observed her in delight.

"Hm. You like that?" Azula questioned in a silken voice with her chin resting upon her fist while a refined smile grew onto her lips.

"I-I do. I know it's weird…sumimasen…" The blonde-haired girl answered in a voice of uncertainty while she briefly gazed away in shame.

And although Azula wouldn't have cared if it was anyone else.

Strangely she found herself almost frowning over how self-conscious her young girlfriend tended to be.

"Please. It isn't weird in the least. There is nothing shameful in it Elle. It's just human nature." The princess reassured with a confident smile while her toes still hung near her handmaid's adorably spellbound eyes.

"I-it isn't?" Elle queried as she chewed on her lip while Azula's freshly washed foot lingered upon her blushing skin.

"No. I for one just adore watching you fawn over my feet. By all means…carry on dear." Azula purred with a captivating smirk that only grew larger when she felt two lips press into the underside of her sole.

Just the best pet indeed.

"I…love you Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl declared in a heartfelt voice with a gentle smile on her face as she briefly hugged her master's warm foot.

"I know Elle. I know. And I…like you too peasant…as in really, really like you." The princess confessed with the tiniest hint of pink on her cheeks while she brushed her bangs from her eyes.

"We're two peas in a pod Azula-sama! We're inseparable." Elle exclaimed with a joyful countenance while her hands began to massage Azula's foot once more.

"So we are. And nothing can stand against us." Azula spoke with a sophisticated smirk while her fingertip pressed into the underside of her chin.

"That's right princess! We're a team you and I!" The blonde-haired girl cheered with a speedy nod while her palms kneaded the older girl's bare sole.

"Just think about it! With my evolved bending and your Component, we will dominate this entire world! Our enemies' despair will only serve as fuel to quench our flames! And then we will reign for all time!" The princess announced with a violent grin while the lone blue flame in the tent suddenly lit up into an even brighter fire.

Silence reigned in the tent for the briefest of seconds while Elle sat sweatdropping behind her.

But even so!

She loved listening to her princess talk about conquest and domination!

She really did!

"And then we will bring world peace and love to all!" Elle shouted with a cheerful grin while she happily nodded as her hands continued rubbing her girlfriend's foot.

The princess turned to glance back at her with a deadpan expression now in her golden eyes only to find herself sighing fondly under her breath.

"Childish peasant." Azula snorted with a regal roll of her eyes while Elle beamed back at her.

"That's so Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed as she giggled softly while strict eyes peered back at her.

"Elle." The princess began in a curious voice while she took delight in how her pretty handmaid peeked back at her with bright amber eyes.

"Yes princess?" Elle asked in a dutiful voice with her fingertips kneading Azula's warm foot while her girlfriend brushed the hair from her eyes in a manner that made her heart speed up.

"I see that you were reading a book…from your homeland by the look of it." Azula commented in a thoughtful voice while she gazed down at the cover with a brow raising in mild interest.

“Oh! That’s H.G. Wells! I was only able to fit two books in my backpack so that was one of the ones that I brought.” The blonde-haired girl cried out with excitement in her voice while her master lazily sprawled out on her belly.

“H.G. Wells? Only two? What was it about this one that made you choose it over any other book?” The princess inquired with an elegant curve of her brows before she found herself opening it in her curiosity.

The one nagging thought that wouldn’t leave her mind was that Elle spoke the same verbal language as her.

Yet the girl wrote and read a style of written language that was completely foreign to the Fire Nation.

It was so strange and baffling. Just how do the people of Elle’s homeland share such a strikingly similar verbal language?

It was an intriguing detail indeed. One that most certainly warranted further investigation.

In the meantime.

Perhaps this book is just what she needs to completely master the writings of Elle’s people.

"He's a very famous author! He died long before my time. He wrote many science fiction novels and I find them to be really fascinating. I chose that one because it has six of his most famous stories. I figure that it would keep me entertained for some time." Elle admitted with a happy nod while Azula turned a page in a thoughtful silence.

"Science fiction?" Azula answered with a turn of her head while Elle leaned forward to peer over her sloping back.

"Yeah! My Earth isn't spiritual like your Earth Azula-sama. Throughout much of the history of my homeland. The things that you regard as everyday life…humans throughout history in my world have commonly called that fantasy. Fantastic creatures like dragons have long since been regarded as nothing more than a subject of fiction." The blonde-haired girl explained in a helpful voice while she sat rubbing the bare sole of the royal woman's foot.

"How interesting…our two Earths really are completely different." The princess stated as she gazed down at the rather old paperback book with a piqued golden eye.

"Throughout most of our history anyhow." Elle muttered vaguely just as Azula gazed back at her.

"What do you mean by that?" Azula queried in an ever-sharp voice only for her brow to raise higher when her handmaid just shook her head.

"Nothing. Anyhow! Science fiction isn't quite the same as the fantasy genre. It's different." The blonde-haired girl spoke in a soft voice while she returned her focus to her master's soft foot.

"Is it now Elle?" The princess replied in an attentive voice while she gazed at her pet in amusement.

The girl just diverted the subject.

But she decided that she would let it slide.

Her pet was a well-behaved girl. And because of that she will allow a small lie every now and then.

"It sure is master. You see dragons and wizards fall under the fantasy genre. Because throughout history they are largely regarded by all humanity as impossible fairy tales. But science fiction on the other hand is based in imagined subjects of future technological advancement. Things that may not be possible now but may ten thousand years from now." Elle informed in an enthralled voice while she nodded in excitement with her amber eyes still peering down at Azula's foot.

Being the brilliant woman that she is.

Azula understood what the girl was trying to say.

"I understand. Your science fiction is a fantasy image of the future." Azula commented with her cold eyes staring down at the title of the first story.

The Time Machine.

"That's right! Time travel! Life on other planets! Science fiction proposes that the impossible may be possible! And H.G. Well's books are the most classic science fiction there is!" The blonde-haired girl piped in a childishly delighted voice while she listened to her master's smooth chuckle float into her ears.

"I gathered as much Elle…from the title of this first book. Have you read it?" The princess pondered in a strangely content voice with a soft smirk on her lips as she turned another page.

"I have princess!" Elle cried out as she leaned down with her face above Azula's curvaceous legs while her palms continued dutifully rubbing the bare foot against her chest.

An even deeper shade of pink appeared on her cheeks when she found her eyes guiltily gazing up Azula's womanly thighs clad in red pant leggings.

Only to find her eyes drawn to the royal woman's round posterior more than anything else.

Something that Azula took notice of all too quickly.

"Are you enjoying the view pet?" Azula asked in a knowing voice with a graceful smile while she turned her head to peer back at her handmaid's adorably reddened face.

"I-I uh I d-didn't mean to." The blonde-haired girl stuttered in a jumbled voice with her words dying in her throat only for her older girlfriend to sigh under her breath.

"If I had a problem with you looking…then I wouldn't have given you such a generous view. But enough about my flawless ass. Tell me about this story." The princess remarked in an ever-sanguine voice while she gazed over her shoulder at her young girlfriend's confuddled face.

"W-well the Time Machine is the only one that I have gotten to read yet. It's about a man travelling over 800,000 years into the future." Elle answered with a bright smile form where she knelt over Azula's sprawled out legs.

"Hm. 800,000 years. That is quite a long time." Azula spoke with her callous golden eyes reading the first few pages while she continued to dangle her feet in the air.

"It sure is Azula-sama. There the Time Traveler meets the Eloi. A group of people who are…uh unusually small, childlike…vegetarians…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off with a blush on her cheeks while her princess gazed back at her in obvious amusement.

"Is that so tiger monkey? These…Eloi sound like distant family of yours." The princess taunted with a smug smirk while her handmaid turned even redder under her stare

"T-that's unfair Azula-sama. I can't help it that I grow small…" Elle mumbled in a pitiful voice only for Azula to roll her eyes over her robed shoulder.

"Quit moping Elle and continue with your story." Azula ordered in a sterner voice while she watched her handmaid grin once more.

"Yes Azula-sama! The Eloi are a gentle but naïve people. Their existence is seemingly without worry. They eat fruits that they seemingly gain with ease. And they don't even farm. It is eventually revealed that the reason for this is that…the Eloi are cattle for the Morlocks." The blonde-haired girl revealed in an animated voice while her fingertips still massaged the sole of the royal woman's foot.

Azula's cold eyes glanced up from the book with a small flicker of surprise in her gaze.

It was a darker story than she was expecting a girl like Elle to read.

"The Morlocks?" The princess questioned with evident intrigue in her voice as she relaxed while her petite handmaid massaged the underside of her foot.

"Yeah. The Morlocks are the second group of people. They are primitive, almost monstrous apelike people that live underground. They hate the light and they only come up to devour the Eloi at night." Elle stated in a helpful voice while Azula listened in growing interest.

"And these Eloi are too stupid to even try to fight back." Azula scoffed in understanding while she finally closed the book shut.

"Basically. The Time Traveler eventually theorizes that the once privileged group of wealthy people…like you and my oneesans became the Eloi. After 800,000 years of having their needs catered to by the lower classes…they became weak and ineffective. And he likewise theorized that the long trodden on working class became the sunlight fearing Morlocks. Interesting isn't it!" The blonde-haired girl with a radiant smile while she still sat before the older girl's dangling bare feet.

Azula quirked an intrigued brow while she mulled over her handmaid's explanation with an amused smirk on her crimson lips.

"I suppose so. I confess that you have aroused my curiosity with this…science fiction book." The princess responded after setting the book down before she resumed her prior resting place on her cushion.

"I'll lend it to you if you want to read it sometime princess!" Elle chirped with her palms grasping her girlfriend's foot while Azula's red lips curved into a pleased smile.

"Lend it to me? Foolish peasant. A master doesn't have to ask her pet for permission to read what already belongs to her." Azula huffed with a spoiled wave of her hand while Elle still smiled as she massaged her feet.

"I know! But I love you so much Azula-sama I just want you to know that I will share my things with you." The blonde-haired girl stated in an innocent voice that earned her another a sighing glance.

"I will keep that in mind Elle…which reminds me. Did you enjoy those comics that I bought you?" The princess conversed in a still attentive voice while she held her chin up in her open palm.

She could have mocked how her handmaid didn't possess any belongings of worth other than one old coin.

But strangely didn't.

"Oh! I did! I had some trouble making out the words but I was able to figure it out.” Elle exclaimed in a thrilled voice just as she reached for the other foot while Azula observed a thoughtful smirk on her regal lips.

“Would you like for me to teach you how to read and write in Fire Nation calligraphy?” Azula inquired in a silken purr while she gazed over her shoulder at her young girlfriend's adorably eager face.

“I-I would like that very much Azula-sama.” The blonde-haired girl stammered in a bashful voice as she averted her eyes from her master’s captivating stare while she propped the other foot up in her lap.

Only to be snapped from her reverie when the regal woman suddenly snapped her fingers and pointed down at her sloping back.

"Then I will purchase you ample reading material on our return. Now massage my back!" The princess spoke in a beyond entitled voice with a wave of her hand.

To her delight that was all it took for her handmaid to scurry forward like a trained puppy.

"Wakarimashita Azula-sama!" Elle cheered with innocence in her voice before she knelt before the beautiful monarch's shirt covered back.

"Well what are you waiting for peasant?" Azula snorted in a spoiled voice with a smug smirk on her lips only to watch in satisfaction when Elle began frantically bowing her head.

"Sumimasen! But I…don't understand." The blonde-haired girl answered in a submissive voice with her head inclined in a show of absolute respect while the older girl gazed at her in puzzlement.

"What don't you understand? I want you to massage my back." The princess asked flatly while her pet began to fumble with her shirt.

"W-with your shirt on or do you want me to p-pull it up?" Elle requested in an endearing stutter that Azula just adored.

Only for her eyes to nearly fall out of her head when Azula began pulling her shirt over her head while lovely lips curved into a truly mesmerizing smirk.

"Without. You may begin now dear." Azula commented with a sophisticated smile before she carelessly tossed her shirt over her shoulder.

Only for her victorious smirk to grow even bigger when her scarlet shirt landed over her sputtering handmaid's head.

"Y-yes A-Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl squeaked in a muffled voice with her nervous hands removing the shirt from her head while the older girl watched her in unhidden amusement.

"You are so adorable peasant." The princess spoke with a charming smile on her full lips just as her formal shirt went flying over her handmaid's shoulder.

Her crimson lips only grew into an even greater smile when her young girlfriend now peered down at her naked back with her little mouth ajar in awe.

"A-and you…have the body of a goddess…my F-Fire Queen." Elle stammered with her thumbs twiddling while Azula's lips curled into a beyond gratified smirk.

"That's because I am a goddess! And you would do well to remember that girl!" Azula barked with a conceited smirk while she felt trembling hands begin to touch her warm back.

"That's so…Azula-sama. The goddess of the Fire Nation." The blonde-haired girl declared in a reverent voice with a timid smile while she took to kneading her master's spine.

The princess's eyes lit up in approval over the beyond pleasing praise while she surveyed her submissive girl with a haughty smirk.

"Of course, I am. And you are my little worshiper." The princess scoffed in a supremely arrogant voice while she gazed over her shoulder at the smaller girl massaging her upper back.

"Can I ask you something princess?" Elle pondered with her hands already rubbing the mighty woman's back while Azula's eyebrows rose into a curious expression.

"What is it Elle?" Azula answered in a content voice with her face resting on her folded arms while Elle bit her lip over her shoulder.

"I…have heard you speak of your father…and your brother. But never your mother." The blonde-haired girl spoke in an uncertain voice only to regret it a moment later when her girlfriend's good mood vanished into a rotten tempered scowl.

"For good reason." The princess hissed in an aggravated voice while she glared off at the tent wall with soft hands briefly trembling against her skin.

Yet she knew better than to punish her young companion just for asking.

"Sumimasen Azula-sama." Elle muttered in a guilty voice while she listened to Azula grunt under her breath.

"She abandoned me and my brother a long time ago." Azula admitted in a resentful undertone while stared down at her with saddened amber eyes.

"Oh. I…see." The blonde-haired girl stated in a remorseful voice with her hands still gliding across her girlfriend's back.

"She said goodbye to my brother…but not to me. She didn't say a word to me." The princess grumbled with something akin to pain in her eyes while her handmaid listened in a taken aback silence.

And for once the teenage girl sat quietly while the older girl angrily swallowed the lump that was in her throat.

"My mother called me a monster." Azula confessed with her eyes flashing in an unseen emotion while her bangs hung over her skin.

The young handmaid's mouth dropped open as soon as she heard those heartbreaking words.

The princess stared off at the tent wall with ruthless golden eyes only to turn her head around in surprise when she felt small arms latch around her neck.

"Oh Azula-sama. She was wrong…you are not a monster." Elle assured in a compassionate voice with her face buried in Azula's dark hair while she clung to the taken aback older female's neck.

"Soft hearted peasant." The princess grunted as she rolled over with her cold eyes staring down at her little handmaid curling up upon her open breasts.

There was something about this peasant girl.

Even after all of this time she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

How…did she manage to get this deep into her heart?

"How can anyone who has done so much for me be a monster?" The blonde-haired girl asked in a gentle voice with her chin propped up on her girlfriend's soft breast while a strong arm snaked around her back.

"Easily. I…like you servant…but be assured that I am a monster." Azula insisted in a colder voice with her muscular arms wrapping around her handmaid while she held her girlfriend in her arms.

Only to be taken by surprise when the girl gazed back from where she lay on her breasts with a look of anger in her eyes.

"No! You are not! To say that you are is narrow minded!" Elle exclaimed with her smile giving way to a frown while Azula gazed at her in puzzlement.

"Narrow minded?" The princess found herself replying with her reaching out to cup her young girlfriend's trembling cheek.

This girl really was too soft for her own good.

"Yes. There are all kinds of people out there Azula-sama…from all different walks of life. Some grow up different than others. But that doesn't make them monsters. You…have good in you. I know so. Because I have seen it." The blonde-haired girl explained with a speedy nod while she touched the hand tracing her cheek.

"Is that right?" Azula sighed with a fond shake of her head while her foul temper began to ebb under her young companion's tender touch.

"It is master. To call such people monsters…just because they grow up different than the rest is small minded. We are all human…each one of us." Elle spoke in a loving voice with her hand grasping ahold of Azula's own while she gazed into her master's calming golden eyes.

"I hurt people. And yet you are so confident that I am not a monster. Why?" The princess questioned with rare confusion in her strict voice while the peasant girl pressed her face into the crook of her naked neck.

"You are a wartime princess…are you not? You are fighting to bring victory to your people. What you do you do for them. Isn't that right?" The blonde-haired girl queried in turn while her princess glanced down at her in increased bafflement.

"And your point is?" Azula pondered in a smooth voice with her handmaid already beginning to cuddle into her warm body.

How audacious she thought with a snort.

The girl is already trying to pass out on her when she hasn't even finished massage her back!

"You don't hunt and kill people for pleasure…. that's what real monsters do. Rape and murder…all for a twisted sense of joy that they gain from watching their victim die. In my homeland we call people like that serial killers. But that isn't you Azula-sama." Elle declared with a returning smile while Azula listened in grudging fascination.

"Mhm. No. I don't hunt rape and murder peasant girls for the thrill of it. Yet." The princess boasted with a cruel roll of her eyes while she stared down at the tiny girl hiding her face in her neck.

"Then you are not a monster…my Fire Queen." The blonde-haired girl concluded in a warm voice before she kissed the underside of her master's neck while a strong hand lowered into her hair.

"That's my peasant…ever loyal to your master." Azula purred with her palm now petting Elle's blushing head while she sighed as she stretched out.

"T-that's so my master." Elle agreed in a bashful voice with a giggle while Azula's stern hand briefly petted her hair.

Now that the princess just could not resist smiling over.

Not a second later two fingers loudly snapped above the young handmaid's head while the royal woman watched with smug golden eyes when her pet sat up in a fretful panic.

"Get back to work peasant! I demand that you finish my massage!" The princess barked with a haughty huff before she rolled back over onto her bare belly while she propped her smirking face up on her fist once more.

All the while observing in sadistic delight when the small girl hurriedly bent over her naked back with her dainty hands massaging her once again.

"Yes Azula-sama! You can count on me! Because I am your loyal girl!" The blonde-haired girl cried out before she bowed her head in a show of respect while a smile of approval grew on the older female's lips.

"Believe me dear I know. You are…. the best pet that I could ask for." Azula conceded in a spoiled sigh while she relaxed when gentle hands began to knead her lower back.

"Don't you worry Azula-sama! We may not have our mother's anymore but we have each other. I'll always be here for you." Elle announced in a kind hearted voice with her amber eyes peering down at the slope of her master's back.

And even though she couldn't see it.

The princess was now staring down at her from over her shoulder with a rare expression of moved emotion in her cold eyes.

"Your words please me peasant. In recognition of your devotion I will always keep you by my side." The princess remarked with a pleased smirk on her full lips while her handmaid beamed back at her.

"Arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl cheered with sweet laughter lacing her voice while she happily worked on her girlfriend's-tired muscles.

Azula just fell into her cushion with a content sigh escaping her red lips.

Indeed.

There was much to like about this peasant girl of hers.

About forty-five minutes later.

The royal woman lazily lounged with a mildly intoxicated look in her dominant golden eyes while her little girlfriend still knelt massaging her back.

She set down her liquor bottle while she released another sigh before she turned to gaze back at her submissive girl.

Her handmaid had not once lost her smile in the entire time that she has been serving her needs.

And with a devious smirk on her lips she decided that now was time to put the girl to the test.

"Go lower dear." Azula ordered in a controlling voice with a smug look in her eyes while her handmaid smiled back at her.

"If you say go lower master! Then I go lower!" Elle chirped with her palms massaging the woman's lower back while she tried her hardest not to look at Azula's round posterior that now rested near her head.

"Go even lower." The princess spoke with her fingertip pressing into her lip while her pet's face turned red as she gazed up at her.

"B-but if I go l-lower then I will be…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off in an overwhelmed voice only to find herself gulping when a hand pushed her down.

She dropped with a squeak only to find herself turning as red as a tomato when her face landed on her girlfriend's robed ass cheek.

"Massaging my ass. You may begin now Elle." Azula taunted with a sadistic smile that only grew when she felt her handmaid push her face off her round posterior in an adorable panic.

"P-please show me m-mercy Azula-sama. I d-don't know if I can handle this." Elle stuttered in a confuddled voice with her thumbs twiddling as she peered down at the woman's shapely behind in a spellbound trance.

"Hm. Let me think about it…no." The princess drawled in a silken voice with her lovestruck handmaid's shoulders now slumping like a disciplined puppy.

And if you asked her it was just too adorable that the girl was becoming so jumbled over being ordered to rub her ass.

"I-I um uh." The blonde-haired girl blurted out in a confused voice only for the flames in the lantern to jump inside its cage.

"Are you defying me servant!" Azula bellowed in a terrifying voice of feigned anger while her smirk grew by tenfold when Elle dropped down onto her knees on command.

"S-sumimasen Azula-sama!" Elle whimpered with a deep blush on her cheeks just as her hands touched Azula's round backside.

"It's just a massage Elle. It's not like it's going to bite you." The princess snorted in an amused voice only to find herself smiling when the girl's soft hands took to rubbing her rear.

"I-I know." The blonde-haired girl muttered with a timid countenance while her nervous hands moved across the royal woman's beautiful posterior.

"Do you like that Elle?" Azula purred in a mesmerizing voice with her lips pursing into a smirk while Elle turned an embarrassed shade of red.

"I…I do Azula-sama." Elle admitted with an abashed expression while she listened to Azula's devious chuckle flow into her ears.

"Then by all means continue. I am your girlfriend Elle. You should get used to touching my body." The princess commanded with her face laying down in her folded arms while she sighed when the girl's touch sent a jolt of pleasure down her spine.

But even so she knew that she would have to wait until her intended was sixteen.

But at least she had her much needed moment of release in the springs earlier.

It will just have to suffice for now.

"Yes…princess." The blonde-haired girl spoke with an ever-present blush while her eyes remained glued to her girlfriend's robed posterior.

Azula just smirked before she propped her head up on her arm while another sigh escaped her lips.

There were no words for how content she was right now.

Just none.

About twenty minutes later.

After several minutes of sleepy yawning Elle turned her head to find herself being pulled up by the neck of her short-sleeved shirt.

"That is enough for tonight Elle. Our expedition continues tomorrow and I need you well rested." The princess instructed with a charming smile while her shorter girlfriend dropped down yawning beside her.

"As you say…. Azula-sama." Elle yawned with a hand over her mouth while she pulled her t-shirt over her shoulders.

While the older female watched with a pleased golden gaze just as she plopped down on her back beside her similarly half naked girlfriend.

"Let's go to bed Elle." Azula said with a fond look in her eyes while Elle's smaller body began to curl up in her arms.

"Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl mumbled while strong arms pulled her into a powerful embrace.

"Hm?" The princess answered in a lazy voice with her golden eyes peering down at the petite serving girl laying against her nude breasts.

"T-those spiders aren't going to crawl into our tent, are they?" Elle inquired in a mousy voice while she averted her eyes with a blush when Azula cast her an incredulous glance.

A look that plainly conveyed you have got to be kidding me.

"Are you serious Elle? That's what you're worried about?" Azula groaned with a purposeful roll of her eyes while the sleepy girl shrunk under her annoyed gaze.

"W-will you put some torches burning around the tent to ward them away?" The blonde-haired requested as she chewed her lip while she listened to her girlfriend groan in aggravation.

"Ugh. This is pitiful. You do know that don't you?" The princess remarked with her golden eyes glaring down at her pouting serving girl in her arms.

"I…know b-but I would feel more comfortable sleeping if you surrounded me with your bending while I slept." Elle mumbled with another yawn escaping her lips while Azula now smiled down at her in approval.

And then the small girl found herself smiling in appreciation when the much taller woman wordlessly pushed herself up from the tent floor.

"What am I ever going to do with you Elle? But so be it…" Azula trailed off with a shake of her head while she stood up.

But even so.

She couldn't help but feel pleased over her handmaid's innocent request.

The girl craved her dominance so terribly that she went so far as to plead her to surround her with her bending as she sleeps.

"Arigatou…Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl murmured in a loud yawn while she peered after her master's tall form stepping through the flap of their tent.

A few short minutes later a distant blue light could now be seen through the dark fabric of the royal tent.

The teenage girl lay on her side while she now cast a grateful smile at the royal woman now sitting back down beside her.

And then with a mere flick of her hand the flame inside their lamp promptly died out while she plopped down on her back.

Only to reach out to greedily pull her drowsy handmaid into her strong arms while she stared down at the yawning girl with a possessive gaze.

"Oh peasant." The princess sighed in a fond voice with a charming smile on her lips while her pet crawled into her arms.

"My…alpha." Elle spoke in a barely perceivable voice before she burrowed into her girlfriend's open breasts while Azula held her against her boson.

"That's right little lady." Azula replied in a fond voice with a content smile on her lips while she wrapped her arms around Elle's naked back.

"A-Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl muttered in a drowsy yawn while her eyes began to close just as the firebender's hands held onto the back of her head.

"Humph. The Avatar doesn't stand a chance against us Elle. Our victory is inevitable." The princess commented in a confident voice while she crushed her serving girl against her warm bosom.

Only for the sound of adorable snoring to resonate into her ears not a moment later.

Her handmaid now slept with her face buried in her breasts while she peacefully snored in her sleep.

And Azula now observed her with a strangely subdued smile on her regal lips.

"My Elle…" Azula spoke in a quiet voice with her hands grasping onto Elle's head while the small girl released another soft snort against her naked breast.

Her head sunk into her pillow while she cradled her handmaid in her arms with a possessive smile still adorning her regal lips.

"I…confess that I am falling in love with you peasant." The princess admitted in a prideful voice just as she herself closed her eyes while she protectively held her snoring girlfriend in her breasts.

And then the powerful Princess of the Fire Nation began to relax with her young betrothed in her arms.

And soon enough Azula fell asleep with her lips entrenched into a soft smirk while she cradled Elle's snoring face against her bare breasts.

And the two slept soundly for the better part of three hours.

Only for the princess's golden eyes to snap in alarm when she heard a fearful whimper emanate from the girl in her arms.

Which was followed shortly by a soft cough that soon had her brows furrowing in frustration.

And then a plea.

"N-no…please don't…kill my mother." Elle pleaded in her sleep while Azula listened closely with her golden eyes hardening in a cold glare.

'This man…Strados…I am going to kill him.' Azula thought with her nostrils releasing a puff of blue fire while pulled her trembling girlfriend's face back into her breasts.

And just when her eyes began to close once more.

They reopened instantaneously when her young companion suddenly jolted away with a piercing scream.

A scream that was so loud that she knew awoke Mai and Ty Lee judging by the sound of tent flap opening in the distance.

"Mother! No! No!" The blonde-haired girl shouted in a panic-stricken voice while she panted with her eyes wide in terror only to find herself gazing not at her mother's killer.

But her girlfriend's wrathful scowling face.

And then she broke down in a sob in the princess's arms while the royal woman now sat holding her in her lap.

"Azula? Is…she okay?" Ty Lee questioned from outside the tent with a concerned countenance while she listened to the sound of crying from inside the tent.

Mai stood silent with her tawny eyes softening as she listened to the sobs with a look of anger in her eyes.

They had both heard the teenager cry out for her mother.

It was painfully apparent what caused her young friend's frightened cries.

"She…had a nightmare! Just leave us be!" The princess barked with a hand on the back of her sobbing servant's head while she held the crying girl into the crook of her neck.

The two noblewomen women exchanged a sympathetic glance before turned away to return to their own tent.

All the while a tear dripped down the acrobat's cheek when she heard the girl cry out for her mother and father.

"H-he shot my mother. He k-killed my parents. I m-miss them. I miss them so much." Elle wailed with tears streaming down her cheek while she retreated into Azula's body for comfort.

"I know Elle. I know." Azula growled while she lay back down with Elle still sobbing against her naked breast.

All the while her strong arms held the crying girl closely into her bare chest.

"Shush. Elle…shush." The princess purred in her best attempt at comfort with a hand on the back of her handmaid's plush head.

"Y-yes princess." The blonde-haired girl sniffled with tears in her eyes just as she felt the older female's chin press down into her hair.

Only for her eyes to widen mere seconds later when a light puff of air was released by the monarch's nostrils against her forehead.

"There…there. It will be alright my pet. I own you now." Azula whispered over her whimpering handmaid while she held the smaller girl against her neck.

"Azula-sama…my dominant." Elle murmured in a needy voice with her wet eyes closing once more while she retreated back into Azula's breasts.

"Go to sleep now Elle. Fear not…if anyone touches you, I will burn them to ashes." The princess snarled with a possessive hand clamping down on the back of her pet's head while the girl's damp face hid between her breasts.

And then she held her saddened handmaid in her arms for some time.

And after twenty or so minutes.

She finally heard the girl snoring against her breast once more.

Her full lips were pursed into a tight scowl while she held her snoring intended's wet face into her breasts.

If anyone ever tries to hurt this one again…

Then they will find themselves regretting it in their death throes.

Yes indeed.

And that was a promise.

#Azula #Avatar The Last Airbender #yuri #ty lee avatar #mai avatar

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umccall71 · 5 years

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Chapter 14

Book: The Royal Romance

Characters: king Liam x Lady Sexy

Rating:Mature

Word Count:2700

Disclaimer: All characters used are sole property of Pixelberry. I am simply borrowing them for entertainment purposes.

Summary: Liam x (mc)Sexy knew they were destined for a lifetime together, but his world had other plans. The couple share a fateful night that would forever alter their future. Does fate stand strong together or banish his love to the shadows?

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@ao719 @carabethpow @lauradowning29 @elles-choices @hopefulmoonobject @indiacater @3pawandme @blackcoffee85 @simsvetements @drakesensworld @romanticatheart-posts @fantasy-of-fiction @choices97 @gibbles82 @furiousherringoperatortoad @marietrinmimi @whenyourheartskipsabeat @kuladekiwi @custaroonie @syphax @smalltalk88 @jovialyouthmusic @sashatrr @jared2612 @the-soot-sprite @ownworldresident @silviasutton1989 @silverofdreams @rainbowsinthestorm @lodberg @kingliam2009

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King Liam stood in his quarters the morning after spending the night alone drinking a cup of black coffee. He and Sexy agreed that she would stay in Valtoria for the night. They were living as husband and wife, but something about the traditional not seeing the bride before the wedding Sexy was holding onto tightly.Liam held his phone up smirking as he tapped out a text,

“Are you ready to officially become my queen my love? This is the day that I show the world that are my everything. The thought of watching you walk down the aisle to me is all I can think of Sexy.I want the world to celebrate the best thing that’s ever happened to me this far. Just know when I slip the wedding band on your finger in front of all of Cordonia… it will not be coming off love.I have prepared for you to be pampered and well fed love… we can’t have anyone starving during this long day.. you know who is taking a front row seat to our wedding.. the sequel. I have a surprise right outside your door that should be delivered right … about … now.”

Sexy’s phone pinged and lit up with the notification from Liam, she could not hide her smile. Just as she opened the message and read it over , there was a knock at her door.

She grabbed her dressing gown to conceal her baby bump….” One minute”, she bounced to the door with glee.

She was met with a 3 foot tall lavish arrangement of sterling roses, white roses, peach roses, white lilies, hydrangeas, and orchids. “ Liam got all all of my favorites.. that man”, she giggled as the staff member bought the delivery inside and set it on her night table. “Thank you.” Before she could show the staff to the door, there was a cart of breakfast favorites being pulled into her master suite. Sterling silver dome after dome was removed displaying the finest cuisine that the royal chefs could whip up for the queen.Sexy’s eyes watched as Belgian waffles, French toast, eggs Benedict, bacon and mash potatoes, shrimp and grits, fresh berries and whipped cream, tea, fruit infused water, milk, orange and apple juice were all all set up on the balcony for her to enjoy with the scenic ambience. The backdrop of the waterfall dumping thousands of gallons of water into the gorge running down to the stream. Sexy loved the mystical sight of the view that she called home.. her second home. Sexy knew that her home was wherever Liam was. He had told her a regent makes home all over the world. Never allowed to spend every night in their own bed.

“How did I get so lucky to find such a thoughtful man, and he happens to be your daddy too? Never in a million years would I have thought this could be my life, my future with the man I love. She crossed her legs on the massive couch that wrapped around balcony edge. She plucked bacon and French toast from the plates , savoring it as if it were the best meal of her existence. She held up her phone and snapped a selfie, “thank you my love… you spoil me. But I can get used to you pampering me. The breakfast and the flowers were so thoughtful. I think I need to marry you… right, I am marrying you today… and I would do it everyday for the rest of our lives Liam. My answer will be the same … yes… a thousand times yes.”

Sexy set there eating and breathing in the fresh air and taking in the sounds of nature.She was pulled from her reverence. “Maxwell Beaumont reporting for duty!” The infectious laughter and spirit of Maxwell, what a way to start her wedding day.

“ So I hope you enjoyed breakfast.. did you eat enough?`` he whispered gesturing to her belly. “ I am to make sure that your fed and rested before the wedding… or the king might have me tried for treason.”

“Never Max.. I would remind him if it weren’t for you, he would be at the mercy of Madeleine.`` she giggled.

“We are heading for the spa for massages, mani pedis and all the trimmings. We can get facials, not that you need it… Liam wouldn’t change a thing about your face. Any way.. time to get going … we have a schedule to keep.”The pair disappeared inside and Sexy slipped into a relaxed fit dress since they were not leaving Valtoria for hours. Liam has arranged for everyone to cater to his queen. Hair, makeup, masseuse and entourage.The day was off to a great start.

Liam finished his breakfast at the palace and decided to go for a ride on horseback. He galloped across the grounds of the palace enjoying feeling the cool wind whipping past his face. His mind filled with images of the moments he spent with Sexy. He remembered walking into her bar and locking eyes for the first time, their first kiss at the Statue of Liberty, the first time he saw her in Cordonia on the ballroom floor,taking her to forgotten falls nearly telling her he was falling in love with her,the night at lythikos in the hot tub, the first date at the Beaumont estate, the night of the coronation and the first time they made love resulting in the conception of the little angel… all of his dreams epitomized in Sexy. She was his wife, and he saw the realization that today she would become his queen.

Liam found himself smiling and feeling an abundance of love overflowing within anticipating officially making Sexy his queen.He trotted the horse back to the stables where he was met by Drake and a bottle of whiskey. Liam and Drake sat down on a couple of bundles of hay sharing a pre wedding drink. “So you finally are sharing your marriage to Sterling with the world huh Li?”he laughed as he patted Liam on the shoulder. “ You finally get your happy ending including your new baby on the way. I know how long you two have fought and waited to be together in the open. After today… you can sit back and make babies and wait on the birth of this little baby girl or boy… you both deserve this moment Liam. I sat by and saw the love, the laughs, the torment, the heartbreak and eventually the reunion of you two.” Drake got choked up momentarily thinking about how they got here.

They guys raised a glass, “ to the Rhys clan… may it grow large and happy.” They burst into laughter. “Thanks man.. we’d better head up to start getting ready. My bride will have my head if I’m a minute late. But I will gladly suffer her wrath for a lifetime in her arms.” Liam and Drake strolled back to the palace and let up with Bertrand in the boutique to pick up his royal regalia. There he stood dressed in all white with touches of gold on his strong shoulders and royal blue swatches of silk draped to his medals. Liam’s blue eyes were gleaming … he was ready for this day and all it entailed.

Across town standing in all it's glory… the cathedral draped in a rich history of kings and queens marrying and starting dynasties. The building was bursting with wedding organizers, florists, finishing details meticulously finishing the building to have just the perfect balance of regal and romantic. Inconspicuously in the back corner a dark figure stood discreetly typing a message…

“ Everything is in place… this will be day they won’t forget. This will be an … explosive finish.”

The response went off on the phone within the palace walls answered by a well manicured hand sporting fire engine red nail polish. She smirked and nodded to herself before showing the message to a larger than life man standing before her frame. “Good … it’s time to put that mutt out of her misery,'' he scowled before exiting the room back to the hub of activity flurrying around the palace.

Back at Valtoria, Sexy and Maxwell surveyed the finishing touches of her hair and makeup. Maxwell was like a proud papa as he eyed Sexy waiting for the final moment.. to slip into her wedding gown. Sexy adored the flawless Illusion silhouette sleeveless,backless,prince style wedding gown made of thousands of handmade flowers, crystal beading covering exquisite tulle that flared and followed in an ornate flower covered royal train.The gown, once Sexy slid carefully into it ,gave the illusion that her body was covered in silken flowers. This was a welcome distraction from growing baby bump. Ladies in waiting attended to every detail to accentuate the true beauty of their queen. Sexy fought against the tears that were threatening to spill over, she breathed in deeply, “Oh Maxwell… how do I look?”,she got choked up with overwhelming emotion.

“Sexy… you are exquisite. Liam’s jaw will drop to the floor when he sees you walking toward him in this vision of elegance”,he laughed with delight.

The grown was smoothed out before Sexy’s head was adorned with an elegant veiled that was meticulously attached to crown that was on loan from Regina. Both the dress and veil were ivory in color with touches of gold placed in all the right places. Sexy beamed as she looked from the floor length mirror to Maxwell, “this is really happening … I'm about to marry the man of dreams in front of the country. This day is the pinnacle of everything that we've fought for, and I almost gave him up, gave up on us, `` she reflected.

“Enough about that Sexy… that’s in the past. Focus on the bright future you two have in front of you.”he smiles. Maxwell whispers, “I mean you three”, he gestured toward her belly discreetly.They came together for a brief moment in a loving hug. “Your chariot awaits my lady.. Not to mention your king…lets go”, they smiled in appreciation of this moment alone before the day kicks into full gear.

Maxwell, along with security ushed Sexy into the waiting carriage. The horse drawn carriage was led by none other than her beauty Royalty.”Hey girl… I could not ask for a better escort to my love.” she chuckled as Maxwell helped her into the carriage. The horse drawn carriage flanked by security led procession to the cathedral made its way down the road.

After traveling an approved route to the cathedral swarming with fellow Cordonians hoping for a glimpse of the queen to be.Sexy smiled and waved as she soaked in the experience leading up to walking down the aisle.

Liam had arrived at the church a short time ago to thunderous cheers and applause from his people. He, Drake,and Bastien made their way to a suite off the main sanctuary. Drake could not help but notice liam pacing nervously. He knew his best friend was ready to make Sexy his queen in the eyes of his people. “Li… your going to wear a hole in the floor… relax, Sexy should be on the way.”, he shook his head as he smirked at his friend knowing he was growing anxious. Suddenly a sun beam broke through the stain glass window landing on Liam’s golden skin,and danced across his piercing blue eyes. “Your right… today I marry the love of my life in front of the world… and I couldn’t be any happier. This feels surreal Drake”,he patted Drake on the shoulder thankful for the distraction. They listened as the herald announced each noble guest leading up to the festivities. He heard the names of KIng Father Constantine and Queen Mother Regina announced. “It won't be long now… We should be..”he trailed off as his thought was interrupted by and explosion of cheers, and laughter, and applause, the door opened ,”that has got to be the arrival of your beautiful bride to be”, Leo flashed his crooked grin as he entered the room for final words of encouragement and the word that he should be getting into place. “Well little brother, are you ready to say goodbye to life as a single man?”, he laughed. Liam quickly corrected , “ I have felt connected to this woman since the day we met. There is nothing that I regret asking of Sexy to share my life and be my wife.”

The men left out single file into the Sanctuary, Leo took his place at the front center as the officiant of the royal family. Liam opted not to have Constantine stand up and marry he and Sexy. In light of the great lengths he went through to set her up and root her out of Cordonia. LIam and Drake took their places at the front , staring vigilantly at the massive doors. His mind flashed back to the night he laid eyes on Sexy for the first time. Liam knew that night that his heart no longer belonged to him. He was a man in love, wishing he could spend every moment with her. But he dreaded heading back home and marrying a woman that was nowhere near his Sexy.

He was jolted back to reality by the sound of the trumpets announcing the arrival. The room went silent as the doors opened wide. Maxwell was right.. Liam’s mouth fell open, jaw on the floor as he watched Sexy stand before him in all of her exquisite glory and beauty. Sexy’s french manicured hand held a bouquet of ivory roses,lilies, and orchids. Sexy locked eyes with Liam ,basking in the look of love awaiting her.She felt her eyes well up with tears of joy.A soft melodic sound of a cello wafted through the acoustic room filling the ceremony with beautiful music. Maxwell made his way up the aisle shooting Liam a grin and a thumbs up as he too took his place a Sexy’s man of honor. Now it was Sexy’s time to shine and enjoy striding to the man she loves awaiting her to reach him. She slowly took a step forward, then another, then another smiling from ear to ear when suddenly a thunderous explosion went off right behind her.

“SEXY… sexy no !”, Liam screamed at the top of his lungs as he raced down the aisle to get to his love...his heart… his home. The only sound Liam could hear his own heart beating in his ears. He couldn't let out any air until he knew she was safe.Bastien and the security team rushed into position, radioing ahead for emergency services.There was a creaking sound right before a large chunk of ceiling made it way to the floor. Liam looked up and tried to react quickly grabbing Sexy, but there was a crash to the floor. “Liam … Nooooooooooo!” The monstrous scream escaped the lips of none other than King Father Constantine fighting to push Liam out of the way.

In all the chaos now ensuing this blessed building and event, the lurking sinister figure smirked before snapping a picture of the results of evil. He typed out a message,

“This is how you exterminate a mutt.”

The message pinged inside the walls of the palace. The same set of manicured hands clicked to open the message, she smirked an evil grin flashed across her face . She let out the loudest cackling laugh that traveled down the halls. This demon was proud of her handy work… she only wondered what would be the body count.

#king liam #choices trr #trr mc #king liam x mc #liam x mc #pixelberry #the royal romance

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drakewalkerfantasy · 5 years

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Beckett x Maeve Fluff ABC: Part 2 (I,J,M,Q-Z)

This is second and last part of Fluff ABC, first part can be found in my Masterlist. I hope you will like, what I got for Beckett and Maeve. Some of letters later may be become fics later (I totally plan to do this for D-Date) Hope you will enjoy it. I definitely had some fun writing it.

P.S. I’ll fix read more from home…. tumblr have a glitch

Tagging: @elles-choices @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @boneandfur @walkerismychoice @tmarie82 @ifyouseekheart @symonde @confessionsofabrokegirl @ludextruction @flynnomalleys @brightpinkpeppercorn @briarsunicorn @harrington-sinclaire @queen-among-writers @feartheendlesssummer

I – Inside Jokes (Do they have any?)

Maeve often say to Beckett, that he is like a Google, what means he doesn’t let you finish a sentence before making a suggestion. Meanwhile, Beckett started to call Maeve his petrol station after of hours of giving her to breathe Gas and Air pain relief during her first labours. Also occasionally Beckett may call Maeve ABCDEFGHIJK what means: Adorable, beautiful, cute, delightful, elegant, fashionable, gorgeous and hot. When he was asked what IJK means he replied that this means I’m just kidding for what he got a light but tangible blow to the hand, after which he quickly wrapped his hands around her, kissing her sweetly into the tip of her nose, and whispered: This means I just know.

J – Jealousy (Who gets jealous easier? How do they show their jealousy?)

They both are very jealous and possessive of each other. Although they rarely act on their jealousy as they trust each other unconditionally, they still occasionally get into arguments because of their insecurities gets better out of them. Usually if Maeve got jealous, she mostly feels anger and frustration on herself for this as she knows that she is the only one whom Beckett loves and he would never cheat on her. So if she feels threatened by someone, she do the only rational thing, kissing him fiercely on public, whispering in his ear what exactly she wants to do with him when they will get alone, forcing him to choke and blush furiously.

When Beckett feels jealous, he usually grabs Maeve by her hand in total silence dragging her away and fucking her hard in some private corner, claiming her and making sure she know exactly whom she belongs to. Maeve loves this possessively rough side of Beckett sometimes provoking him to act on his jealousy.

M – Movies (What kinds of movies do they watch together? Is it a regular Netflix ritual?)

Maeve’s favourite movies are mostly black and white some with an element of noir. Something about them captures her attention making her hold her breath till the last second of the film and her heart fluttering in her chest like a small bird trying to escape her golden cage. She likes that this movies allow her imagination to go wild putting the colour in the picture, being the one in charge. The mystery of these movies never leave her indifferent never failing to put her into the shoes of people from an earlier time, making her to feel a storm of emotions. Since this movies make such a strong impression on her, she treats them as a type of a dessert that you love, but get it just on a special occasions.

Beckett’s favourite movies except documentaries are family comedies. His favourite time of the day is when he finally gets home to spend some time with his wife and children. Their evening ritual before putting children to bed is settling on the sofa in front of the big TV with some snacks prepared by Maeve and watch some family comedies of children’s choice on Netflix. This is something, apart from other stuff, that make him feel like he finally has a family he always dreamed about. The family who loves him for who he is without any expectations, the family who feels real. After putting kids to bed they usually come back downstairs to watch some romantic movie. Settling comfortably in their living room, having a glass of wine while snuggling together under the blankets, he wraps his arms around Maeve, letting her lean back on his chest, laughing together quietly.

Q – Quit (Do they break up? Almost break up? What happened?)

They were broke up for 2.5 years as his mother feared that if Beckett and Maeve will be united and have a child someday will make Blood Attuned not existing. She never knew what true love is, but she found Beckett’s weakness and made him break up with Maeve to be able to protect her from his mother’s wrath. But they were broke up only technically as their feelings never faded and Maeve was only waiting for the time when he will get stronger for them and will be able to protect them both to finally get reunited with each other.

- Then please, make me understand, - her voice soft and tired, her deep forest-green eyes look through his broken heart and her hoarse whisper seems like a thousand miles away, while his grey, silvery moons eyes were focused on her lips, - look me in the eyes and tell me, this was all a lie.

-Mae…, - Beckett’s throat becomes dry as he follows the tip of her tongue running along her velvety lips, knowing that he cannot lie to her… knowing that as soon as he will look her into these soul-piercing eyes, she will know the truth. He lifts his eyes meeting hers not able to break the gaze, feeling a lump in the throat and spoke, his voice barely above the whisper, - Sometimes, love is not enough. (part of Shard of Ice (Beckett x MC))

R – Rainy Days (How do they comfort each other on dark days?)

They both love spend rainy days in their home in Ireland sitting near to the fireplace and enjoying the intimate atmosphere of their place (at least before they children were born). Maeve prepares special peppermint hot chocolate the one her mother used to make for her dad and the one Beckett ones made for them.

Maeve quietly enters their living room placing the tray with peppermint hot chocolate mags in front of Beckett. His steely eyes wondering on the variety of food choices she placed, besides fresh tangy fruits and berries, he can see also some candied fruits and candy canes. He moves a little, freeing space for Maeve to sit next to him on a large quilted blanket with scattered cushions around them. Beckett turns on soft quite music and they sit hugging together feeding each other fruits and drinking hot chocolate, watching the soft dance of the fire flames, talking and laughing together. Their soft voices are heard in the silence of the room like a whispering meadow under the pattering rain. Beckett’s eyes met Maeve when familiar accords and words started to tune in their living room, the soft smile touched his lips:

What day is it? And in what month?

This clock never seemed so alive

Beckett slowly rose moving the tray aside, and taking Maeve’s mug of hot chocolate from her hands, placing it back on the tray. He extended his hand to Maeve waiting for her to place her small hand in his. His voice barely audible almost dying with the next accords.

- May I? - he asked gently, his silvermoon eyes look deeply into hers golden brown. He watched her gently placing her hand in his, squeezing it lightly, raising from the floor and letting him lead her to the elegant and slow temp of the waltz. They whirl in the dim light of their living room, while a familiar words followed their every move and heartbeat, and their shadows dancing on the walls.

I can’t keep up and I can’t back down

I’ve been losing so much time

Cause it’s you and me and all of the people with nothing to do

Nothing to lose

S – Soft (Something one of them did that turned the other into absolute mush)

Maeve got absolute mush after hers 19th Birthday surprise that Beckett prepared for her. He gone extra miles to make this Birthday unforgettable and extra special. He took her to the place called Aruland where turquoise ocean stretched in every direction to the horizon, the place that reminded her of her parents. And when in the middle of the ocean he told her for the first time he loves her in the same spot where her father told the exact words to her mother promising her forever and more, she cried feeling the happiness she didn’t feel for a very long time.

The time when Beckett got absolutely mush was the day when their daughter Alexandra Casey Harrington was born. This first sound of her cry after birth filled him with so much happiness and relief, that he thought his heart will be not able to hold all of it. His tears rolled down his cheeks not able to stop, while his eyes where focused on his wife’s exhausted, but happy face. He was so thankful to her for going through all this pain and fear, that he couldn’t find the right words to express this, instead he kept whispering “I love you, I love you, I love you” burying his face in her thick honey coloured hair.

T – Texting (Do they text each other a lot? What do they usually talk about over the phone?)

U – Unique (Tell us about some of their odd habits that surprised one another.)

To be honest none of the odd habits of each other made them surprised, more likely they were the ones that made them fall in love with each other even more. Maeve noticed that every time Beckett is nervous he starts stroking his hairs or trying to smooth his clothes. And when he is embarrassed he starts to rub the back of his neck. Another odd habit of his is to tap his fingers to the beat, be it in the car during a long drive or be it when he was immersed in reading a book.

Maeve doesn’t have a lot of odd habits, but if Beckett would be asked which one of them he sees as the most adorable he would definitely say when Maeve nervously bites on her lower lip. Every time she does this he wants to come closer and do this for her, gently taking her lower lip into his mouth grazing his teeth along it pulling a bit and then swirling the tip of his tongue on a place of the bite.

V – Vanity (Something they’re proud of in themselves and their partner)

Beckett is extremely proud of how quickly after graduation he was able to start a successful business and already in 2-3 years’ time he had opened numerous branches in other cities and countries. In a year time he already had two offices in United Kingdom, and by the time of their wedding he had gone as far as Japan for discussing business opportunities in there and to add another branch to their business. And he is proud that by the time of turning 22 years old with Maeve support he had Attuned Magickae Uirtus Award. Maeve is very proud of him getting this award and also by graduating a top of their class.

Maeve is proud that in a year time of becoming owner of the Sun and Moon shelter she could open a few branches in London and Ireland helping to more and more animals to find a new home. Beckett was so proud when she told him this and also he is extremely proud that she was the other person who graduated a top of their class not yielding to him.

W – Wedding (Tell us about your wedding head canon if they’ve gotten that far. Or if not, have they talked about it?)

They got officially engaged the day of their graduation and after a month started to plan their wedding. In three months after starting the planning their wedding day had arrived. If this would be Beckett’s will, they would get married as soon as he would get a special license for this, but after Beckett’s mother’s death, Maeve insisted for some time for him to mourn.

They chose a spectacular location for their wedding in Ireland, called Hag’s Head, the most southerly point of The Cliffs of Moher. This is a romantic place with access to the spectacular cliff edge providing an unrivalled view across the vast Atlantic Ocean. They met on the top of the cliff standing hand in hand in front of their friends and family feeling the light breeze greeting them on their wedding day. Maeve wore a beautiful strapless gown with the empire waist highlighting exquisite beadwork and embroidery design. The top of her dress was covered with Swarovski Crystals, rhinestones, pearls, and seed beads, and layers of Soft Tulle over Silky Charmeuse lining made up the baby doll silhouette. The thick white ribbon was tied over her growing baby bump, and the multilayered veil was pinned to her honey hair with a pearl brooch. She opted to the white ballet pumps, and by Shreya’s insistence, she also had something new, old, borrowed and blue. Beckett wore a simple black single-breasted jacket and trousers with a natural taper. His white evening shirt has a Marcella collar and double cuffs, with a turn-down collar and Sun/Moon silver cufflinks that Maeve gave him the night before as a wedding gift. His black bow-tie was matched with his highly polished shoes and socks. To top it up he had a navy colored handkerchief in the right breast pocket as a classic detail.

- Okay, are you ready, - excitedly squealed Shreya.

- Yes, I believe so, - breathed out Maeve calming her nerves, ready to step in the hallway.

- Wait… I don’t see anything old on you? Or borrowed in this case. I can see you have this bouquet with small blue flowers in it that will do as yours something blue.

- Shreya…

- Don’t even start. You need this and this is my responsibility as your maid of honor to remind you of this. Okay, this pearl bracelet… is it new?

- Yes, Beckett gave it to me as a wedding gift, - murmured Maeve fiddling with little silver-blue pearls circling her small wrist.

- Great, this will be your something new. Noooow, do you have anything old with you? Anything?

- This brooch is my family’s heirloom and this dress is my mother’s.

- Suppose this is definitely old…. and was worn before…, - she scrunched her nose, skeptically watching on the dress.

- Shreya, even don’t think of starting on this again, - Maeve laughed at her friend’s disapproving gaze.

- Okay, okay. Now I have something that you can borrow from me, these pearl earrings will be the perfect addition to your bracelet.

- Shreya, can we go now? - asked Maeve replacing her golden earrings with borrowed ones before exiting the room with a deep breath.

X – X (Something they hate about the other)

Beckett is totally getting annoyed sometimes, when she send him her pictures in underwear in very inconvenience time, for example during the meetings or a lunch with his business partners. He has suspicions Maeve knows exactly what she is doing with him when she sends him this pictures. The single glance on her half naked body makes him blush furiously, and make him hard in an instant and if their didn’t have sex for awhile this becomes a REALLY BIG problem, the painfully throbbing REALLY BIG problem in his pants.

Y – Youtube (What are they like online? Do they post about their relationship constantly?)

They don’t have much time for facebook, instagram or twitter. Beckett is busy with promoting his business that he started after graduating and with expanding it worldwide. Meantime, Maeve is busy with owning the shelter her parents founded and helping to find a home to as many animals and companions as possible. Also they both are involved deeply in raising their children and making sure they have the best childhood memories created as a family. Occasionally, they may get into online chat with their friends as they all live on the other side of the ocean.

Also they do Skype video calls with Katrina, and Maeve’s adoptive parents as they all want to be part of their children growing up.

Z – Zoo (Are they into animals? Do they want pets? What kind?)

They are definitely into animals and not only companions but also into dogs and cats. On Maeve’s 19th Birthday Beckett brought her to the animal’s shelter the one that was founded by her parents, and the one where Beckett helped not only by generous donations he made regularly but also helping out when he had spare time. During this time they also adopted together one of the puppies. Also, after their first visit, they both started helping there and Maeve became the new owner of this place, investing money and helping to find a home to as many animals and companions as possible.

#beckett harrington #beckett x mc #the elementalists #te #long post #playchoices #playchoices fanfic #fluff abc #fluffy abc #fluff abc part 2

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sheiby · 6 years

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II. Morning Love

[ A winter morning with Thomas Shelby. ]

word count: 4433

warning: Very NSFW & a hideous helping of fluff at the end because I just can’t resist it

You woke naked, thighs spread and aching from the night before. Blinking the world into focus around you, you pawed at your eye socket with the back of your hand, failing to care about the smear of yesterday’s eyeshadow that was left streaked on your palm. When you looked upon him you couldn’t help but smile.

Tommy Shelby was a vision when he slept.

It was difficult to imagine the wrath he was capable of when he looked like this: Plump lips ever so slightly parted and eyelashes resting against his pale cheek as his chest rose and fell. He was beautiful, all sleepy and pliant with miles of bare, freckled skin on his back just begging to be kissed and touched. You knew every inch of him. The marks of scars from fights won and lost, the stories they told, and your heart swelled with affection as he curled on his side, facing away from you. At the movement, the muscles of his back rippled under soft skin, and you felt desire curl low and hot in your belly, the embers left sizzling from the night before beginning to stoke once more. You moved closer to him, nuzzling into his back and planting soft kisses on his shoulder.

“Mornin’ love.” Thomas mumbled, eyes still closed. His voice was raspy from a long night of whiskey and too many cigarettes. You had both stayed up way too late, and he clearly was not keen to succumb to the events of the day ahead just yet. That was fine by you. You began to scatter kisses across the back of his neck and down his shoulder blade, curling an arm around his naked waist.

“Good morning.” You whispered back, experimentally brushing your hand against his groin and smiling when you found he was already half-hard. Though it was still early in the morning you were in the mood to play, and it seemed that Tommy, with a little encouragement, would be willing to partake. Cupping his balls, you rolled them softly in your palm for a moment, taking note of every small and barely cognitive groan that left Tommy’s lips as you teased him slowly into consciousness with every roll and stroke of your soft palms. Planting another kiss to his shoulder, you slipped your fingers around Tommy’s cock.

He was hot and thick in your hand and you took a moment to just enjoy the feeling of him throbbing in your grasp. Mouth against his shoulder, teeth sinking in lightly, you began to move your hand up and down his length. Revelling in the feeling of having the most powerful man in Birmingham literally in your hands before he had even opened his eyes, you inched your body closer, pressing the full length of your body against his side. Your breasts pressed against his bicep, your stomach to his hip. You kissed his neck, tasting the mingled tang of sweat and yesterday’s cologne on your tongue as you did so.

“Keep goin’” Tommy rasped, eyes still closed. “…don’t stop.”

You smirked: Even when he was barely awake, Tommy Shelby was always the one giving orders. You squeezed your hand around him, hard and slow, exactly the way he told you he liked it.

“Fucking ‘ell, love.” He murmured, his breathing becoming heavier.

You drew yourself closer to him; your leg hooked around his and your pussy already wet as you stroked his cock until he was fully hard, and his hips were arching into your palm.

He was already leaking, his cock fully swollen, with cum beading from the tip which you spread down his length, using it to help you stroke him with a little more ease. He was so smooth and hot and hard, and he was so big that it really was a job for two hands. Reaching over him with both hands was becoming awkward, so you pulled at his shoulder so that he was lying flat on his back. Smirking lazily down at you, Tommy watched as you took his cock in both hands; languidly twisting and stroking his shaft.

“Haven’t woken me up like this in a while, angel.” Tommy mused, the pleasure that dripped from his voice making your heart swell and pussy ache.

“You usually wake up too early for me to be able to.” You countered, slipping the skin of his foreskin back to rub little circles on the head of his cock with the pad of your thumb, just barely scraping the sensitive underside with your fingernail. Tommy’s reaction was instantaneous, hissing a breath in through his teeth and arching his hips upwards.

“If you wake me up like this every morning, I promise never to wake up early again.”

You humoured his compliment but didn’t take it to heart. You knew that Tommy would always be late to bed and early to rise. Your beloved man was always busy, always thinking – Never in one place for long. He had a world out there to make his, and you didn’t begrudge him all the mornings you woke up in your bed alone, but you did enjoy the times you woke up beside him to their fullest. Leaning over him, hands still working his cock, you kissed him open-mouthed and searing. Tommy cupped your jaw and let your tongue slide into his mouth and suck on his lower lip the way he knew you liked. Moments like this you wished you could capture and distill to keep forever, like Tommy did with his gin.

“Y/N…” Tommy moaned, reaching for you when you pulled back to sit on your haunches and watch the way his cock twitched in your hand when you ceased your movements. You moved out of his reach, however, and he allowed it when he picked up on what exactly you had in mind.

You adjusted your position: Leaning forward and stroking him closer to your naked breasts. The visual was something Tommy appreciated with a string of dark curses that would make even a whore blush, and you teased him by licking your lips slowly and flicking your tongue out just once to taste him. Encouraged by the shuddering moan you received from Tommy in response, you enveloped him into the warm, wet heat of your mouth until the head of his cock was pressed to the spongy tissue at the back of your throat. You began to bob your head instantaneously, and the effect this had on Tommy so early in the morning was profound.

“Jesus…” He gasped, head thrown back on the pillow and jaw slack. “I’m gonna fuckin’ come when you look like that, love…”

“Well that’d be no fun for me now, would it?” You pouted, swiping the bead of pre-cum from his tip with your tongue and making a show of swallowing it. Gritting his teeth, Tommy groaned lustily. A morning like this was too rare for him to waste it in your mouth alone, he planned on cherishing it.

“Fucking get up here then.” Reaching out a palm in invitation, Tommy helped you climb onto him with a surprising agility for how early it was. You sunk into him like the missing piece of a puzzle, arms falling like second nature to curl around his neck and grasp at his hair; lips sinking onto lips with heavy, wet lust as your bodies ground slowly against each other like the early ripples of the morning tide. Tommy tugged your hips down against his, the two of you reveling in the sensation of your sopping pussy grinding up and down over the marble length of his cock.

“I wanna taste you, love. Come sit on me face.” He rasped.

Tommy wanted you with a maddening intensity. It wasn’t just the feel of your lips licking and nibbling on his warm skin that was turning him on. It was how wet you got doing it: He could feel your desire, hot and dripping down on his cock as you rubbed yourself wantonly against him, and the sight of you naked above him – Hair sexy and tousled and skin mottled with his marks from the night before – was almost too much for him to bare.

You’d been so absorbed in him, kissing down his torso and across his abdomen, teasing his body with licks and sucks, that his words came as a bit of a shock to you. His soft moans and curses wound you up so tightly that you hadn’t realized quite how hard you were grinding against his thigh; lost in thought as you marveled at how he came alive under you.

In truth, Tommy’s words had surprised you. His cock was hard, thick, and throbbing and you had assumed he would want your pussy this morning above all else. You hadn’t expected his mind to float elsewhere, and you felt a tug inside your stomach. You looked up slowly to see the devil in his smirk, his tongue flicking out to wet his pink lips, to tease you of course.

“But I thought you’d want to-”

“Y'heard what I said.” Tommy said swiftly, voice as commanding as it was intoxicating. “I can feel you, angel. How wet you are for me, I want to taste you.”

You bit down on your bottom lip and placed your hands on Thomas’ toned hips, slowly rocking back and forth against the length of his cock which was trapped between your soaking pussy and his stomach. Your eyes rolled back, your spine forming a perfect arch as you moved. Tommy’s icy blue eyes drifted down the expanse your body, his head cocked with a kind of intrigue as he watched you writhe; your breasts pushed out and on display for him. Tommy chuckled, unsurprised by your need to tease him right back.

“…I said c'mere…” He groaned, reaching for you. His calloused fingers found your nipple and a thumb grazed the peaked bud, sending chills flitting your bloodstream. Leaning forward, you crawled up his body and hovered just over his chest where the Romani sun rose on his pectoral.

“Hands up…” Tommy nodded his chin up to the headboard behind him, and you eyed him, meeting his request. Your manicured fingers slid over the top of the smooth varnished wood, gripping it tightly in anticipation.

“That’s a good girl.” He praised, and fuck if you didn’t want to take him right then and there. Tommy had given you your marching orders, however, and you planned to obey him. You gazed down at him and watched as he took in the sight of your glistening pussy above him, and it was the way he looked at you, hungry and adoring all at once - his breath hot on your very core –that made you release a shuddering breath you hadn’t realised you had been holding.

“Oh god, Tommy, please…” You begged, your voice breathy and soft like spun silk. Tommy made a sound that oozed with pleasure, and your mouth hung open as he looked at you. “Please,” you heard yourself gasp again, shifting in his grasp.

“Shh… Patience, little one.” he replied, moving one hand from your hip to the apex of your sex. His muscular arm curled around your calf, and his hand was steady, thumb and forefinger gently parting delicate, slick folds, and with that you were utterly exposed to him as he slipped the hood back from the sensitive knot of nerves at the top of your slit. Your pussy clenched involuntarily, making everything from your toes to your hips tense, and it only served to make Tommy hum in delight.

“Look at that gorgeous cunt, eh? All wet and waiting for me…” He rasped, all sin and husky early-morning Brum. You could have orgasmed untouched at the sound of it.

Tommy then dropped words for action: Surging forward to suck the engorged red petals of your pussy into his mouth. Rolling your sensitive, swollen flesh between his teeth, he then flicked his tongue wetly against your entrance and you could hear it: The obscene, vulgar lapping sound and the maddening pleasure it brought with it made you shriek loudly and against your will. Hearing you scream his name outright above him made Tommy smirk smugly into your centre, and he slid the flat of his tongue up to circle your clit until you began to gasp so breathlessly you thought you might forget how to breathe all together. Then, all too soon, his mouth was gone. He pulled back: His thumb and forefinger squeezing the plump lips of your pussy closed and rubbing gently up and down. Small, voltaic pulses flitted through you and made your thighs shake and your pussy tremble. Then, Tommy opened you up again: Murmuring filthily how wet you get for him, he took a long lick up the length of your slit and then another. Swirling his tongue deeper, his mouth slid over your pussy in a soft, lush kiss that made your entire body shake. You could feel just how wet Tommy was making you, and he hadn’t even really started. You knew exactly what he was capable of – His teeth marks on the insides of your thighs still stung from the night before as blood rushed to them and turned them crimson and purple. He could spend a whole night with his face buried between your thighs if he wanted to.

“You taste fuckin’ perfect, love.” Tommy husked, pulling back to spit directly onto your quivering pussy before licking a long line up the seam of you. You heard yourself whimper pathetically – A feeble sound you’d almost be embarrassed of if you were actually cognisant. “Like a slice of fuckin’ ‘eaven.”

“Oh Christ, Tommy!” You cried out, chest heaving and knuckles white against the headboard that you held onto for dear life. “Oh fuck, oh God!”

Tommy spread his saliva over your now sopping pussy with three fingers and returned to his craft in earnest. His jaw lax, he devoured you like a starved man: Lathing every inch of your pussy with his tongue, he buried his face into you and sucked and licked at your wetness over and over again until it started to become too much for you to bare.

His hands holding your thighs apart were the only things keeping you upright at all, and you could feel the centre of your weight that you no longer had the energy to hold up, pressing down directly onto his face. A crack of concern broke through the reverie of your pleasure when you noticed this, and you tried to lift your hips slightly so that he wasn’t so crushed under your weight, but Tommy simply growled and immediately tugged your hips right back to where they were. He enjoyed the feeling of you spread open on his face. If anything, he fucking loved it. His nose bumped against your clit and your juices smeared over his cheeks and down his chin as he pushed the very tip of his tongue into your entrance; just enough to stretch your hyper-sensitive muscles that were swollen red and engorged with blood as Tommy coaxed every single one of your nerves alight and your entire pussy throbbed deliciously. Tommy was completely devoted to his craft, and did not pull back until your hips were bucking involuntarily against his face and you were wantonly fucking his tongue as the hot muscle curled deliriously inside of you.

A tiny, trembling orgasm quivered through you, making you tighten on Tommy’s tongue. You cried out; a choked, breathy yelp of his name that almost sounded like a sob. It wasn’t nearly enough, for Tommy. He pulled back from your pussy with an erotic wet sound before closing his lips around your poor, aching clit with a deep hum from deep in his chest that sent white-hot vibrations zipping through your core that were just too much. Hissing, your back bracketed into a sharp arch, you clutched Tommy’s hair in your fist in an attempt to steer his relentless mouth away - The nerves he was toying with almost too raw. The burning ache of your orgasm dissolved and finally melted away, until you were left with the lingering grazes of Tommy’s lips just barely against you. Some motor-ability now restored to your limbs, you shifted your position on his body and managed to shimmy your way back down to his lap.

“God, you’re brilliant when you come like that.” Tommy praised. “All small an’ delicate. Let’s make you come again, love, shall we?” He sounded almost a little breathless, but given the voracity with which he’d just thrown himself into his cunnilingual prowess, you were not in the least bit surprised. He reached out for you, craving your mouth and the sweetness of your tongue on his. Giggling breathily yourself, you pushed yourself up on slightly shaky arms to kiss him. Wet, sloppy kisses that make you grin like a fool.

As you kissed, the watery winter sun shone through the window behind the bed you and Thomas shared. As the morning light streamed through the frosted window it cast an array of diffuse swirls onto the polished wood floor and bounced fluidly off the surface of your gilded vanity mirror, giving the impression of the entire room being submerged in a small ocean; shimmering in the early winter light. You rather liked that: The idea of you and Tommy being miles and miles away under a blanket of green ocean – Far from harm and far from the business that always dragged him away from you eventually. You pulled Tommy ever closer, winding one hand into his hair and the other clutching at his bicep.

“I want you, Thomas.” You whispered against his mouth. “I want you inside me.”

Pushing yourself upwards, your legs splayed on either side of Tommy’s lap, you reached down to take his cock in your hand. If he had been hard earlier, he was now as solid as marble. Tommy hissed sharply through his teeth, marveling at your body in blissful Romani murmurs as you teased your clit with the wet head of his cock. When you guided him inside you, the sound you both made was palpably relieved. You moaned in unison as you each reveled in that exquisite stretch of the first upwards push of his hips. With Tommy, you could never get enough of it. It was like licking a nine volt battery, or scratching an itch so deep inside you only he could reach it. You reached out for him desperately, clutching him and kissing him and letting him swallow your heavy moans in his mouth before he released you and pushed you upright above him.

“Take it, take what you want. There you go, that’s it little one…” He murmured, large hands on your pelvis coaxing you to slowly move your hips. You began to take the hint, rolling your hips back against his as he steadily thrusted into you. Both of you let out breathy moans at the feeling. Tommy had free and unrestricted access to toy with your breasts in this position, and he lavished them with attention as you controlled the pace of his cock as he fucked up slowly and languidly into your heat. Your head fell to the side as Tommy peppered kisses along your jaw and behind your ear, murmuring sweet words to you between each gentle press of his lips on your skin.

“I could watch y’ride me all day, love.” Tommy smirked, lifting his hips to meet yours and sucking his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Mm, you’d miss all your meetings if you did.” You replied coyly, your voice breathy and slightly uneven as you began to bounce on Tommy’s cock.

“Sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

“Oh, I’m sure.”

As Tommy was coaxed further into wakefulness, so too was the need inside him for dominance; A need you were all too willing to assist. The two of you went together like that. He was the outlet and you the current – Together you became electric, and your early morning symphony of skin-on-skin and whispers of pleasure had turned into a jazz band: It started slow and crooning at first, then developed into a passionate crescendo. Having found a rhythm on Tommy’s cock that suited you both, you soon got lost in it. Tommy could only marvel at you from below: Like helpless Hephaestus in awe at his ability to tame Aphrodite. You were like a bitch in heat, all twisting hips, and whine and wail and whimper, and he watched gluttonously as you worked yourself hedonistically on his dick.

Tommy, however, was not one to be outdone. He sucked in a curse, and dug his heels into the mattress, bringing his knees up – under and behind you. His change in tactics was enough to throw you off-guard, and your legs fell open as his hips pushed up. When you came crashing back down on his cock, it was harder this time, and somehow even deeper. It was tighter, too, a sharper angle, and the way your pussy was clamping around him, Tommy was more than certain you were going to come again, and this time take him with you. To coax you along, Tommy’s quick fingers dived between your splayed legs to toy with your clit; rubbing quick circles with three fingers as he murmured bursts of filth into your ear: How gorgeous you were, how well you came for him, how good you were for him – Even so early in the morning. Sure enough, his efforts were quickly rewarded as you shrieked above him with hands braced on his chest.

“Oh God!” You warbled. “I’m gonna come Tommy!”

“I know. I can feel you.” Tommy hissed in affirmation. “Come on me cock, love.”

No sooner had the words left Tommy’s lips than you were spiraling down into a whirlpool of an orgasm that consumed you entirely. Your back arched and your pupils blew wide; your hips snapping voraciously against his to achieve the final bite of friction against your g-spot that you needed to set every single one of your nerves alight.

At this angle, the taught skin of Tommy’s lower abdomen grazed sinfully against your clit with every buck of your hips and had spots of white-hot pleasure bursting behind your eyes. You screamed against his mouth and shook in his lap like you'd been hit by lightning. Tommy adored watching you come like this: It was like watching a wild animal thrashing in his lap, and the sight of it alone was enough to bring his own climax forward with a clenching throb that pooled low in his groin. As you wailed his name above him, clutching at his shoulders as you rode out your throes of pleasure, he felt his balls draw up tight to his body. What finally threw��him over the edge though was when you leaned forward to suck at his neck with an obscenely erotic wet noise, still quivering with the aftershocks of your visceral orgasm, and to leave your final mark on him for all the world to see. He came with a groan of your name on his lips; ropes of his come coating your insides in a series of hot bursts that just extended your orgasm further.

It took you both a few minutes to recover.

Blinking up at the ceiling, your spent bodies tangled in the white bedsheets, you caught your bated breath in unison.

“That was…” You raked a hand through your tousled hair, struggling to find the right adjective.

“Yeah.” Tommy agreed, groping around on the nightstand for his cigarettes. He lit one and tipped his head back against the headboard as he let the first blissful lungful of nicotine of the day soothe his bloodstream into velvet.

He smoked silently and watched as you stretched your arms out above your head with feline-like grace, before reaching over to your side of the bed and pulling the chord that hung within arm’s reach. It would ring a bell that signaled to the maids’ downstairs to bring up some tea. You rose from the bed and slipped a delicate robe around the elegant bone of your shoulders – Parisian silk. He’d bought it for you on a trip to London, he remembered how you’d gushed over the fabric and the lace that trimmed it. You caught sight of yourself in the gilded mirror of your vanity table and thumbed the warm pearls from the lobes of your ears that you’d forgotten to take out the night before. Tommy watched you wrap your hair around your fist and then pin it to the crown of your head with an opal clasp. From a pretty glass container, you rubbed warm lavender lotion into your hands, a smell that always reminded Tommy of you and that lingered on him if you grabbed him by the lapels of his coat to kiss him. There were cigarettes on your vanity, slim ones meant for women that came in a lighter shade of tobacco. You took one and lit it. When you sat down at the vanity you noticed Tommy staring and you puckered your lips; giggling as you blew him a kiss before bending delicately at the waist to roll your stockings over your smooth calves, with the cigarette lolling from your pouty lips like a movie star. This was your morning routine, Tommy supposed. The one he always missed since he was usually long out of the house and busy at work by now.

Between this and the sex, he was starting to see what he had been missing.

You left your cigarette smouldering in the crystal ashtray on your vanity and went in the direction of your wardrobe in search of a brazier, and perhaps even a pair of knickers since it was starting to get a little nippy in just the Parisian silk. You never reached the wardrobe though. As you passed the bed, Tommy reached out and hooked a muscular arm around your waist, bringing you toppling down suddenly into his embrace. You fell into his arms with a shriek and let him gather you up in his strong arms. A curl had slipped from the opal clasp and you tucked it behind your ear coquettishly.

“Good morning, Tommy.” You giggled, taking the cigarette from his mouth so that you could kiss him, your lips raw with love. He tasted like cigarettes and your pussy, and you drank him in like champagne.

“Morning, love.” Tommy replied. A rare smile graced his lips as he held your gorgeous figure close and kept you there.

#thomas shelby #tommy shelby #thomas shelby smut #tommy shelby smut #peaky blinders smut #smut #peaky blinders imagine #thomas shelby imagine #tommy shelby imagine #tommy x reader #tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby x reader

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crewhonk · 6 years

Text

Papa Don’t Preach

(ive been wanting to use this gif forever)

Warnings: a little NSFW in the second scene, but otherwise there’s not much else. Swearing.

Words: 2,446

Summary: “Madonna's 'Papa don't preach' -Billy x Reader In which the reader's dad knows the boy's no good but she doesn't care cause love and all that jazz” In which Hopper or your friends don't support your relationship with your boy. Y’all can request for a part two if you want!!!

Masterlist

Part One | Part Two

But my friends keep telling me to give it up

Hawkins High School wasn’t known for much. The demographic wasn’t too smart, they weren’t too talented in the Arts, and they certainly weren’t known for their football team (who just recently had a resurgence in interest for the first time in six years). However, the school was granted thousand and thousands of dollars for scholarships and funding for the students who were apart of the Tigers basketball team. While Steve Harrington had built the team from nothing, the newest addition gave the team a beautiful new poster boy. He was tan, tall, built, and came from sunny California— the coach told people the family moved from the Sunshine State for the team itself, but you knew through your adopted sisters good friend Max that there had been a messy divorce and that his dad and her mom wanted a new start (“As if my dad was the problem” she had said one girls night when she, Y/N, and Eleven sat in green masks in her dads cabin and watching ‘Dirty Dancing’).

So, it wasn’t too much of a surprise that there was a ‘Tigers Weekend’ where there was a pep rally for the team's tourney on Friday, followed by a city farmers market and town fair on Saturday, and a fundraising car wash on Sunday at the school. All events were run solely by the Team, the cheer squad (who were below average at best— they were all beautiful girls, just not too talented), and the student council— that’s where Y/N Hopper came in. You were the councils Secretary and was therefore encouraged (forced) to volunteer in at least one of the events over the weekend. You had known that the cheer squad would have taken care of the car wash in hopes of catching the attention of one of the Tigers themselves, so you had opted for the town fair. The president of your council had appointed you to the dart-balloon station. All you had to do was hand the participants their darts, take their tickets and hope you didn’t get a dart in the eye. It seemed like an easy job until you got there early that morning and found out that your crush, Billy Hargrove (keg king, sex god, human brass knuckle weapon, Tiger poster boy, you could go on forever) was working the dunk tank across from you.

Good grief.

“Having fun, Thumper?” Steve Harrington teased, walking up to your booth. You and Steve had grown close after the catastrophe that happened in November. You had shown up for your junior year in Hawkins and had moved in with your Dad, Jim Hopper— which then leads to your view of the world being turned upside down (ba-da-tss). Steve had decided to give you the shitty nickname one day after dropping Eleven off from lunch with The Party (“haha get it? ‘Cause your last name is Hopper, and bunnies hop and Thumper is the bunny from Bambi? No? Okay.”).

“Oh, you know me, living my best life.” You stole some of the cotton candy he was holding and promptly let it drop from your mouth into the trashcan. “How does someone mess up cotton candy?”

“It must suck to have to deal with him all day, though.” Steve glared across the way where Tommy H. had run up and pressed the button, effectively sending Billy into the cold water of the tank below.

“He may not be a good person, but he looks good doing it.” You smirked. Steve knew about your crush on the boy and had not spoken to you for four weeks after he had found out. The only reason why he had started speaking to you is because your dad had basically guaranteed a spot in the Hawkins police force on the sole condition that Steve starts talking to you again.

“You’re a dumbass, Y/N Hopper.” He said, throwing the bag of cotton candy in the trash behind the booth.

“And you're an idiot Steve Harrington.” You said, just as a ball of fire sprinted up to your booth and nearly bowled Steve over, making you burst into loud laughter. He had brought all the kids, and therefore the life into this cruddy fair.

“Can we play?” The kids yelled over each other. They gave you the tickets and you gave them the darts and pressed yourself into the far side of the booth, avoiding the wrath of the children throwing darts.

“Elle, no powers that’s cheating!” Mike yelled, budging his girlfriend with his shoulder. You shushed him and winked at your sister who was blushing profusely. Only Lucas had won anything which was a small bear (he gave it to Max who turned as red as her hair). The kids jumped away from where they were standing when there was a grumbling cough behind them. Billy. Billy Hargrove was at your booth. He was wet and at your booth and you didn’t think you would be able to breathe if he kept looking at you like that.

“Hey, Max. Who’s your friend?” He asked, not looking away from you but resting his hand heavily on her shoulder.

“Go away, Billy.” She glared. They had started becoming more civil with each other, but she was fiercely protective of The Party. It was something you admired about the young girl.

“Hey, Blue— I can handle myself.” You smiled at her, making her step away from her older brother. “I’m Y/N.” Your eyes flicked over to the boy (who was still looking at you with those blue eyes oh. my. god.) and you held out your hand for him to shake. He took your hand and raised it to his lips and kissed your fingertips. You could probably die happy. No, you could definitely die happy with the way he was peaking up at you through his thick lashes.

Good grief.

Daddy, daddy if you could only see Just how good he's been treating me You'd give us your blessing right now 'Cause we are in love, we are in love, so please

You and Billy had thrived from that day on. He had given you the time of day (finally), and had been obsessed with you ever since. It was your three month anniversary today, and you and he had left Hawkins and booked a roomie some cheap motel a few hours away in Chicago. You were draped in a beige sheet and nothing else while Billy was sitting against the headboard with a smoke dangling from his lips. He had no sheet covering his body and was half hard from your latest round. You were tracing patterns on his thigh and humming every soften in the warmth and contentment you felt whenever you were around him and away from the glares of your friends. Steve had been so grossly offended by the reciprocation of your feelings but had decided to give Billy the benefit of the doubt when he had gone up and formally apologized to his enemy, shaking his hand on the day of graduation and giving one nod as a goodbye.

He offered the cigarette to you and you took a drag from it. You left it in between his fingers and sucked on the filter.

“You’re so gorgeous, babe.” He groaned, resting his head on the headboard and looked down at you with a small smile on his lips. You rolled on top of him and shimmied up to straddle his lap. You kissed him lightly on the lips and trailed open mouth kisses across his cheek, over his jawline, and down his neck until you reached his collarbone where you nuzzled his way into his shoulder and breathed in his musky man smell. “You’re gorgeous and insatiable.”

“Well, you should have known this would happen when you kissed my hand that day.” You mumbled, melting into him. He sighed and ran his hand through your hair, putting the cigarette in the ashtray beside the bed.

“You smell good, you know that?” He mumbled against your lips before running his tongue over your bottom lip. You moaned lightly and gasped when he rolled you over onto your back. He trailed kisses down your chest and sucked a nipple into his mouth, biting lightly. You giggled, before tugging on his mullet and pulling him up to your lips.

“You should meet my family.” You said, voice strong and making strong eye contact.

“What?” He sat back on his heels and looked at you with a furrowed brow.

“You should meet my dad and my sister.” You pulled yourself up and crossed your legs, leaning forward. You reached and grabbed his hand, brushing your thumb over his. His skin was glowing in the yellow light of the motel room and you felt your entire body warm up. “Dad’s going to be harder to convince, but I think Elle would like you.”

“So, you think we’re serious?” He whispered. Your stomach dropped— you hadn’t expected that reaction.

“Well, I mean, you took me to Chicago and had the bed covered with rose petals. What did you think I was—“

“Baby,” He smiled. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant it in the way that you want me in your life?”

You glanced quickly from your intertwined hands to his face and noticed that his eyes were glassier than normal. You made Billy Hargrove cry.

“You’re it for me, Bill. I know that we have only been dating three months, but you make me feel so warm. You make me better— OH.” You were knocked back by the force of him and laughed through him peppering kisses all over your face.

“I love you.” He laughed.

The one you warned me all about The one you said I could do without

To say that dinner was awkward would be an understatement. You had met at the diner across from the station and had met around four in the lobby, hand held tightly in Billy’s. Elle and Hopper had walked in and you immediately noticed that Elevens nose was bleeding. You pulled a napkin from your pocket (you kept tissues in your pocket ever since you learned about her powers), and dabbed the blood away.

“You okay, kid?” You asked, glancing briefly up at you dad.

“She didn’t realize that the door was a pull and not a push.”

“You know your not supposed to get mad when that happens.” You scolded, ruffling her curly hair and following the waiter, boyfriend, and father in tow.

The four of you had sat and ordered your drinks and you began a conversation with Elle. Her and The Party had gone to the arcade, Elle had been a natural and Dungeons Lair, and every time they had gone she beat her previous high score. Lucas was getting more and more pissed by the day because Princess Daphne would, quote, “never be his” (Lucas had collapsed on the couch and had thrown his arm over her eyes). You were pulled out of your conversation by the silence going on with the boys.

Hopper was staring Billy down and it looked as if he was starting to sweat.

Good. Grief.

“I… I told you that he was a little hard to get through to.” You whispered, rubbing his thigh. He grunted and pushed his foot harder on the gas pedal. You got back to the cabin in silence. Billy’s knuckles were white and there was one dried tear track on his cheek. You reached over to wipe it away but he dodged your touch. You sighed and sat back, looking out your window and listening to the soft sound of Madonna on the radio.

You arrived five minutes later at the oak tree and sat in silence.

“That sucked.” You said. You heard a tiny chuckle from your boyfriend and you followed suit. The chuckles turned into giggles which turned into cackles which turned into belly laughs which ended in the silent laugh (the kind that makes you look like a seal).

“Thanks for that.” He said, wiping tears from his eyes and looking at you. “You’re so good.” He mumbled.

“Okay lover boy. I’m gonna go an face the wrath of daddy dearest.” You mumbled, leaning over the center console and kissing him hard on the mouth. You left the car and turned and waved until he was out of sight. You groaned, stomped your foot, and marched to the cabin.

Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh I'm gonna keep my baby, mmm…

“The boy you’ve been seeing the Billy Hargrove? What was going through your mind when you even considered him to be a part of your life?” Your dad screamed from the kitchen. He had discarded his belt and threw it across the room as soon as you had walked in.

“I thought that he treated me well and that he deserved a chance.” You growled from the doorway while shucking your boots. You tore off Billy’s Tigers bomber jacket and draped it over the couch. “Who did you think it was?”

“I thought it was Steve. You know, best friend Steve? Steve who nearly worships the ground you walk on? Yeah, that Steve,” He glared and pointed a finger at you.

“Steve will never be more thinly best friend, Dad! I don’t get how you don’t understand that!” You stormed up to him and matched his angry gaze.

“He’s a bad man, Y/N. I don't get how much you don't understand that!” He retaliated, turning to pace throughout the cabin.

“Sure, he's had a shitty past, but people change dad! Two years ago you wouldn’t have even looked twice at any of those kids or Joyce! Not even me! You certainly wouldn’t have taken in Eleven or I.”

“Don't you dare bring her into this.” He growled.

“No, I have to dad! Because you two are my family! Mom doesn’t want me anymore and now you and Eleven are my family, and guess what, Dad? Billy is my family now too. He’s my future.” Your voice croaked, and you let the tears break over your lashes. “He’s gonna be around for a while. And you’re going to have to deal with that.” There was a long pause before you had watched him walk over to the fridge and grab a beer. You scoffed and climbed up the stairs to your loft room and laid on the bed Joyce had given you.

Good fucking grief.

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justjen523 · 6 years

Text

Chapter 4

More Than Friends

Book 1 of the God’s Children Series

Alexandros/Elliana/Icarus

WARNING: This chapter contains material unsuitable for those under 18 years of age.

She led me deep enough into the water that the tips of her toes barely touched the bottom before turning to me.

“Look, over there!” She pointed to a tiny little section of land protruding out of the water near the falls. Upon it were dozens of flowers growing wildly all around. A myriad of colors rose up making it look like a scene from a painting.

“Can you even swim in the deep water?” I chastised her though I already damn well knew the answer. Without a word she gave me the “look” I can never say no to and subsequently, I sighed in frustration.

“Alright pain in my ass, hop on but don’t squirm all over or I might drop you.” Smiling excitedly, she did a little cheer before climbing onto my back. I regretted my decision immediately when I felt her naked skin pressed against my back. It was then that I realized, this woman was almost certainly trying to kill me.

As I swam toward the little island I could feel her heart speed up at the sight before her. She was genuinely excited to see a bunch of flowers. Why did she always have to be so….frick’n adorable? I set her down gently and she crawled over to the flora breathing each one in.

“Ohhh! These smell, mmm so wonderful! They are unlike anything I’ve ever come across in the Heaven’s Alex!”

“Uh-huh.”

“What?” I was smirking at her which always drove her nuts.

“This is what you made me carry your naked ass half-way across the lake for? To smell some pretty flowers….unbelievable.” She returned a smirk of her own and smartly chose not to reply. She simply went back to smelling the damn flowers. This woman. Running a hand through my hair as I shook my head she looked up at me with those long lashes that made me putty. The rest of her face was hidden behind the flower in her hand making me lose my shit. Not wanting her to see what she was doing to me, I dove into the water and swam underneath letting my head cool. When I finally resurfaced she was smiling suspiciously. Once again my Dad’s words ran through my head only this time, it actually sunk in. Ellie….she already knows damn well how I feel doesn’t she? She knows I’m in love with her.

“You…..”

“Me what?”

“Don’t play stupid, you know what.”

“I have no idea wha-“

“-how long have you known?” She stared at me convincingly for almost an entire minute before that innocent expression morphed into something else entirely.

“Alex.”

“Seriously, how long?”

“I’ve always known. Probably before you even realized it.” You’ve gotta be kiddn’ me. My Dad was right. Women are the root of all evil.

“So, all this time you mean to tell me you knew exactly how I felt yet you knowingly got naked in front of me?” She blushed, looking momentarily demure but that irrepressible fire inside came boiling to the surface quickly in its place.

“Hey, you knew it too when we came here yet you never said a word to me about it. In fact, you actually lied to me about what you discussed with my Father!”

“What?!”

“Gee Alex, do you really think I’m that stupid?” Well this was certainly a turn of events. I didn’t expect it to come to this but seeing as we are both impossibly stubborn, I decided to teach her a lesson. I made my way back toward the shore. Alone.

“U-Umm? Excuse me?” She shouted to me as I was getting out of the water.

“What? I thought you weren’t stupid, I’m sure you can figure this one out on your own, right?” The death glare. The one look you never wanted to be on the receiving end of. Thankfully for me, there was a barrier currently preventing her wrath from reaching me. At least, for the time being. I wasn’t stupid either, I knew she’d be mad, but it wouldn’t be fun if I didn’t let her sit there and cool off a bit first.

I know, I know, but Alex, can’t she just snap her fingers and transport herself back? Haha, nope. The Minister, knowing his daughter, took extra precautions to prevent her from doing anything that would cause him trouble. He temporarily removed her powers making her solely dependent on me to keep her safe. A fact she was unforgivably angry about, but that thankfully had nothing to do with me. I’m sure Zyglavis knows well how to handle his daughter. At least I hope so, for his sake.

“Okay fine, you win.”

“Oh I’m sorry, what was that? I couldn’t quite hear you.”

“I said you win asshole!” Hahaha! It wouldn’t be a complete victory if an insult wasn’t attached. Smiling smugly the entire way, I returned to the little island she was pouting on.

“Wipe that stupid grin off your face.”

“My my, aren’t we touchy.”

“Don’t push my buttons any further, I’m warning you.”

“You know, that might have actually sounded somewhat convincing…if you weren’t naked.”

“Oh that’s it!” She got to her feet in a fighting stance making me laugh.

“Pffft, bring it on cupcake.” She launched herself at me giving me everything she had. If it had been any other god, they’d have been in serious trouble. Elliana was not holding anything back. She also knew however, that my special ability as a god was unrivaled strength. For her, punching or kicking me was like punching or kicking a cement wall. Not that that stopped her, no, not one bit. She was furious with me and seeing her this angry? Well I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t sexy as all hell.

“Are you done?”

“I’m just getting started!”

“Alright well, hurry it up. I’d like to dry off before the sun sets.”

“UGH!” Oh wow….I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this truly angry. She was wailing on me like there should be nothing left and I couldn’t help myself, I did the worst possible thing in a situation like this. I laughed.

“You could at least PRETEND to fight me!”

“Would that make you feel better?” The anger growing ever hotter made me do my job and extinguish the flames. Her next swing I caught her hand in mine and firmly held it there causing all of her actions to come to a halt. When her expression showed no signs of forfeiting I did what I always did, soothed her with words. Only this time, for the first time ever, they didn’t seem to reach her. She wasn’t simply angry, I realized she was also hurt making me regret pushing things so far in the first place.

“Ellie, I’m sorry.”

“No you’re not! Not even close! You….you’re such….an asshole Alex!” Fuck, now what have I done? I made her cry.

“Yes, I am. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry woman.”

“Ha! Like I believe you. I h-“

“-don’t. Don’t you dare ever say that to me.”

“I do. I ha-“

“-I’m warn’n you, don’t fucking say it.”

“I. Hate. You.”

“Godammit woman! I frick’n warned you!” I firmly cupped her face in my hands and pressed my lips against hers. I didn’t care what happened next, but I needed her to never say those words to me again. Not ever.

When I pulled away, her eyes were wide and she was panting. She touched her fingers to her lips still staring at me in disbelief.

“Ellie….I-“ Before I could even finish my sentence her lips were on mine, kissing me hungrily and I couldn’t help myself any longer. Her arms wrapped around my neck and I pulled her naked form against my body returning her ever deepening kisses. Our tongues touched and further fueled the sexual tension burning between us.

“More.” She breathed into my mouth as her fingers pulled their way down my chest, over my naval and hooked into my boxers.

“Ellie….a-are you sure this is what you want? You can’t take this back. Do you really wanna waste it on me?” A tender smile filled her face as she brought one hand to my cheek caressing it gently.

“Of course I’m sure. Nothing shared with you is ever a waste Alex. I love you.” Her words broke me, any remaining self-restraint evaporating the moment she said them.

“Ell, you….I…I love you so much.” With that I kissed her more slowly this time but with the same intensity. Her hands tugged at my boxers until they pooled at my ankles making me as naked as she was. She gasped a moment when she felt my erection pressed firmly against her.

“Hey, I won’t hurt you. Let’s just take this slow. Okay?” She nodded and wrapped her arms around my neck once more. We lied down among her precious flowers and as I crawled atop her the beauty of her face rendered me speechless a moment. I think I may have momentarily stopped breathing.

“Goddamn woman.”

“W-What?”

“…you are so incredibly beautiful.” She looked on the verge of tears as I buried my face in her neck, breathing her in. I loved how intoxicating this woman always smelled. As I slowly dragged my lips along her neck and jaw, my name breathily spilled from hers. My hand made its way between her legs and as soon as I caressed her she leaned into my touch. She was more than ready for me but this was our first time and I wanted to savor every moment of it.

It didn’t take long before she was grinding against my hand desperate for more. When I slid a finger inside of her she immediately stopped moving as she exhaled and tensed around my finger.

“D-Did I hurt you?”

“N-No. I was just…surprised, that’s all.” She wasn’t being completely honest. I could always tell. She was trying to put on a brave face in front of me.

“Ellie there’s no rush, we can always-“

“N-No! I’m ready. Really. Just….go really slow and stop if I say stop okay?”

“Of course. Are you sure?”

“Y-Yeah. I trust you.”

“Good.” I smiled before claiming her lips once again as I positioned myself above her. I could feel her body tremble as I slowly lowered my body against hers but the way she was kissing me said it was for all the right reasons. She hesitated a moment when she felt me press against her entrance but took a deep breath and nodded.

“Ready?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m ready.” Elliana was a virgin and for a girl I knew that this experience was a mixture of pleasure and pain. I wanted to make it as painless as possible but I quickly learned it was inevitable. I slowly pushed inside her letting her call the shots but goddamn this felt incredible. She was so hot inside I could barely contain my desire. She winced before scrunching her eyes together making me stop immediately.

“Ell am I hurting you?”

“It’s okay…just…keep going okay?”

“A-Are you sure? I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“I-I know. You’re not….really. T-This is just part of the process so…please…don’t stop.” I felt bad as I stared at the discomfort on her face but she was insistent.

“G-Go a little faster, please.” At her request I pushed a little faster and thankfully made it all the way in. Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes but she was laughing and crying at the same time. I will never understand women.

“A-Alex…I…I love you.”

“I love you too Ell, more than you will ever know.”

#scm #Star-Crossed Myth #scm fanfic #scm second generation #Elliana #Alexandros

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hkvoyage · 7 years

Text

Fic: Butterfly Wings - Chapter 33

Story summary

A fashion blog started at University launched Blaine Anderson’s fortune and fame. As Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, he is struggling to find an original angle for an upcoming issue. Kurt Hummel has recently arrived in New York City after finishing high school, and is having no luck building a musical theater career, so he decides to explore another passion of his: fashion. He applies for an internship at Vogue, and Isabelle sees in him the perfect fresh face to liven up the magazine, and convinces him to try out as a model. Kurt meets Blaine, and in spite of their 10-year age difference, sparks fly. Can they overcome misunderstandings and sabotage to find their happily-ever-after? Klaine model AU. Rating for this chapter: General (overall story is mature) Word count for this chapter: 5,342 Can also be read on A03 / FF Masterpost is here. The fantastic artwork produced by Cassie at CC-Graphics can be here. Thank you to the amazing @lilyvandersteen for the beta work and support. ***** Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all. - Emily Dickinson

May “Can I please speak to Kurt Hummel? I’m a personal friend.” Kurt is in the Bellerose Boutique’s stockroom in LA, making sure that today’s delivery is accurate. He recognizes the voice, but can’t seem to place it. Curious, Kurt sets down the delivery papers and enters the main area of boutique. He’s surprised when he sees Chandler standing there, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, with a cup holder and bag from the coffee shop around the corner. “Kurt! I know you’re busy today, but can you add one more thing to your to-do list? Me.”

Kurt rolls his eyes at the cheesy pick-up line. It’s obvious that Chandler hasn’t changed one little bit. However, he seems as harmless as ever and Kurt could use a break. “Chandler, what a surprise to see you here. You’re right, I’m pretty busy today, but I can take a short coffee break,” Kurt replies, eyeing the take-away bag. Kurt leads Chandler to the empty staff break-room. When Kurt is seated, Chandler passes Kurt a coffee and an iced cinnamon bun. “These buns looked like they were baked to perfection when I saw them at the coffee shop. They reminded me of you in your sweet jeans.” “Can I be totally honest with you, Chandler?” Chandler eagerly nods his head. “Those lines are darn right creepy. They don’t work. I suggest you find another way to capture a man’s interest.” Chandler drops his head and nods slowly. “It’s just that when I’m around you, I feel so tongue-tied with the awesomeness that is Kurt Hummel, and…” “So what are you doing in LA?” Kurt interrupts, hoping to get to the reason behind the meeting sooner rather than later. “I moved here a few months ago, hoping to find a job. It’s been tough since Vogue fired me. With no job reference, no-one will hire me in New York City. I’m hoping that there might be a position for me here – that you would help me,” Chandler admits. “Vogue fired you?” “I was damn lucky that Anderson didn’t prosecute me after that video was posted on the Internet. Honestly, Kurt, I had no idea what Smythe was going to do with it.” “Wait… Slow down. Start from the beginning.” “You mean Anderson didn’t tell you?” Chandler asks, now white as a sheet, his eyes bulging behind his glasses. “Tell me what? I haven’t seen him since the diva-off last September. I’ve been living in Paris since the beginning of the year.” “Never mind, Kurt. It’s nothing. It was just a simple misunderstanding. Let’s talk about the future instead.” “Chandler, if you want my help, you need to be honest with me. I need to know about why Vogue fired you. There is no way I can recommend you to Bellerose without all the facts.” Kurt can see Chandler shake with nerves as he takes a large gulp from his coffee. “You have to understand, Kurt. I was the top stylist for Vogue until you came along. After that ‘floral and pastels’ photo shoot, I thought we really got along. That we were good for each other professionally, and maybe could be something more personal. But then Anderson set his sights on you and wanted you all for himself. He felt so threatened by me that he banned me from any of your photo shoots. I was reduced to styling photo shoots for accessories, Kurt! My career was going nowhere.” “You being away from the main photo shoot had more to do with those creepy pick-up lines, Chandler. But do go on.” “Sebastian Smythe contacted me and waved money and a possible job at Elle in front of me. Smythe made me feel important, and the only thing he wanted from me in return was information about you and Blaine. It wasn’t easy to find out anything, since I wasn’t able to see you, but it was obvious to everyone at the Vogue staff party that you two were smitten with each other.” “I want to hear more about the night of the diva-off, Chandler. You’re holding something back.” “The diva-off really pissed me off. When I was told that I wasn’t ‘required’ for the event, I knew that my days at Vogue were numbered. After the diva-off, I went backstage, hoping to convince Blaine to keep me. I figured he would be in a good mood after his win. So, anyways, I could hear you two talking in his dressing room, and I opened the door a crack to see and listen to what you were saying. Just by the way you were looking at each other and talking, I could tell something would happen. So, I took out my phone and started recording.” “You took the video?” Kurt asks with a shaky voice. Chandler nods his head, shamefully. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting what did go down. I thought that maybe the video would be another way to convince Anderson to let me stay at Vogue.” “Did you give the video to Blaine?” “I wanted to, but when you two left the dressing room, you didn’t even notice me in the hallway. You two made me feel like a nobody. I sent the video to Sebastian Smythe instead.” “So it was Sebastian that posted the video on the Internet?” “I had no idea Sebastian would do that. Afterwards, he handed over $5,000 in cash and told me to scram. There was no job for me at Elle. Anderson got wind of what I did and fired me. He said he wouldn’t prosecute me as he didn’t want you exposed to any further media frenzy. Anderson wanted to protect you from the paparazzi and the like.” Tears form in Kurt’s eyes after hearing all the facts surrounding the video. Kurt isn’t sure whether it’s because he was so easily manipulated by Sebastian or whether it’s because Blaine was trying to protect him when he had thought Blaine was abandoning him. “Do you know how much damage you caused by that video? How you ruined my life and my relationship with Blaine? And it was all for nothing!” “Kurt…” Chandler whines. “No, I can’t help you, Chandler. I can’t even look at you after what you’ve done. Get out of here, now. I don’t ever want to see you again!” Chandler jumps up, preferring to run out of the staff room than to face Kurt’s wrath. Kurt places his hands over his face and sobs. If only he could go back in time and lock that stupid dressing room door. ***** When Kurt goes over the VIP guest list, he notices that Blaine Anderson plus one is included. Christophe has starred the name twice and scrawled ‘front row and center’ in the margins. Kurt isn’t really surprised that Blaine is attending. Kurt knows that Blaine has been keeping tabs on his career. The tweets, the flowers at the Paris Fashion Week, the phone conversations with his father, and the Skype call. They all add up to Blaine still wanting him in his life. What Kurt can’t figure out is how, and that’s his sole reason for spending time in New York City next week. The ‘plus one’ has thrown Kurt for a loop. Would Blaine really bring a date with him? Even worse, would Blaine bring his boyfriend? Or is the ‘plus one’ a colleague from work? It certainly can’t be Sam, because he’s modeling for the show. Speak of the devil… Kurt smiles because the next fitting is with Sam himself. “Kurt, long time no see. You look great,” Sam says when he sees Kurt, giving him a fist pump. “You look great as well, Sam. So tanned!” “I’ve taken up surfing since I moved to LA. It’s been fun in the sun for a while now.” “I heard that you moved to LA. Blaine must miss you.” “Blaine misses you more. When are you two going to really talk to each other?” “I think you know the answer to that. He’s attending the boutique opening on Saturday. Now turn around, I need to pin the suit from behind.” Sam turns around as Kurt does the necessary chalk marking and pinning along the back of the jacket. “I also know that Blaine is coming with someone else. Anybody I know?” “I don’t think so.” “Well, then, anybody I should know about beforehand? You got to help me out here, Sam. I need to be prepared if he’s coming with his boyfriend.” “It’s not a boyfriend, Kurt. I won’t say more, though. You know that Blaine is my best friend, right? I don’t feel comfortable talking about him behind his back. Why don’t you pick up the phone and call him if you really want to know about Blaine’s plans?” “If only it was that easy. I guess I’ll just have to wait a couple of days to find out.” ***** Kurt opens the ‘Time Out New York’ app on his tablet to find out what’s happening in the Big Apple next week. He’s hoping to find inspiration on where to meet up with Blaine while he’s in New York. As he scrolls through the list of events, one item catches his eye. ‘Alexander Hamilton: Striver, Statesman, Scoundrel. Open June thru December’. Kurt sighs as he puts down his tablet. While he bonded over Wicked with Rachel, Hamilton was his and Blaine’s thing. It’s was what got them spending time together in the first place, and Hamilton seemed to weave its way through their friendship. This morning’s meeting with Chandler has been an eye-opener, as he revealed the details surrounding the Klainegate video. Kurt is already determined to mend the bridges with Blaine. Taking Blaine to the Hamilton exhibit seems like the ideal reconciliatory gesture. ***** The small theater that shows indie and foreign language movies a few doors down from the Bellerose Boutique has been booked for the fashion show. The backstage area is buzzing with models, clothes racks, and stylists. Kurt’s job is to approve the outfit on each model before they head to the make-up station. Now that his work is done until the show starts, Kurt examines himself in the full-length mirror, satisfied with his outfit and look. Ever since he’s found out that Blaine will be attending, he has taken even more time than usual making sure that he looks good. Kurt checks the time on his phone and knows he needs to be out front in the entrance hall, greeting the VIPs and leading them to their seats. Although it’s 30 minutes before the fashion show starts, there are plenty of people milling about with drinks in their hands. Kurt greets people he knows and confirms that he’s no longer a model, preferring to work on designs behind the scenes. “Hey, killer.” Kurt turns around and is stunned to see Sebastian walking towards him. “Sebastian, I didn’t see you on the VIP list.” “It was a last-minute decision to be here. I was in the neighborhood.” “Oh, really?” Kurt asks, arching one eyebrow. “I couldn’t resist coming and seeing my favorite model.” Kurt sidles up to Sebastian and whispers into his ear in a calm voice, “It’s a good thing that we’re in public. Otherwise, I would punch that smirk off your meerkat face.” Sebastian chuckles, “And why is that, princess?” “I will never, ever forgive you for posting that video of Blaine and me on the Internet. How could you! And for the record, I’m nobody’s princess.” “I call it like I see it. Come on, Kurt, the video was for the best. It showed you what Blaine’s true colors really are. Besides, you made a ton of dough working at Elle, so it wasn’t all that bad.” “Really, Sebastian? The video showed what your true colors are. It's all fun and games... until it's not. You screwed around with my life – used me for your own personal twisted rivalry with Blaine.” “All’s fair in love and war. You must know that by now, Kurt.” “Get out of my sight before I do something I regret.” “Ooh, the pussycat has claws.” “Is everything here okay?” Christophe Bellerose asks, giving Kurt a questioning look. “Just peachy. I’m Sebastian Smythe from Elle magazine. I’m looking forward to seeing your summer collection.” “Enchanté, Monsieur Smythe. I’m honored that your travel plans allowed you to join us today. Perhaps you will see an outfit that will adorn an upcoming issue, non? Elle’s French edition has already used the last suit that you’ll see this afternoon. Let me personally take you to your seat. At such short notice, I could only squeeze you into the third row…” Kurt closes his eyes as Christophe Bellerose leads Sebastian into the main theater, thankful that his boss saved him from making a scene. Kurt takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down, relieved that he is no longer a pawn in Sebastian’s games. When he opens his eyes, he looks around the lobby and sees Blaine enter from the street. Blaine looks absolutely gorgeous in his Armani suit, tailored to show off his body to perfection. Kurt’s eyes pop open when he sees who Blaine is with – Mercedes Jones, the new darling on the radio. Kurt loves all her music and even has a playlist of his favorite songs from her two albums. However, nothing has prepared him for seeing Mercedes heavily pregnant. The official photographers flock the couple and they pose for photos. At one point, Blaine leans in and kisses her cheek. Blaine gently guides her to a seat along the wall, and then retrieves a glass of orange juice for her to drink. What the hell? Are they together? Blaine told me he was a perfect gold-star gay! After ensuring that Mercedes is comfortable, Kurt can see Blaine scanning the lobby as if looking for someone. Kurt momentarily forgets how to breathe when their eyes finally meet. Blaine’s eyes are warm and sparkling, and Kurt feels like he could get lost in them forever. Kurt shyly smiles back at Blaine and slowly walks over, trying to calm down his nerves. He wasn’t expecting to see Blaine with a woman as his date, let alone a heavily pregnant woman. “Kurt, you look amazing,” Blaine greets him, giving him a brief hug. Kurt can feel Blaine’s fingers tremble and his upper body stiffen. It doesn’t feel like their usual hugs, which always made Kurt feel cherished and safe. Kurt raises an eyebrow as he looks at Mercedes. “Kurt, I’d like you to meet Mercedes Jones. Mercedes, this is Kurt Hummel.” “I’ve heard a lot about you, Kurt. I’m so glad to finally meet you. Sorry, I’m not getting up ‘cause my feet are killing me already,” Mercedes apologizes as she holds out her hand. “Oh, please stay seated. I’m pleased to meet you as well. I’m a huge fan of your music. Your cover of ‘I’ll Stand by You’ is absolutely amazing. However, my personal favorite is ‘Hell to the No.’” “I like a man who knows all my songs. I have a feeling we’re going to get along just fine. Maybe you can even give me some fashion advice once this baby has popped out. I’ll need all the help I can get to plan my wardrobe for my upcoming tour,” Mercedes laughs. Blaine looks at Mercedes fondly, and rubs the top of her arm. It’s as if they are having a secret conversation with just a look or two. Kurt looks away from the intimate moment, thoughts racing through his mind. Oh, so Blaine isn’t gay – he’s bi! This thought infuriates Kurt. How dare Blaine play with my emotions like that! Blaine has conveniently omitted that he’s attracted to both men and women. Do I really know Blaine at all? And when did this all happen? Kurt smiles at Mercedes and looks at her baby bump. His eyes narrow as another thought pops up in his head. “When is the baby due?” “I’m expecting this baby to pop out in six weeks’ time.” Kurt looks at Blaine who is smiling back at him, nervously shifting his weight side-to-side. “Congratulations. You must be very excited for the day to come.” Kurt holds back his tears and quickly looks around, relieved to see Christophe walk toward them. “Christophe, let me introduce you to Blaine Anderson, from Vogue, and his date, Mercedes Jones. I think they’re ready to take their seats.” “Monsieur Anderson. I meet you at last! The Vogue issues under your direction are incroyable (incredible). Congratulations on the upcoming birth…” Kurt quickly leaves the lobby and rushes into the backstage washroom. He turns on the cold tap in the sink and quickly splashes water all over his face. So far, this trip to LA has been an absolute nightmare. It was bad enough when Chandler told him what he’d done. Just when Kurt thought he had his emotions under control, he had to run into Sebastian Smythe. Kurt has never hated anyone quite like that in his life. He could sympathize with Karofsky on a certain level, but Sebastian is just plain evil. Then there’s Blaine - his adorable and sweet Blaine. It hadn’t taken Kurt long to do the math and realize that Mercedes fell pregnant last September. It was the exact same time that he and Blaine were working together, hanging out together, and the diva-off took place. Was this what Blaine wanted to tell him on the phone after the diva-off? That he was now in a committed relationship with Mercedes Jones and expecting a baby? What a fool he’s been. He has meant nothing to Blaine. How could he be with Kurt, Sam and Mercedes all at the same time? Kurt wonders how he could not have known that this was happening at the time. Has he really been that naïve? Kurt hears the music start up in the theater and quickly dries his face with a paper towel. He’s going to have to put his thoughts on the backburner, at least until he takes the red-eye flight to Lima tomorrow night. He takes one last look in the mirror and gives himself a pep talk. I can do this. I’m an actor, after all. I’ll put on my game face for the opening. ***** Kurt can hear the applause from the audience as the models walk out onto the stage. So far, the show has gone without a single glitch, and it’s coming to its end. The caterer texted him minutes ago to say that everything is set up for the reception at the Bellerose Boutique afterwards. “Kurt! I need your help. Mercedes is unwell. I’ve called her doctor and she’s going to meet us here backstage. Where can I get her some water?” Kurt looks up to see a very distressed Blaine, and Mercedes sitting in a chair, clutching her belly. “Sam… I want Sam now,” Mercedes moans. Kurt hands over a bottle of water. “Have you called 911, Blaine? Is Mercedes in labor?” “She thinks that it might be Braxton Hicks contractions. The doctor is coming to confirm.” “What are those?” “I think it’s false labor pains. How the hell would I know, Kurt? I’m not an expert.” “SAMMMM! I want Sam now! So help me god, Blaine…” Mercedes screams. “What’s going on, angel? Are you okay? Is the baby all right?” Sam asks, after rushing into the room and sliding down to the ground next to Mercedes in the chair. “I think I’m fine, babe. I felt a little bit off when I sat down in the theater. Once the show started, I started to feel contractions. It was like the ones last night. Blaine saw me squirm in my seat and asked me what was wrong. When I told him it was a contraction, Blaine went into full-on emergency mode. He brought me backstage, called the doctor and insisted that she come immediately, and got me some water. I feel much better now.” Sam hugs Mercedes and gives her a long kiss on the lips. Sam then gets up and fist-bumps Blaine. “Thanks, bro. I owe you for this. Mercedes is way too relaxed about these damn contractions.” Sam turns to Kurt and asks, “Kurt, I finished my part on the catwalk. Is it okay if I miss the reception? After the doctor has checked on Mercedes, I want to take my wife home.” “Your wife!? I didn’t know you were married! When Blaine and Mercedes came in together tonight, I thought they were a couple,” Kurt huffs. “Blaine, you idiot! You didn’t tell him?” Sam shouts, slapping Blaine’s shoulder. “I-I wanted to…. I tried to… But… things happened, and everything spiraled out of control.” “You’re both idiots then,” Mercedes sighs. “Kurt, since Blaine seems incapable of talking to you, I’m going tell you like it is. I’m straight and not even bi-curious. I’m in love with my wife, Mercedes. We’re about to start a family. Blaine is definitely gay, and not dating either of us.” "I thought you used to be Blaine's boyfriend," Kurt admits meekly. Sam sniggers and says, “You and every other crazy Blam fan. Blaine wants to do me, but we’re just friends.” “Sam, I can’t believe you just said that. It was so long ago,” Blaine groans. “Whatever - it doesn’t matter. Kurt, Blaine only has eyes for you. It’s been that way since he saw you on that first photo shoot and the heart-eyes have only gotten bigger. Blaine is most definitely in love with you." Kurt turns to look at Blaine, his heart beating double time. “You’re in love with me?” he asks in a soft breathy voice. Blaine walks over to Kurt and takes his hand. “This wasn’t exactly how I planned to tell you. I was hoping for a more romantic setting than backstage, and certainly not with an audience. But… Yes, I’m in love with you. Always have been and always will be.” “I’m in love with you too,” Kurt sniffles. Blaine tentatively moves forward and Kurt automatically opens up his arms. When Kurt closes his arms around Blaine, he feels the love and warmth radiating from Blaine’s body. It feels even more magical than their past hugs. Kurt squeezes Blaine tightly, as if he’ll never let him go. Blaine relaxes into the hug and leans his head against Kurt’s neck and kisses under his chin. Kurt feels puffs of warm air as Blaine’s breathing syncs with his own. Kurt gets concerned when he starts to feel Blaine’s body trembling and pulls back to take a look at Blaine’s face. Blaine’s eyes are closed, and Kurt gently kisses each eyelid. When Kurt feels Blaine’s eyelashes give him butterfly kisses, he pulls back his head to allow Blaine to open his eyes. Kurt sees that Blaine’s beautiful eyes are brimming with tears, but are sparkling and full of hope. When Kurt realizes that Blaine is looking at his lips, he closes the space between them. Their kiss is so sweet, so tender and so loving that Kurt feels as if he might cry. The kiss is like a promise to each other – a promise of love, commitment and good times ahead. Kurt is reminded that they have an audience when he hears the applauding and hooting nearby. Kurt looks up and sees smiles from those gathered around them, and Sam with his phone up towards his face. “Sam, I can’t believe you’re videoing this. We’ve had enough problems with videos already,” Blaine whispers. “Relax, dude. This one is definitely not for the Internet, although I might show it to your children when I become their godfather.” Blaine pushes his body back into Kurt, squeezing his waist even tighter. Kurt can feel Blaine’s chuckle reverberate against his body, but it’s soon replaced with sobs. Concerned, Kurt whispers in Blaine’s ear, “What’s the matter? Is this too much? What do you want me to do?” “It’s too much in all the right ways, Kurt. I never allowed myself to imagine being in your arms again like this. It’s where I belong.” “Votre attention, s'il vous plait (Attention, please), Christophe shouts, entering the backstage area. “The show is over and it’s has been a huge success. I need everyone over at the boutique for the reception. The audience is about to leave. There is also a doctor at the backstage door. Is someone ill?” “The doctor’s here for my wife. She feels fine, now but I want to get her checked out,” Sam replies. “Of course, use the manager’s office. Ah, Monsieur Anderson. You are with my assistant extraordinaire. Did you see the show?” “I was in the audience until Sam’s wife felt ill. From what I’ve seen, your summer line is going to be a hit in LA. It’s the perfect blend of business casual chic. I’m on holiday next week, but can I call you the week after about how some of the pieces could be included in Vogue?” “Oui, I can see that you’ll be busy next week with Monsieur Hummel, while he’s in the States. I look forward to hearing from you soon. I’ll see you at la réception?” “We’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Kurt replies. Kurt and Blaine are too busy gazing into each other’s eyes to notice that the backstage is now empty of people. They are startled when they hear a crew of cleaners and the vacuum cleaner roar to life. “I guess it’s time to go to the reception. I can’t blow it off,” Kurt murmurs. “I’m not expecting you to, Kurt. Is it really true what Bellerose said – that you’re in the US for another week?” “I’m taking the red-eye flight from LA to Lima tomorrow night. After a few days at home with my dad, I’m off to New York City for five days.” “More business?” “No, silly. The whole point of my trip to New York was to find my way back to you… To see if we could re-establish our friendship. I’ve missed you so much, Blaine. You have no idea.” “I think I do, Kurt, because I’ve missed you too… Probably more.” “No way, Jose. You’ve been gallivanting around India and setting up that foundation. Seriously, Blaine – did you name Monarch House after…” “A butterfly? Yeah, I’m glad you got that.” Kurt giggles as they walk out of the theater arm in arm. “Of course I did. I know you, Blaine. It’s sentimental and cheesy and I love it.” “You always get me, Kurt. We’re like puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly.” ***** Sebastian eyes Kurt and Blaine walking into the Bellerose Boutique together, with kiss-swollen lips, rumpled suits and smiles so broad it looks like that they should hurt. They’ve obviously gotten their act together and are now BlaineandKurt. He takes two flutes of champagne and walks over to greet them. “Congratulations, Anderson. You two look like you’re together, ready to ride on a rainbow off into the sunset.” “No thanks to you, Sebastian. Now leave us alone,” Blaine snarls. “Hey, if I can be a gracious loser, the least you can do is be a gracious winner. I’ve got something for you.” Blaine gives Sebastian a puzzled look when he hands over an envelope. Blaine opens it and sees that there is a check made out to the Monarch Foundation. He raises his eyebrows when he sees all the zeros. “I don’t understand, Sebastian. I mean, thank you, but… why?” “You’re not the only person who had a difficult time growing up in Hicksville, USA. Why do you think my father took that two-year contract in Paris? We might not see eye-to-eye in most areas, but this is one thing we agree on. LBGT teenagers do need better support in small towns. Now make sure that some of that money is used for sex education. We can’t have the Midwest produce more uptight baby penguins like you two. Call it a truce, but a temporary one.” Sebastian winks at Jayden, the LA boutique manager, before leaving. They have already arranged a rendez-vous for later that evening. Kurt and Blaine watch him go, stunned. “I don’t understand how he could do all sorts of horrible things to us, yet have the heart to make such a sizable donation,” Kurt comments as Sebastian leaves the boutique. “I don’t get him either, and I’ve known him since I was 16 years old. However, I’m going to use this donation as a way of maybe getting that truce to be more permanent. I don’t think I can put up with another scheme of his, particularly when it comes to you.” Blaine smiles fondly at Kurt, before giving him a hip check. Kurt responds by giving Blaine a gentle kiss on the lips. Kurt is amazed at how natural it feels to really be with Blaine. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to start working. I can see that Christophe and Jayden are busy with so many people.” Kurt starts working the reception, introducing himself to guests and taking business cards from interested buyers. Kurt is always aware that Blaine is never far from his side, talking up the new line. At times, Blaine hands him a glass of water, and at other times, Blaine simply gives his shoulder a squeeze. It’s a welcome reminder that Blaine is still there and taking care of his needs. A few hours later, the crowd disappears and the staff at Bellerose are left discussing the event. The consensus is that it went much better than expected and they’ll be busy taking orders next week. Meanwhile, many of the suits have been preordered by men in the LA area – men who can influence style in this big city. Blaine gently pulls Kurt away from the crowd and gives him a one-armed hug. “Sam rang and everything is fine with Mercedes. It was Braxton Hicks contractions after all. He’s taken her home and she’s settled in bed.” “I’m glad that she’s okay. Mercedes seems very nice. I hope that she meant it when she said she wanted me to help her with a wardrobe for her next tour. That’s a project I could really sink my teeth into.” “I’m sure she meant it. On to more important matters. Do you have any plans in LA before you go to Lima?” “I have one huge plan that’s going to keep me busy until I catch my flight tomorrow night.” “I should have known you would be busy. Can you text me your flight details for New York City?” Kurt smiles softly at Blaine, whose body has slumped and who has a very disappointed look on his face. “Aren’t you going to ask me what my plan is?” “I’m sure it has to do with the Bellerose Boutique.” Kurt shakes his head. “No, I’m officially on holiday for the next nine days. My huge plan has to do with the man in front of me. The man I’m not going to let out of my sight for a single second.” Blaine looks up with sparkling eyes. “It’s called ‘Operation Woo Blaine’. I’m going to use every trick up my sleeve. I’m going to dine him, cherish him and love him. And that’s just the beginning.” Blaine giggles and Kurt can see that he looks dreamy. “Sounds perfect to me.” “So, are you staying with Sam or Cooper? I’m afraid that they’ll cramp my style. I want you all to myself.” “No, I’m staying at the Beverly Wilshire, a few blocks away.” “That sounds perfect. I’ve never stayed at a five-star hotel before. Lead the way.” “Are you sure? I don’t want to rush you into anything…” “Blaine, I’ve never been surer of anything – or anybody - in my life. I mean it when I say I love you. Now I have the next 24 hours to prove it.” Author’s notes It took 33 chapters and roughly xx words but they’re finally together! And there are nine more chapters of Klaine goodness to go. Sorry everyone, but the next update will be on Saturday. Next up: Blaine and Kurt have just declared their love to each other. They’re both in love, single and will be together for the next 24 hours. They’re headed to a five-star luxury hotel. They are most definitely not going to watch Disney movies. Yes, it time for the story’s rating to kick in.

#my fic: Butterfly Wings #hkvoyagewrites #klaine fanfiction #klaine fan fic

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alizaarches · 7 years

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(Journal found thousands of years into the future, with gold calligraphy written on the cover: Talon) ENTRY I Jean Taylor is a boy around my age, who hates life even more than me. His rich parents from deep within the quarantined area in 49th decided to send their last remaining heir to the Training System in the metal cage we call school. With gates surrounding us like we were meant to be kept in, rather than monsters meant to be kept out, Jean and lots of other kids are not here voluntarily. We’re here to learn to protect the next generation of people from zombies. We’re here to wield a katana, to shoot a machine gun (or a pistol, if you’re slinky Evelyn Fry), to inspect our fellow humans to ensure they aren’t the very beast we’re trying to kill. The lucky ones, brats like the le Rey twins and Criss Crow, got into the actually educational part of this damn world—the science wing. Us schoolkids nicknamed the research department “the Gray” because of the lack of color in the interior and exterior buildings, and the lame uniforms provided to the students attending. For my department, the soldier-training area, we called it “the Red” for the blood we spill, even at such a young age. (Also, we’re not very subtle in our supposedly camouflaged outfits: ruby bulletproof vests and the loudest, stompiest boots in the history of fashion.) In the Red, the soldiers selected are usually the guinea pigs for the Gray’s experiments in finding the Cure—the panacea, the messiah in a world of apocalyptic stature. (We’re only here to make sure the injection isn’t lethal, because only an infected could prove the Cure to truly work.) We’ve gotten closer than ever—or so the Gray claims—so the General assures us that we might not even need to use the skills we’re being taught. “Just in case,” she’d tell us solemnly. She knows more than she wants to tell us, and I can’t really blame her. I’m the best she’s got, and even then, I can only shoot the target twenty percent of the time. Back to Jean. He’s impertinent, and refuses to listen to our battle instructor, Geneva, whatsoever. He acts like he owns the place, like this Administration had a privilege in having him around at all, rather than gratitude for not dying to a sickness that literally eats you alive. He’s been put in the corner—the punishment that never works—more times than anyone I’ve ever known, and he’s been trying to get more allies with the other kids in the Red. He wants a revolution against an organization that is teaching us how to survive. He thinks we’re being held in a birdcage and brainwashed into believing whatever crap the government chooses to feed us. He thinks we’re being turned against our fellow humans, despite how bloodthirsty or flesh-eating the zombies the veterans have killed. He thinks we should have the decision to fight, but I think he’s just afraid. Rather than straightening his back and using the fire in his eyes for something more than pettiness, like the leading male soldier (as the leading female is me) called Primus, he sits around and pouts until he’ll get what he wants. I pity him. The General decided used him as an example, in the cruel and immortal way that’s becoming a sad social normality. Calling one of our smaller classes—Geneva was teaching us basic First Aid; after we finished our work, we’d get to play in the yard outside—the General summoned us to the entry gates. Military tanks and well-guarded warriors shielded the entrance, escorting the General as she strolled out, with her hand tightly holding onto Jean. Jean’s small, stubborn face was terrified, and rightly so. We watched, horrified and slightly more afraid of the General’s wrath, as she let go of his hand and bolted back into the gates, ordering the legionnaires to shut them completely. He followed, running as fast as his little legs could take him, tears streaming down his face, begging the General to let him back inside, promising to never act in defiance ever again. She, coolly and nastily, told him that, from his insolence, he could take care of himself, and he didn’t need the help of the Administration’s birdcage after all. Traumatized, Jean’s knees buckled, dry heaving and beginning the symptoms of a panic attack. Calmly, the General dismissed all of us and shepherded Jean to the nurse. Geneva told us, later, wincing, this was the General’s way of “teaching us a lesson,” and simultaneously using the opportunity to discipline Jean for all his shenanigans. Those were the events of yesterday. It’s the morning, now. I can tell my fellow Reds are still pondering over the fate of the blue-eyed boy. Everyone’s tense and nervous, especially after Geneva did an announcement over the loudspeakers: All trainees are to begin proper training at eight o’clock sharp. Lateness would not be tolerated. Translating into: If you’re late, you will be punished, possibly as harshly as poor Jean Taylor. You know, minus the whole “probable death” hanging over all our heads, I’m pretty damn excited. We’ve only been doing basics—sparring hand-to-hand and Evelyn’s beloved pistol shooting—to weed out the weakest links and determine the strongest ones. With proper training, we’ll be able to exercise with the actual foot soldiers, veterans who’ve fought on the battlefield and stared zombies in the eye as they’ve pulled the trigger. We’ll get to meet legends. We’ll get the chance to be legends. We’ll get to become what we were meant to be. ENTRY V The General’s watching me. As most of us are beginning to finally get the grasp on fighting, I’m being watched even more closely than before. Geneva has been teaching us sparring, and pistol-shooting, for a long time, but now we’re being trained properly. For the past few weeks, we’ve been hanging by the skin of our teeth. From the painful paintball tournament—with bullets full of vaccinations that mimic the pain of gunshot wound—that, to no one’s surprise, Primus and I won (it was the last girl and last boy standing, or perhaps whatever genderless being that was left alongside us), to the desperate emergency physician simulators that, to everyone’s surprise, Criss Crow, Harmony Lias, and non-binary Elle Yi won. Yi, Crow, and Lias successfully saved their patients—that were “under the influence”; also known as a comatose state that would awake an hour after failed attempts at an antidote—by somehow constructing an antitoxin from the ingredients and tools provided. I wasn’t extremely upset from losing, because I’m not part of the Gray, I haven’t the first clue about creating scientific serums and all that. I’m aware of the most essential of First Aid, and that’s all I need, I think. Anyway, the General has been observing me. Me and Primus have been an unstoppable machine when it came to battling, with Crow, Lias, and Yi being masters at the Gray’s tests of science. Every time I had to the gym, to train with the class or even on my own, I can feel the General judging me—every time I stumble with my kicking, I can almost hear her scolding about the importance of posture; every time I miss with my arrows, I can almost hear her assessments on how efficiently I draw back my bow, or how I angle my projectile. She’s harsher with me, and the other winners of her curious, messed-up trials, than she is with anyone else. She wants to turn us into her obedient little soldiers, to perfect us into the saviors of humanity. She’s lost hope for the others, ones like Jean Taylor and Evelyn Fry, ones that rebel and are shoved into pathetic submission. She thinks they’re useless objects compared to us. We’re one step closer to the Cure every time I defeat Fry at sparring, every time Primus grits his teeth against the recoil of a gun, every time Crow concocts a new experiment to try. She’s watching the Best, with a capital ‘B’, with hawk-like eyes. She’s going to make us become her liberators, her protectors. Her assassins. ENTRY VII “A wonderful idea, Talon!” the General said to me, smirking like a cat that got the cream: extremely irritatingly and smugly. Primus, my only fellow Red that is as great as me, laughed under his breath; we’ve decided to establish a friendship rather than a rivalry. I glared at him, hissing curses that Geneva taught us and only amusing him further. The General discovered this journal of mine, a recommendation by Geneva’s intelligent, prettyboy son (good-looking people shouldn’t have the right to be smart as well), and decided it was something to announce to the entirety of my class. Julius, Geneva’s child, saw my silence, and thought it was best to give me an outlet to “express myself.” He claimed it was because “a creative mind should never be silent” and all that. He claimed he admired my ever-changing, vibrant mind, and it was a goddamn shame that I hadn’t put it to use. He, like his mother, had a habit of budding into other people’s business like clockwork. Both of them had the same smile, the same craving to solve the puzzle that was Talon. In an attempt to appease me, Julius stole from the barrack’s report system of pen-and-paper, and took this very book from the Administration and gave it to me. His only condition was to, at some point in the near future, let him read an entry. I could pick which one, to ensure minimum embarrassment, but he only wanted to take the wild freight train that is my mind for a spin. His only stipulation. I never started writing in this book until after I heard what had happened. Julius went out on a service mission with his team, when they were ambushed by zombies—a brilliant, strategic move made by the men who’s created the virus in the first place: Malaise. The General forced Geneva to report the disaster to us—the Red and the Gray, this time—and our strong, independent battle instructor could barely get through the sentence without a tear running down her cheek. She choked back as much of her emotions as possible, for our sakes, but we all knew what she was thinking. Julius was eaten alive, held captive, or one of the undead. No one spoke disrespectfully toward Geneva for weeks afterward, not even Jean. We gave her time to grieve. Out of guilt, and sadness, I started this journal. First, I signed my name. Elegantly, as I always am, in cursive handwriting: Talon. I didn’t pick it up, not really, until I felt like I had something to write about. In my head, I always have an extensive, descriptive mental monologue. I ranted, and I begrudgingly admitted damn prettyboy Julius was right. I could finally express my emotions without expressing my emotions, you know? Back to what’s happening lately. Back to the hurtful reality. Well, the General found out. Geneva all ready knew, I’m pretty sure, with Julius being her son and all. Nonetheless, the General decided that announcing to my entire class that I have a “diary” was necessary. I swear that woman thrives on misery. My fellow Reds in training, including the double-crossing Primus and the weak Evelyn Fry, smirked at me throughout all of today’s events. At the dartboard, a quiet and anxious girl called Lea Snow, asked me if I’d written about a crush in my journal and that was why I was so defensive over it. I’d thought the time of stereotypes was over, but I guess not. A girl cannot own a place to store her own thoughts without discussing romanticisms. If I could sigh through a book, I would be, at the moment. Evelyn Fry’s protective but softhearted older brother, Jack, asked me to spar with him. (After me and Primus, Jack was the next-in-line for the best soldier the General had created. It was a wonder how he was related to his dagger-wielding, fearful Evelyn.) He told me, during the short time I spent pinned under him, that he believed I would be a worthy adversary, if the time would come that we would battle for the same side no longer. Before I could say, or even think, of a response, my body worked quicker than my mind. I switched our positions, kept his throat under my wrist, and he surrendered. The General whisked me away without another opportunity occurred to speak with him, and the last thing I saw was Evelyn Fry glaring at me. I don’t know why Jack Fry felt the need to tell me this. How could the inference of me brandishing a journal for my deepest, most private internal rambling cause him to consider me a worthy enemy? Had I done something to him? To Evelyn (besides beat her pride into the ground—everyone did that)? Did he notice the General’s interest in me and my fellow Soldiers? I don’t know, and that frustrates me. Not only did I get brutally humiliated in the face of my Headmaster, but I was also treated by Lea as a human with sentiments, and by Jack as a future foe. Just as I begin to climb even more in the ranks, gaining speed above even some veterans, the General leaves me with little to no respect to intimidate my own warriors. Primus was no help—he left me to my agony alone, like only a true friend every would. He patted my shoulder, gave me a sarcastic salute, and left to flirt with the le Rey twins—he’s older than me, so Geneva didn’t immediately tell him off for it. It’s not difficult to be older than me. I’m one of the youngest in the whole System, the Hell we call school, with only Harmony Lias and a few others to beat me at being the absolute last person at the end of the age line. One of the various reasons why I’d caught the General, Geneva, and Julius’s eyes—so young and yet so capable, so powerful. The General needs me to complete her plan, whatever it is. She needs me and the Best, and only the Best can fulfill their destinies. Or so she claims. She hasn’t told me. She’s told Primus and Elle and Harmony and Criss; all of the Best, except me. I’m not even vaguely surprised anymore. ENTRY XXIX Today is my fourteenth birthday. It’s been years since I’ve started this journal, since I’ve joined the Training System (also known as: the General’s School for Creating Perfect Assassins). Everyone older—Primus, Criss, Jack, Elle, and more, but those are the ones I cared about—faced this kind of… epiphany at age fourteen. You are forced to choose which path you will take for the rest of your life: Geneva says it’s similar to choosing your major in college, or picking which class to be in an RPG (whatever that is). In the System, the General has mini jobs for every individual student. For people like Jean Taylor and Evelyn Fry, those jobs are in the Communications—“They’re the people in secret agent films that tell Bond his mission and guide him along the way,” explained Geneva to us; we have very little free time here, but Geneva once treated us to a Bond marathon on a TV running on some of the last working generators in existence. “They get the safe, boring jobs,” Primus said to me, which made a lot more sense. For people like Elle Yi, Criss Crow, and eventually Harmony Lias, those jobs are the Cure: everything is about the cure. Discovering what caused the virus, how it spread so quickly, how it effected the brain so severely, triggering the inhumane instincts our bodies have learned to ignore to jumpstart, and how to counterattack it. So many have died, so many have become living, breathing monsters that have the same self-control as a rabid animal. Their jobs are meant to save the human race from extinction, and now, with the unveiling of how Malaise created the damn virus, we finally have a chance at creating a panacea to kill the damn thing once and for all. As for me, and for Primus, our jobs are in the field. We’re not body-shields, unlike the majority of our class. We’re not bait, unlike quite a few kids who think they’re invincible and immune to the virus. We’re hidden, members of the shadows, one of the very select couple that are sent to destroy Malaise. Rather than fighting back against their virus, mine and my fellow Slayers are combatting the humans behind the virus: the evil Dr. Ferrore, his mastermind husband Commander Joli—ironically, Joli is the General’s former partner-in-crime, so the drama there is undeniable—and their puppet, Delia Gull. With those three as the triumvirate in charge, they’ve ruled the Earth for decades with well-placed bombs containing Z10, their deadly masterpiece. Once a trainee turns fourteen, they are informed of all of this. They are asked to decide which roadway to take, which career they are comfortable in taking. For me, it was never really an “if,” it was always more of a “when.” The General chose this life for me a long, long time ago. Today, I turn fourteen. Today, I become a Slayer and join Primus and, unsurprisingly, Jack Fry on the field as true soldiers. Well, actually, not exactly. I’m not the age of consent yet, in this damn school, and the age of consent is the age where I can “officially” start killing people. Unofficially, I can only go on missions with other people, with someone else in charge. Once I turn seventeen, I can assassinate all on my own, with no one but myself to stop me. Strangely, I’m excited for it. ENTRY XXX The Best threw me a little birthday party yesterday. After my explanation of the working social ladder of the System, I went to prepare for my first mission with Primus and Jack. Evelyn Fry, Jack’s younger sister, pulled me aside and hissed that if her brother were to die or turn under my watch, I would never go on another assignment for all time. In an attempt to be cordial, I just nodded and ducked out of there as quickly as possible. I wasn’t nearly as terrified of Evelyn as she was of me, but I chose to forgive her. Her brother was going on an assassination job, and there was a very real possibility she would lose the last remaining member of her family. (Jack told me that he and “Evie” were all each other has. Their mother was one of the first Slayers during the initial outbreak, and was thrown into the ocean, handcuffed with a ball and chain attached to her leg. She was drowned by Malaise after being caught on a mission. In his grief, the last thing their father ever did for them was send them here, the Training System. He disappeared shortly afterward, to never be seen by either of his children ever again.) After I left Evelyn, I was debriefed by the General and Geneva. Firstly, the General winked at me and revealed a piece of information only newly fourteen-year-olds and beyond knew: her name. She told me to call her General Montgomery, and if I was feeling brave, to call her Carla. My entire life I’ve known her as “the General,” so now that I can put a name to the face, I feel unbalanced, like everything suddenly shifted sideways and I haven’t steadied my center of gravity yet. The General told me—because the boys had known everything all ready, and I was just joining the party—the mission. Our assignment was minor, more to teach me the basics rather than make a dent in the world. An Administration spy spotted the daughter of a Malaise Senator, called Lyssa, planting a bomb of Z10, nearby. The job was to kill Lyssa, and defuse the bomb without infecting ourselves. Without much of a hitch, we were dressed in bulletproof uniforms in our precious, unsubtle blood-red and sent out. I was the distraction. I, in proper Talon fashion, walked directly at Lyssa’s campsite. It was a small thing, an orange tent with a blue campfire and a shotgun laying at the dark-haired woman’s side. Her ears were untrained, as she was a deep sleeper and did not awaken at the sound of my footsteps. I rolled my eyes and smoothly unsheathed out my pistol. I yanked off the safety and pointed at her head, gesturing to Jack and Primus. Jack gracefully dodged the tripwires and began to defuse the explosive with his pack of tools. Lyssa, still asleep, cuddled her Winchester like a teddy bear. Primus sighed through his nose and shook his head, muttering to me about infamous idiocy. I laughed, purposefully loud, to wake Lyssa up before he could kill her. The more information we find out about Malaise, the better. It’s rare we get this kind of opportunity. Lyssa jolted, her hazel eyes finally fluttering open, and froze. She stared carefully at the gun in my hand, slowly unwrapping her arms from around the shotgun, like if she did it discreetly enough, we wouldn’t notice. I pointed my pistol at her arm, raising an eyebrow, challenging. She glared, but stilled in her movements. I helped Primus interrogate her, asking her why she did it (after a few threats and tosses of a syringe carrying the Z10 virus, she was quite easy to crack; her response was “my father wanted me to”), how involved she and her father are in Malaise and the original zombie outbreak (“My father is more involved than I am. He’s the Senator, I’m just his heir. He doesn’t tell me anything. If he did, the Council would have his head on a stick for jeopardizing the operation. He was a mole in the UN for the first strike team that created Malaise. I wasn’t even more then! He didn’t have anything to do with the making of Z10, more for the distribution of it. As a Senator, he could travel all around the world unsuspected, and Malaise used that to their advantage. They took over the world.”), and why she was here in the first place—she was a random Senator’s daughter!—She looked vaguely offended as she spoke: “I was asked to. Frankly, I think you all did the same as I did.” “Yeah,” Jack snorted from his position with his pliers, “except we were trained for what we do.” Primus told Lyssa the objective of our being out here, and she paled, beginning to bolt with her shotgun outstretched in front of her. With the majesty a ballerina could only wish to have, Primus shot his revolver, calmly, as if his target wasn’t moving and on the verge of panic and murder. The brunette’s head snapped back with a sickening crack! of a sound, and her body fell to the ground, lifeless. Like in the battle simulations we did back at the System, I quickly scurried over to her body and scoured her for anything she had on her person—potentially something useful, like battle plans or even a list of names, enemy or ally, would be extremely welcomed, at that moment. Casually, I snatched everything I could—a wallet full of Malaise currency (useful), an empty canteen (useful), her shotgun (useful), and a dead, unchargeable battery (useless). Jack contemplated out loud if the battery was connected to the little tin of Z10, but we dismissed the train of thought. There was nothing we could do, and so we did nothing. My first mission was a successful one. Thank whatever God may exist for that. The birdie in our ears, Primus’s girlfriend, gave us the directions to the rendezvous point where we’d be heading back to the birdcage we call home. We were told to use our Communications Consultant—everyone in the Red and the Gray call them birdies, because of the whole “a little birdie told me” saying; I sometimes call them my conscious for the fun of it—only when we needed them. The entire mission, we hadn’t needed them. Or, in this case, with a smaller mission, we hadn’t needed her. Trinity, our little birdie, asked us questions to start off our mission report paperwork—she was an angel, really, I have no idea how she has Primus as a boyfriend—as we walked back. I was quiet for most of the conversation, letting Primus and Jack do the talking. The less social interaction I have to expose myself to, the better. We were promptly picked up by whatever unlucky soul General Montgomery—that still felt weird—assigned. Primus said he was proud of me, with Jack’s silent but smiling agreement only making me feel happier, like I’d finally begun doing what I was always meant to do. Geneva met us at the gates, her familiar rambling comforting me as I was back in a place where nothing could hurt me, and nothing could get inside. Geneva led us to a conference room where we reported our findings for Trinity (to fill out the pen-and-paper for us) and the General to hear. As the General loved us—we were her favorites, and even her insistent denials couldn’t convince us otherwise—Primus leaned over and kissed Trinity, with the girl in question squeaking and reddening like a stop sign. The General scolded him, with a sly grin on her face, and demanded for all the information we knew. After the briefing, which was excruciatingly long and depressing, we all went our separate ways. I got dressed into our regular school uniform and was going to leave to ask Geneva when my next mission was going to be (just got back from one, and I all ready wanted more; I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie), when a knock sounded on my door. Confused, I thought why anyone would knock on my door out of everyone’s, but I figured I’d just satisfy my curiosity and go check. I strode over and flung open the doorway. Standing before me, was Criss Crow, with his typical mischievous, “I’m your worst nightmare” smirk. He glanced me up and down before saying to himself, “It’ll do,” and dragging me out of my room. I protested, loudly, but he refused to budge. I didn’t think it was anything involving mutiny or fatality, from the winks and “Don’t worry, you’ll love it” he was throwing at me, so I just sighed in exasperation and accepted my fate. He pulled me into a side room down the recreation hallways, and ran into the darkness, leaving me behind. I yelled after him, about to follow, when the lights turned on, and I got the scare of my life. My only friends—translation: the only people who don’t think I’m unstable and going to kill them at any give time—were standing in the middle of an open area, covering a table slightly behind them. Primus, the bastard, was the oldest, and laughed at my sputtering like I was a puppy chasing its tail, an amusement for him to watch. He leant forward and, against my profanity and promises of murder, hugged me. He muttered sappy things to me, how he was proud of me and how he was glad he had someone of his own caliber on the field now and how he always saw me as a sister to him, blah, blah, blah. Clinging to him, I buried my face into his chest, acting like I wasn’t all ready on the verge of tears. He petted my hair and chuckled, passing me from one person to the next like a dance routine. The following person was Trinity—of course it was—and she hugged me too, whispering that I was all grown up and about to leave the nest and she couldn’t handle it. I shook my head at her, laughing wetly, a few drops of sweat beginning to stream down my face (Primus called it denial, I called it: the room was too hot for its own good). Next, thirteen-year-old Harmony jumped on me, exclaiming how jealous she was and how she couldn’t wait to join me at the top tier when she turns fourteen. She was a child, and by default, so was I. We were so different that I had a hard time believing we were closer in age than me and Primus. Next, I was passed to Elle Yi, who wordlessly wiped the drops of moisture on my ruby-red cheeks and smiled. I sobbed—without tears! just, kind of, dry heaving…—and tackled them in a hug. They stroked my hair, before gently giving me to the succeeding person down the line. Mister Criss Crow, the one who’d brought me here in the first place, wiggles his eyebrows and asked me if I was suddenly grateful for trusting him. I jokingly turned away, causing him to squawk, and then our friend group exploded into laughter. I then gave him a hug, thanking him quietly, and he nodded, his chin digging into my head, and said, “No problem, kiddo.” He and Primus had a habit of calling me kiddo, despite Harmony standing right next to me. I didn’t understand it, but when it came to boys, I never would. Lastly, I came across Jack Fry. Such a complicated relationship between me and him. We’ve become friends over the years, with being part of the Best preventing us from being strangers, but our past rivalry and my dislike of his sister causes some rifts between us from time to time. Still, he opened his arms to me, and I stepped into them with a smile. He thanked me for being civil with Evelyn, and I was reminded how much I love my friends. More sweat began rolling down my face, and I felt the warmth of more people beginning to surround me—a group hug, for me, on my birthday. I started breaking down, bawling like a baby. Trinity started cooing at me, and Primus started comforting me, and I determined that this was the best birthday I have ever had. My fourteenth birthday was not one I would ever forget. ENTRY LXII Carla Montgomery is trying to gain my trust and undying loyalty, as if she didn’t have it all ready. The General chose to finally told me about my parentage. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in the Training System. I was raised by caretakers under orders by the higher-ups, molded even as a child to fight for the Administration without hesitation or doubt. We are treated as children, taught history and literature and arithmetic until age nine. Then, we are taught the basics of self-defense and zombie-killing, including dagger-wielding and pistol shooting. (I was always a bigger fan of guns than medieval sharp objects, personally.) As everyone knows, age fourteen is the beginning of joint missions, while age seventeen is the time you ultimately become an adult in the eyes of the Administration, and of the General. Well, as my seventeenth is rapidly approaching, Carla—as me and the Best have begun to call her, the same way we call Commander Zim, Geneva—pulled me aside. Primus, Jack, and I have become a force to be reckoned with, and we’ve been doing team drills rather than individual-based ones. When Carla took me by the arm and guided me away from the boys, they both gave me a look; Primus’s read: Good luck, and Jack’s read: (Internal laughter) It’s your time, young one. I’ve been spending too much time with them. The General dismissed them with a graceful flourish of her ponytail, and tugged me along. She eventually turned to face me, her eyebrows furrowed with concern, and started telling me the truth that I had been curious about my entire life. My family. According to her, my parents were notorious. Let’s call my mother Lorraine and my father Cyrus, because the General only called them “your mother” and “your father” and that can get quite competitive. Lorraine and Cyrus were members of the Administration from the beginning. They were part of the latest generation of teenagers when the virus exploded, and grew up to become a genius female scientist and an accomplished male Slayer. Years down the line, the remaining people of society began repopulation. My mother was expecting, and the two of them were elated, for the first time since the outbreak. Soon, this all changed, Carla reassured, like I was naïve enough to believe this story held a joyful ending. My father, Cyrus, was on an assassination assignment, when everything went as wrong as it possibly could’ve. He was caught by Malaise, and, rather than kill him mercifully, they dubbed him with a fate worse than death. Commander Joli ordered for victims of Z10 to be released into Cyrus’s imprisonment. Lorraine’s husband turned into a zombie while she was pregnant with me. Malaise, using the scientist’s weakness for Cyrus, sent the infected Slayer back to the Administration’s Professional Branch—a place humans would go if they chose to go somewhere beyond the practice ground that was the Training System. (You can, technically, stay in the Training System forever, like Carla and Geneva, but, if you’re like Jean Taylor, and you consider this metallic home as a inescapable cage, then you’d take any excuse to leave.) Lorraine and the General’s mother, the original General of the Administration, found poor Cyrus and put him out of his misery. Teary-eyed, Lorraine couldn’t even go near him, lest he become rabid and bite her, especially with her expecting with one member of the future of mankind. Cyrus was killed, and Lorraine kept moving. Even while she was pregnant, my mother was determined to continue her research about the virus. She discovered something, a powerful something, and Malaise knew it. Before she could delve deeper into her analysis, Malaise assigned a Slayer after her. She evaded both capture and death up until she gave birth to me, where she was the most vulnerable. Shortly after I was born, she was killed in a hospital bed. A piece of information that shocked me more than the murders of my parents—because, if they hadn’t passed, I’d know exactly who they were—was this: neither of my parents named me; it was, in fact, Carla Montgomery. She was a child at the time, the youngest heir of the original General. Olivia Montgomery, Carla’s mother, asked, like every mother would, what name to give this newly born daughter of a scientist and an assassin. I was almost called “Merlin,” from Carla’s favorite bird, but the little girl that would eventually become my mentor thought for a few moments, before saying, as firmly as a young human can be, “Talon.” And thus, I became Talon, and the General all ready had a huge impact on my life without my even knowing it. I was saddened at the thought of my mother’s grief, of knowing the one she loved most became a mindless monster by mindful monsters, and how helpless she would’ve felt with the responsibility of being the wielder of a future soldier. Lorraine, the actual nameless woman she was, was brave, in the ability to continue with her craving for information even while in grave danger. I would’ve loved to have known her. I would’ve loved to have known Cyrus, my also unnamed father. I would’ve loved to have my actual parents with me, but, of course, I don’t. I was nodding my head, frowning, still processing everything, when Carla spun around on her heel and strolled away. Primus and Jack instantly popped up next to me, materializing like proper Slayers in the night. Primus, regal as always, barely looked even slightly exhausted from training, with Jack’s eyes being wide and curious from her conversation with the General. Jack quickly questioned her, Primus’s back straightening with every unveiling statement I spoke. The top tier Slayer’s expression grew more and more concerned for my wellbeing, with the second tier growing more weary of Carla’s intentions. He’s never really trusted her; she only adores the Best, and only ever the Best, and nothing remotely less. He has this conspiracy theory that she’s been trying to manipulate the Best into mindless loyalty with motherly influence, almost like Stockholm syndrome. Treating us like her own children, she would gain our trust to use us as weapons against our enemies. I don’t believe in this theory, because that would absolutely break my heart—having one of the own parental figures in my life being kind to me for her own personal gain—but, then again, that could’ve been Jack’s entire point. Whenever me or Primus—the ones closest to Jack—ever speak with Carla, he acts like we were thrown into the mouth of a beast. I appreciate his concern, but it’s unnecessary; I think, at least. Primus asked if I needed Harmony, or Geneva—Harmony was the best Best member with emotions; she was the optimist with an air of comfort and kindness. Geneva was more of a mother to me than Carla, to the eternal relief of Jack, so I usually go to her when I need to talk to someone. I’m close with her, to the dismay of most of our class. Kids think I use that to my advantage, that I used that to climb up to Best status. Of course, everyone will use an excuse to claim I had all my achievements fed to me on a silver platter. No one likes whenever someone is better, or is treated better for being better. I only answered Primus with a shake of my head, asking quietly to finish practice early, to fully regain my grip on reality once more. The boys floated away, with empathetic gazes and flashing teeth, presumably to visit the women in their lives, Trinity and Evelyn. I wandered around the academy with an overwhelmed mind and a curious tilt of my head. Eventually, after too much thinking and wistfulness for a life I’d never have, I ducked my head and marched back into my room. The bedrooms here are less personal and more professional, more similar to a barracks and less like, well, a bedroom. The Best have their own living quarters, even ones as young as me and Harmony, for experimental reasons. If we’re alone, do we progress quicker or slower? If we’re alone, will we practice as frequently as we would with company? Unlike the rest of the soldiers, my room is as simplistic as it can get—white walls, a desk full of old schoolwork, and a diploma of finishing the first two Sequences, one at age nine and one at age fourteen, a permanent reminder of my attachment to the Administration. This journal usually lays on my bedside table, masked by a book cover of General Yvonne Loom’s Guide to Battle Strategy. If one of the maids became a little too nosy for their own good, they would expect no less for battle prodigy Talon to be reading old, boring war strategies right before she was going to sleep. They have no idea how wrong they are about me, and that will never change. It’s better to be a legend than a human being, after all. ENTRY LXVIII It’s been a few weeks since I turned seventeen, the age of consent in this birdcage we call a home and the age one needs to be to begin going on solo missions for the Administration. The very day of my birthday, the General sent me off on my first unaccompanied assignment to our rival organization, Malaise. My assassination was meant for a young man called Syl, a proud, extremely rich entrepreneur who’s family name lasted even after the bloody zombie apocalypse. He was a sponsor to Malaise, the only company that could somehow maintain his idiotic social status under these kinds of circumstances. Other females in my class, excluding Evelyn Fry, for once, but including Lea Snow, drooled over him when his photograph was shown in the debriefing. Every time before a person is chosen for a job, multiple different Slayers are shown the victim meant to be assassinated, and the assaulter is eventually picked, based on skill, experience, and the like. When Syl was shown, the heterosexual women present, and the homosexual men, the ones without any bit of dignity, began drooling over him, despite the fact we were meant to kill the handsome soul. Lea, while gaping at his picture, refused to take up the mission—the only thing that let me maintain respect for her. I didn’t stand for attraction for prey, especially when the Administration’s maxim was to never let anything, emotions particularly, interfere with the operation. Lea blushed furiously, quickly yet politely declined, and skidded out of there like she was being chased. A shameless girl named Shay fluttered her eyelashes, smiling, and volunteered happily. Carla chided her, deadpanned, telling her that she hadn’t ever volunteered before, and it was useless to assign her someone to essential to murder. Geneva recommended me, for my prowess and vast knowledge regarding tactics and weaponry. I succeeded with little struggle, catching the final glance of good-looking Syl before a death by a dagger in the throat. I’ve been busy recently. Since my first, I’ve gone on various missions to different parts of the Malaise empire. First, Mister Sponsor Man Syl, then Letter-Delivery-Boy, then Trophy Husband, then Trophy Wife, and more, in only a matter of days between them. I’ve become the nuisance for Malaise, and the Administration of using their newest apparatus with vigor. I’m their biggest surprise in decades. Primus, Jack, and I have been training harder than ever, and I know that Elle and Criss have been researching as passionately as my mother once did. With the absence of Harmony damaging their resources, they’ve refused to leave the lab, testing out concoctions once thought to be works of fiction. Primus has been pushing me to neoteric limits, challenging me at every turn and ensuring I never get too confident in my abilities. Geneva has taken the role has my mission advisor, recommending which assignments fit my strengths and weaknesses best, and how to do each job effectively. Trinity is still my birdie, with the boys stepping in at very rare times. I’ve gotten better, and, for an odd and semi-screwed reason, I feel like one of those preachers Primus hates, like I’m doing God’s work. I don’t know. It feels like I’m righting the balance of the world, like, with my successful attacks on Malaise, I’m doing what I was always meant to do, what I’m best at and what I believe is right. It’s not a feeling I’m used to. My next mission is the one that might change the course of history, more so than anything or anyone I’ve ever seen. My mission is to assassinate the weakest link of the Malaise triumvirate, Delia Gull. Delia Gull is a plump woman, as plump as anyone can be in an apocalyptic scenario, with dark hair and a malicious agenda. She takes the role of the peacekeeper of Malaise, convincing new associates to join them with a sweet, sickly smile and a voice no one can say ‘no’ to. Delia, while ambitious and equally screwed in the head as the rest of the lonely bunch, is not nearly as cunning or invested as Ferrore, the evil scientist, and his Commander husband, Joli. The doctor has been evolving the Z10 virus to counter any kind of progress we’ve made to find the Cure, while Commander Joli is the face of the operation, charismatic and kind to all, only ever desiring and siding the best for humanity. Joli is in charge of the defenses of their multiple bases, the strategies that keep them all afloat even when the ship is flooding around them. Compared to the deadly spouse duet, Gull is our biggest hope in making a dent in the Malaise aristocracy. With my recent successes, the General has entrusted me with the job, with no one at my disposal. I protested, for the first time since I was young and rebellious, declaring that, in order to secure such a huge assignment, I’d need at least a backup plan, with others of my caliber, rather than going in with the determination of a toddler with a match-the-shapes toy and the isolation of a neglected penguin. Carla was adamant of my solitary, citing the results of the Bedroom Experiment—I, apparently, worked best alone. I glanced at her with confusion in my eyes, and she began pulling rank, “You’ll do as I say and when I say it. You are a Slayer of the Administration, and you dare speak to me with no respect?” I hadn’t been chastised since I was a child, especially not by the Headmaster that loved me above all else. I flushed, ashamed, before eventually agreeing to go to this mission by myself, with no backup whatsoever. I don’t like this. The one thing Geneva drilled into my mind for seventeen bloody years was to trust my instincts. As a Slayer, without listening to your gut, you’re limited to only your skill and problem-solving, which could be problematic if you have neither. Mark my damn words, this is a terrible idea, and I hope no one gets punished for the General’s mistakes. I leave today. I’m hoping I’m wrong about this. I think the General is, too. LOG X I’ve taken Endor McClain. Joli and I have decided to do what’s best for the world: eliminate the Administration’s best assassin in the cruelest way possible. He attempted to kill Miss Gull, a newly appointed ally of ours, and so we shall show him the truth of Malaise. We are not weak, and we shall not stand for what he and his petty insurgents are promoting. He has been situated into the chambers, where he will meet my lovely creation. I call her Wendy. Wendy, as described in previous logs, is a youthful girl injected with Z10, the virus I have been perfecting for so many years. Wendy, as young as she is, is as sick with the disease as every other victim; but she is a child, and, from countless experiments, she is the infected who had the least amount of resistance during the passing of the contagion. If the infected is an adult, the uninfected could fight back without remorse. If the infected is an adolescent, however… Well, Wendy was made. Today, the greatest Slayer of my generation will become his worst enemy—a zombie. I’ll give him one last privilege. I shall hand him the gift of seeing his beloved one more time before his painful, Administration-provided demise. I will break them, no matter the cost or consequences, with a stupid, wide grin on my face. We will rule the world. LOG CCCIV Generations have passed. I grow wearier. Every movement the Administration is another blow against us, every child they brainwash another enemy attacking us. I have melded my precious Z10 into Malaise’s own superweapon. Joli has made our defenses stronger than ever, Gull has gathered more spies on the inside with her ever-so charming smile. For as many things have changed, history seems to have repeated itself. When we were attacked so many years ago, the Administration attempted to weed out the weak, the puppet we manipulate known as Delia. They sent over their greatest Slayer, Endor McClain, to murder her and steal my notes, their one hope at destroying my virus from the face of the globe instantly. Endor failed, bringing himself to us like a pig awaiting slaughter, and thus, the Administration lost their best assassin to the illness they so helplessly desire to raze. Decades into the future, now, the Administration has gotten arrogant once more. They believe they have the technology and resources necessary to complete the mission they’d crashed into the ground with McClain. They’ve sent his daughter, a young girl kept under the wing of Carla Montgomery herself, to finish the job her father could not. I can hear the clock ticking, can hear the screams of the damned from the cells below. The girl calls herself “Talon,” without knowing the name her parents properly gave her; I shall honor their memory. Joli, with as the same twisted kind of humor as I, deemed this Project Diana, after the girl Endor’s daughter would have been without Malaise’s interference. The brat should feel grateful—we’ve only made her stronger. Without the brace of a parent’s arms surrounding her, she felt Reality’s cruelty blow by blow until she could endure it, or better, fight back. She is a quiet personality, with a fire in her eyes that could only be from Endor’s child. We watched her since she left her training grounds, an Administration facility housing dozens of little Slayers who can barely hold a blade. She left alone. She was cunning, without a doubt. She fell for none of our traps, none of the protective barriers that have ensnared so many of her kind. She cleared the courtyard with silent slashes of her black Jupiter dagger, ensuring to keep as low as possible to never catch the glint of our cameras. The Administration does not know of our birdie system, a mechanism planted in the skies, with flying drones acting as sentries unseen to the human eye. Had they known, they would’ve trained her as well as they’ve taught her everything else. A sad sight to observe. Another intelligent, focused mind, completely overtaken by the deftly, dancing fingertips of the Administration. She is completely at their mercy, trusting her own people to stand beside her. The General has been keeping information from her. Why, I am unsure; for one thing is certain, her naïveté has hurt her more than she has ever known. Joli, as a commander who respects skill in the battlefield, let her sneak closer, let her slink passed all our guards until she reached the bedroom walls of Delia Gull. He then reinforced the locks on her door, and all the entryways into the hallway, ordering every member of Malaise in that wing to leave as quickly as possible. Oblivious to the happenings around her, Talon—originally meant to be Diana; her father, in his final moments as human, called out, “Reyna… Diana…” Reyna McClain was the brilliant scientist he was married to, who, too, fell victim to our undying power over the world—pulled out an encryptor to try to access the codes that locked the doors shut. Joli allowed her a few moments, a few precious last moments, before commanding me to gift her with the same fate as her father: to flood the hallway with Z10 gas and let her become as mindless and inhumane as the monsters she supposedly hunts. I follow his behest. I am told the beginnings of Z10 is the smell—a grotesque, unforgettable smell one could sniff through walls. Talon recognizes it well. The second Z10 began pouring into the hallway, her head snapped up. She narrowed her eyes at the hallway, since she’d annihilated the cameras beforehand, wondering how and when and why. She commenced working twice as hard to get the damn door open, fear clear as day in her dark irises. Joli and I watched, with our crew behind us, as Diana McClain began to lose her mind. When the gas, green and slow-moving, reached her, she was slamming her fists against the metal doorway, begging to the gods above to save her from this doom. In her desperation, she forgot about her weaponry; it couldn’t have gotten the door open, or mystically floated her away toward a nirvana without zombies, but it was the only way that could’ve possibly saved her from the virus. The virus cannot inhibit the dead, as much as false rumors made by social media go. They are not deceased, they are beings without morals, sanity, or humanity. It removes them from the rest of the world, and causes their own kind to turn against each other. Talon, the assassin that could’ve been great, knew this. She coughed on screen, clutching her stomach and attempting to hold her breath as long as possible. She blacked out from lack of oxygen, and submitted to the fate of the McClains: an adroit mind decaying too soon. I emptied out the gas at my husband’s demand, with mercenaries with gas masks—can never be too careful—marching in and dragging the Slayer to her cell, the very same one Endor was tortured in. Like father, like daughter, every single time. CAPTURE POINT I: Bittersweet In a worst case scenario where I’ll be forced to reanalyze this memories, or capture points of my life, I’ve decided to label them in a way that clearly reflects what I’m thinking at any given point in time. So many people are silent of their thoughts, so many people keep quiet over opinions that could change the world, so many people hesitate to step forward and say what they are thinking. So many people lose who they are as they develop, as they slowly become a person who they want to be or who others want them to be. I’ve decided to start this journal in an attempt to contradict this, to keep a piece of me everywhere I am in every point I need it. It’s a great mantra, or so Geneva tells me, and I’m glad to have begun it this way. Today I’ve turned seventeen, my dear memory book, but, unfortunately, it’s not all rainbows and flavored slop from here. Ever since I was a little girl, I’d dreamed of joining the Gray’s Best in the laboratory they keep secret until one becomes of age. I’ve always dreamed of helping humanity with its fight against Malaise, with helping save lives that haven’t ever deserved the punishments they’ve been given. I always wanted to make a difference, you know? Today’s the day that was meant to change me, to make me worthy of being a voyager, of a scientist who finds the Cure. Instead, I’m here, worried my butt off, because Talon has been missing for six months. You don’t know her. She’s, uh, she’s a personality, definitely. She’s a walking paradox. She’s quiet, silent as a mouse sometimes, but the second she disagrees with something, she’s up-in-arms and won’t back down for anything. She acts all tough and emotionless, but she’s kind and appreciative when someone does a favor for her. She hates fighting, but does it because she believes that’s the best way to contribute to society. She’s the best at assassination, might as well assassinate, right? Well, this brave, but slightly in unknowledgeable in the science department, girl has been gone for have a year. Our leader, a motherlike figure called the General, has ordered scouts and observation missions to attempt to see where the Hell Talon had phased through reality so intensely we haven’t found her in the weeks we’d been looking for her. Carla, the General’s real name, hasn’t told the Gray what assignment she’d tried to complete that led to her capture. She hasn’t told us why she left, or where she was meant to go, or what she’d actually accomplished when she’d gotten there. Squat. Nada. And I hate being kept in the bloody dark. Unrelated but kind of related, I have friends. They’re considered members of the top tier skill-level in all of the Training System, including a majority of the veterans here. First, we have Primus, the best male soldier/Slayer in the System. Then Talon, the best female soldier/Slayer, as I’ve all ready told thou. Then Elle, the best non-gendered scientist who’s wicked with a scalpel; and Criss, the best male scientist who’s reputation is a mixture of intelligence and inappropriateness. Very close to our top tier, but barely second-best (though I would never call them that as an insult; it was just factual; a slightly depressing fact, but a fact all the same) were two people, a girl and a guy. Trinity, a really sweet, smart girl who doesn’t deserve to be stuck in the Communications chair all the time (oh, yeah, she’s also Primus’s girlfriend—they’re adorable together), and Jack, a dude absolutely deadly with a garrote and some pliers. We’re a tight knit of friends, as usually other people outside our own caliber are too intimidated to ever become close with us. We’re a team, an unstoppable moving machine, whole with each other and no gear is more useful than the others. Which is why we are all tragically upset when we discovered Talon had gone missing. It’s pretty obvious around here that Primus is like a big brother to her, and to me, so he’s always on top of us whenever we do something dangerous—in my case, it’s mixing two possibly explosion-causing chemicals together, and in Talon’s, it’s Slayer missions. Primus was the first to be told Talon was gone, and the news quickly circulated until it reached all of the Best, with Trinity and Jack included, and the rest of the damn school. Considering they were the closest to Talon, Primus and Jack have been arguing with the General nonstop, in a pitiful attempt to try to get more information behind Talon’s disappearance. In the lab, Elle, Criss, and I have created a trial antidote, a crude, possibly-possible version of the Cure. We’re more determined than we’ve ever been to find this world-changing corrective. If our theories are right, the pessimistic, very likely ones that we hope to whatever God that’s still listening, and Malaise has taken Talon, and have done who-knows-what to her, we have to prepared for the worst. We have to find a way to save her, we will find a way to save her. We’d all die first before giving up on her. I hope we won’t have to. Harmony CAPTURE POINT VI: Nightmare Malaise left us a gift last night. While the midnight patrols were wondering, a hover van we haven’t been able to power since the outbreak started pulled up, and dumped an object onto the ground: this larger-than-supposedly-possible, black, sport’s bag (which were not used for sports anymore, mainly for stashing of weapons and clothing and maybe food, if the time came to it). The van casually gravitated away, like it wasn’t the most suspicious thing the System has seen in a long while. Carefully, very carefully, the guards took the bag inside, summoned Geneva and the General, and planted it on the Gray’s emptiest table—and even that still had leftover beakers we had to push aside. Jack Fry was hailed, in case there was a bomb that needed defusing. Primus was hailed, in case it was a failed experiment that needed some whacking. Me, Criss, and Elle were called because we were the Best, and the Best could solve any issue with science and bloodshed—at least, that’s what Carla thinks. A few soldiers I didn’t recognize opened the bag, as cautious as a man to a rabid animal would be. Primus tapped his foot in anticipation; I echoed his movements. (I used to admire him and Talon like they were the best thing since sliced bread. To show my appreciation, I used to copy their every move, eventually developing their own unhealthy mannerisms. Old habits are difficult to break.) Everything happened so slowly, so time-bendingly slow, I felt like I was in one of those old action movies from the twenty-first century. The first thing I heard was a groan, a pained, almost tired groan, like a person who’d gone hunting the previous day and was sore while they woke up. Then I saw shifting, barely-there shifting you’d only notice if you were watching, and arms appeared like spindly spider legs. The faceless goons held it down, strapping its arms to the table like a BDSM post-apocalyptic roleplay. They yanked off the bag completely, and unveiled the most horrific sight I’ve ever seen. It was Talon. Her skin was pale, almost green in color, literally drained of blood. She was licking her teeth, purple and rotting, like she’d just eaten a fine meal of magenta barbecue. She growled deep in her throat, hissing, like a monster wanting to set loose. This wasn’t the girl who’d helped me in training, guiding my arm gently so I’d hit bullseye and leave as quickly as possible. This wasn’t the girl who’d cried when we threw her a birthday party, who’d started sobbing when big brother Primus said he was proud of her. This wasn’t the quiet, sharp-witted, brutally cynical girl I’ve known as far as I can remember. This was a zombie, haunting the husk of what was once the woman I’d looked up to most. Everyone froze, staring at the Z10 victim with the exact same horror and dread as anyone who’d known her. She spoke, voice cracking, in a language I didn’t understand, and I couldn’t help but shiver in my boots. The General was the first to move, shaking her head like this was only a bad dream she had to get over. She, as detached and cool-headed as ever, asked me, Elle, and Criss, if the magic bullet we were working on was ready for deployment. We all glanced at each other and nodded—anything to save Talon, anything to save another life from Malaise’s greedy, diabolical hands. If I saw Primus sneaking out of the System like a try-hard ninja because I was returning from the little lady’s room, then I can only say this: We will make the Cure and defeat Malaise, even if it kills us. (Which it might.) Harmony CAPTURE POINT VII: Recovery She’s back. Well, kind of. In the middle of the night with little help, a few soldiers properly held down Talon as she was stripped from her bag and tied to a metal medical slab. Me, Criss, and Elle all ran to our stations, preparing everything from a heart monitor—would that even work on a zombie?—to the fateful syringe that would determine the life of the Administration’s best assassin. Elle was chosen as the one to inject the growling girl, as my hands were shaking so bad I could barely hand over the needle and Criss was too busy bonding with Jack in an attempt to find where Primus had disappeared the previous night. Elle gently picked up the loosely-hanging wrist from the table and readied the hypodermic. I buried my face into Geneva’s stomach, anxious beyond belief and unable to watch the events unfolding in front of me. After the Trial Cure (which is what we called it, as there wasn’t any kind of evidence pointing failure or success yet) was injected, it took twelve hours before the medicine began to kick in. Twelve hours! During that time, me, Elle, and Criss took shifts of watching the zombie Talon, to make sure of a few things: a) she wasn’t trying to escape, and b) the chemicals weren’t killing her. The General dragged Geneva away from the lab, ordering the soldiers to ensure no one could get in if they were not permitted—everyone but the Best and Jack, essentially. (Trinity got left out of everything! I didn’t pity her in this case, though. I wouldn’t wish this experience on my worst enemy.) Primus magically materialized at Criss’s side, making the scientist scream and Jack laugh. Jack interrogated Primus for hours on end, questioning on everything he’d done in the hours he was gone. Primus deflected all of those, focusing mainly on checking on Talon and guarding the doors. The poor dude felt as foreboding as the rest of us, especially with his closeness to the girl in question and his history with Malaise; his mother, a pretty, intelligent woman, abandoned him to the wolves when she joined Malaise before I was even born. Primus, out of the blue, asks the General sometimes if there was any news regarding a woman called Katherine O’Vile. I don’t find it a coincidence that a woman who deserted her own son for an organization that decimated half the planet had the surname O’Vile. Anyway, back to Talon. After the twelve hours were up, weird results were showing up in our feeds. Jack was processing them, being the tech guru that he is—with the lack of tech left, I’m surprised anyone can become a tech guru anymore, but he is—and he instantly called us, unsure of the readings he was getting. Elle was on shift, so they woke up Criss and I, and I ran to get Primus as Criss checked the science on screen. When I returned with the Slayer, Criss had a very particular look of concentration on his face, the furrow of his eyebrows confused. Jack tapped his foot in anticipation, bouncing his fingertips along his knee. I felt tempted to join him, to do something, anything, to express this built-up energy inside me. Criss, finally, spoke up, and he simply told us to summon the General for a proper debriefing. Anticlimactic, to say the least. We did as he commanded, staring him down in an attempt to read him; were the results good? Were they so terrible he needed to tell the General and all of us at the same time to bring forth the disappointment all at once? In our waiting, I started to watch Talon again. She was quiet, knocked out, and she appeared as pale as a ghost, and less as pale as moldy cheese. Every rise and fall of her chest opened her mouth, showing off the still-purple, horrid teeth of hers. She wore an orange jumpsuit, which only confirmed our theory that she was taken prisoner. I couldn’t imagine that this girl had been through, and my heart only aches for her. Imagine being forced to become the thing you hated most. I shuddered at the thought. I tried to imagine Talon’s mind at the moment. Was she still there? Was the Talon we all knew and loved still present, just forced into the back burner, screaming at the top of her lungs for someone to save her? Or did the Z10 virus turn her into this, a shell of her former self that only craved flesh and destruction? I had too many questions, and no one to answer me. I wonder if Talon could answer them. When Carla arrived, Criss gave us all amazing news. The serum we’d injected into her had worked—cue cheering—but only partially—cue confused, half-hearted cheering. Our “Cure” only happened to cure one half of the problem, her inhumanity. While Z10 enhances the part of your brain that your conscience deems “inhumane,” our little experiment reverts those enhancements. It reinforces the section that rejects your humanity, where Z10 weakens it. However, the second part, the part where you gain the irresistible urge to become a cannibal is still present, which is still a massive problem. We’ve restored Talon’s mind, the intelligent, sarcastic girl we’ve all known, but she’s in a similar condition to the stories of vampires of old—craving human blood, but otherwise decently intelligent and normal. She has yet to awaken, but when she does… oh boy. She’s gonna have a field day with this. Wish us all luck. I think we’ll need it. Harmony ENTRY LXIIII I hate my life.

A Tale More Complicated Than One Person Can Tell, by alizaarches

Summary: Post-apocalyptic world with multiple point of views telling the story of a girl named Talon.

Inspired by: A conversation with @heyoitsdavid, who I have weird-ass convos with. We were talking about the zombie apocalypse and shiz, and he happened to bring up the concept of a zombie assassin. I loved the idea, and look at where we ended up.

This is the longest piece of writing I’ve ever written for one story. 11315 is my new record. Over 10k! I’m actually freaking shocked I did this. Sorry I’m a lil late, but I finished this like ten minutes before five, and I usually have to write an author’s note and stuff, so…

I’ve also made a lot of references—allusions—in this story, so beware. One includes the fact that Jack and Evelyn Fry have very similar spelt names to Jacob and Evie Frye of the Assassin’s Creed Universe. I’m pretty damn happy with this one. I also kind of want to add a mini section to this piece in the near future, so… ;)

I also wrote the majority of this on my phone! Which is shocking, because usually I write like shiz on my phone, but here we are. In addition, I wanted to try a different format than what I usually do, so I picked the typical “journal entry.”

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afoolsingenuity · 7 years

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Looking Forward // January 2017

I’ve realised that these Looking Forward posts have become a bit of a staple for the beginning of each month for me so I actually need to start labelling them with the year. The awful thing about these posts is that this year I hope to implement a spending limit upon myself and as such I won’t be able to get a hold of many of the books I am looking forward to each month. It’s almost cruel to write this post each month but I love seeing the books I’m excited to read in a list, don’t you? Luckily for me, my birthday is next month so maybe if I start a list now my family can get me a few… although there are several I still haven’t got from last year. Maybe I should prioritise?

I struggled with which books to choose this month as there are books I’m looking forward to being released this month but I got review copies so have already/am reading them. I decided to give those special mentions below and stick with all the rest.

Roseblood – A.G. Howard

Genre: Retelling, Young Adult, Fantasy

Release Date: 10th January 2017

Windwitch – Susan Dennard

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Release Date: 12th January 2017

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.

Sometimes our enemies become our only allies The Windwitch Prince Merik is presumed dead, following a lethal explosion. He's left scarred but alive and determined to expose his sister's treachery. Yet on reaching the royal capital, he's shocked to find it crowded with refugees fleeing conflict. Merik haunts the streets, fighting for the weak. This leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

Hunted by the Cleaved, Iseult is struggling to stay free while she searches for her friend Safi. When the Bloodwitch Aeduan corners Iseult first, she offers him a deal: she'll return what was stolen from him, if he locates the Truthwitch. Yet unknown to Iseult, there's a bounty on her head - and Aeduan intends to claim it.

After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. They find themselves amongst pirates, where a misstep could mean death. And the bandits' next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.

Why Am I Excited?

I always end up adding Hoard’s books to my TBR despite the fact I have yet to read a single one. I mean, that is truly a skill to possess as an author. How do you stay on my radar when I don’t know if the woman can even write? I want to read it, though, it sounds like a really original retelling.

Why Am I Excited?

I know not everyone loved the first book in this series, Truthwitch, but I did. I mean, I think the poor book suffered from overhype as I was hearing about it for months before it was ever released, but it was still a good fantasy which centred around two friends and poor decision making. I liked it and I want to see how the story continues, there is a whole heap of potential for the story to progress.

Carve the Mark – Veronica Roth

Genre: Sci-fi, Young Adult

Release Date: 18th January 2017

After The Fall – Kate Hart

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: 24th January 2017

On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not — their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuve, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive — no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive — or to destroy one another.

A YA debut about a teen girl who wrestles with rumors, reputation, and her relationships with two brothers.

Seventeen-year-old Raychel is sleeping with two boys: her overachieving best friend Matt…and his slacker brother, Andrew. Raychel sneaks into Matt’s bed after nightmares, but nothing ever happens. He doesn’t even seem to realize she’s a girl, except when he decides she needs rescuing. But Raychel doesn't want to be his girl anyway. She just needs his support as she deals with the classmate who assaulted her, the constant threat of her family’s eviction, and the dream of college slipping quickly out of reach. Matt tries to help, but he doesn’t really get it… and he’d never understand why she’s fallen into a secret relationship with his brother. The friendships are a precarious balance, and when tragedy strikes, everything falls apart. Raychel has to decide which pieces she can pick up – and which ones are worth putting back together.

Why Am I Excited?

Honestly, after reading the Divergent series I was all ready to abandon all hope for Roth’s writing as I grew more and more frustrated by that series as the books progressed, but then Roth had a really fantastic short story in Summer Days & Summer Nights and I realised I had to give her another chance in the form of this book. Hopefully, I won’t be disappointed.

Why Am I Excited?

I ‘m not sure why I’m excited about this book. It doesn’t necessarily stand out against a lot of other YA contemporary but I know I want to read it. It’s one of those books that comes onto your radar and you end up being stuck wanting to read. Not exactly a ringing endorsement but you know what I mean, right?

Accidentally on Purpose – Jill Shalvis

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: 24th January 2017

By Your Side – Kasie West

Genre: 31st January 2017

Release Date: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Accidentally On Purpose is the third in New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis's Heartbreaker Bay series, featuring her trademark gift for humour, warmth and romance. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts and Marie Force.

Elle Wheaton's priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there's the muscular wall of stubbornness that's security expert Archer Hunt - who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. "Feels-Free Zone" that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer...which should only take a lifetime...

Archer's wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco earthquake and he craves her 24/7, but Archer doesn't want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren't him... As far as Archer's concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad - and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along...

Want more warm, funny romance? Check out the other Heartbreaker Bay novels, Sweet Little Lies and The Trouble With Mistletoe, visit gorgeous Cedar Ridge, spellbinding Lucky Harbor or experience some Animal Magnetism in Sunshine, Idaho in Jill's other unforgettable series.

In this irresistible story, Kasie West explores the timeless question of what to do when you fall for the person you least expect. Witty and romantic, this paperback original from a fan favorite is perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson.

When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.

Only he doesn’t come. No one does.

Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?

Why Am I Excited?

Come on guys. Was there really any doubt I’d be wanting this book? It’s a new Jill Shalvis and it’s in a series I’ve already started. Of course, I’m all over this. I am guaranteed an enjoyable romance. I may not be adding it to my favourites list but I will most definitely be adding it to my warm fuzzy guaranteed to enjoy list.

Why Am I Excited?

I always look forward to Kasie West releases (although I’ve yet to read the last one let alone this one). She always delivers fun and cute contemporary YAs which I almost always enjoy. She's one of those authors and this sounds no different. Sure, these last two choices aren’t those I’ll be raving about but they’ll be ones I will most enjoy.

Honourable Mentions

These books are ones which would have been on this list if it wasn’t for the fact I’ve already got myself copies to read. As you can see, fantasy tends to be my things, especially this month. I would recommend these books and am glad I got my hands on them. Lucky me.

What books are you looking forward to most this month? Are there any which I’ve missed?

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grither55 · 4 years

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The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 32 - The Component

The terribly injured Avatar was warded off with yet another savage round of lightning that he just barely dodged.

Azula flipped around to gaze up into the air with bewildered eyes to see her warship was now aflame.

In the distance was another Fire Nation warship opening fire on her vessel.

'How did the enemy manage to commandeer a Fire Nation vessel!' The princess thought while exhaling through her nostrils like a wrathful dragon.

Only for her callous eyes to widen in realization when she watched her ship begin to plummet at a dangerous rate.

And for reasons that she couldn't explain she found her cold heart beating rapidly in worry for her young girlfriend and her childhood friends.

The Avatar's enraged roars snapped her out of her reverie while she watched in frustration to see the monk speeding towards her once more.

Through the corner of her eye she watched the airship plunge through the cliffside while she gritted her teeth in anger like never before.

And then the princess's callous eyes snapped open as wide as can be while her veil of flames suddenly flared to life with even greater ferocity than before.

'I have to get to the wreckage!' Azula thought with lightning generating at her fingertips while she released a thunderous battle roar.

"I told you to die Avatar!" The princess bellowed before releasing a beyond lethal voltage that would have struck the man dead then and there.

The exhausted Avatar attempted to dodge the lightning only for his body to fail to move according to his desires.

Aang stumbled with widened eyes while he watched the lightning nearly strike him just as it had six years ago in Ba Sing Se.

Only to find himself staring on with amazed eyes when a hooded figure leaped down in front of him and swiftly redirected the lightning back at the surprised princess.

Azula stared on with shocked golden eyes from within her wall of flames before hastily leaping out of the way of her redirected assault.

And then she turned to glare at the newcomer with her regal lips curling into a scowl.

She knew all too well who this interloper was.

"Hello dear Uncle." The princess greeted in a growl after catching a glimpse of the old man's face beneath the cloak.

"Azula." The Dragon of the West replied curtly with his golden eyes narrowing while he assessed his niece's evolved powers in disbelief.

All the while asking himself just one thing.

'How is Azula maintaining a cloak of fire!' Iroh thought with his shocked eyes never leaving his lethal niece.

"You're in the way." Azula stated in a dangerous voice before sprinting forward with her cloak burning brightly in the wake of her footfalls.

The warship spiraled through the air while soldiers slid down the length of its surface desperate to grasp onto anything they could get ahold of.

Pakku rolled down the surface of the vessel with his neck bleeding from a botched cut that had only been interrupted by the assault on the airship's engines.

Due to the presumption that the approaching ship was an allied vessel they had been taken completely unawares.

In the moment of chaos Elle had been thrown from Ty Lee's arms.

And now the teenage girl was tumbling down the sinking ship.

The young girl released a high-pitched scream just when she nearly fell over the edge to her death.

Only to find herself gazing up into protective brown-gray eyes while the agile acrobat took hold of her wrist.

"O-oneesan!" Elle stammered while Ty Lee stare down at her with protective eyes.

"I've got you Elle! It's going to be okay! I'll protect you!" Ty Lee assured in a sisterly voice before lifting the smaller girl over her shoulders.

The small girl hung onto the acrobat's back while she clung to her neck with an emotional tear streaming down her cheek.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu." The blonde-haired girl murmured with a sniffle while she closed her eyes in fear when the acrobat took off running down the side of the airship.

"Think nothing of it. You're my little sister. You didn't really think that I would let you fall, did you?" The brown-haired woman spoke in a warm voice while she gazed over her shoulder into the younger girl's misty eyes.

"No. Not for a moment oneesan. I trust you with my life." Elle answered sweetly with her face in the woman's hair while Ty Lee sprang over the rails of the ship.

And then the acrobat skillfully held onto a bar on the side of the erupting vessel while she managed a small smile over her young friends gentle hearted nature.

Moments afterward Ty Lee dropped to the ground with her grip on Elle never once loosening.

The two tumbled into the dirt while the fires from the earlier assault continued to blaze all around them.

The good news was that the Ty Lee had managed to land without any harm to her precious passenger.

The bad news was that she hurt her leg in the fall.

Ty Lee winced after rolling to a stop when she noticed the injury.

Damn.

That one was going to hurt for some time.

'This day isn't pink. Not pink at all.' The brown-haired woman thought yet when she felt the smaller girl hug her from behind.

That was more than enough.

Knowing that Elle had avoided injury was victory enough for her.

The soldiers on the ground were shocked at the sight of their crashing vessel.

So much so that it gave Toph a brief moment of surprise.

It was only a few seconds but that was all the blind bandit needed to launch many of them away from her with a pillar of earthen rock.

She quickly gasped for air before turning her 'gaze' to the battle in the distance involving Azula, Aang and the newcomer.

Only to spin around when she heard the soldiers rushing to her once more.

Toph stomped her foot before producing a shield of rock around her on all sides only to gaze up in alarm when it was promptly pierced with an explosive.

She covered her face with her elbow while dust rained in her eyes just before barely blocking a swing from a male soldier.

It was none other than Zoe's faithful lieutenant, a young man by the name of Saro.

The earthbender gritted her teeth while two burning fists now engaged in a grapple with her own earthen gauntleted fists only to find her feet being slid backwards.

'This one is stronger than the rest!' The blind bandit thought while the soldier stared back at her with dedicated golden eyes.

"I do not fall so easily as the others earthbender!" The lieutenant shouted before making a swipe at the woman's eyes with his burning fist.

"I can see that…you removed the metal from your body…smart move but not good enough." Toph commented with a slight smirk while Saro glared into her glazed eyes.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not!" Saro exclaimed before surprising Toph when he lunged forward to pull her into a stranglehold.

The blind bandit snarled while she pounded her fists against the man's cheek only for her attacker to remain persistent even when blood splattered from his cheek.

That when she sensed the vibrations below her with her eyes agape in disbelief.

"Let me go!" Toph yelled out with a furious growl while Saro began to bend her right arm backwards at an agonizing angle.

All the while a swarm of the Dai Li successfully negated her earthbending.

"Oh, I will. In a moment." The lieutenant grunted before he ruthlessly snapped the struggling woman's arm upward.

Crack!

The sound of Toph releasing a sharp cry of pain echoed into the air and into her remaining comrade's ears.

The blind bandit rasped for air with her eyes agape in tremendous pain before finally breaking free of her assailants hold.

And then she sunk to her knees clutching her broken arm with her remaining good hand while she listened to the sound of the soldiers descending upon her.

Only for the soldiers to be taken surprise by rebel soldiers descending from the commandeered warship to the earthbender’s aid.

Saro spun around with his golden eyes narrowing in anger while he watched the soldiers of the White Lotus drop down around Toph on all sides.

"Kill the rebels!" The lieutenant roared with his comrades storming forward alongside him.

Mere moments ensued a brutal clash of fire, earth and water.

Elsewhere.

Zuko lay bleeding from a gash on his right cheek while he gazed up at Zoe with widened eyes while he desperately fought to wrench her sword free from her hand.

Only for the soldier to begin to choke him with her free hand.

"Die you fucking traitor!" Zoe roared before thrusting her sword down to piece the pinned man's neck.

Only for her eyes to widen in shock when a dagger stabbed her through the gap in her armor while Zuko stared up behind her in a mix of both relief and surprise.

"Mai!" Zuko cried out in a relieved voice while the surprised Zoe turned to gaze over her shoulder into Mai's piercing tawny eyes.

"Get off of him!" Mai hissed with an arm wrenched around the struggling captain's neck while Zoe furiously fought against her.

"Coward! You were too scared to face me in open combat so you went for my back!" The captain snarled with her eyes agape in unbridled anger while the other woman drove the dagger in deeper.

"Now isn't that ironic considering what you did to General Shoren." The markswoman replied icily only to receive a savage punch to the jaw.

The former prince struggled to stand up while he watched his ex-girlfriend stagger backwards with her bloody knife in hand.

"You don't know anything! I had just cause for killing General Shoren!" Zoe shouted with rage in her voice while her hazel eyes shimmered in anger over the insult to her honor.

"Of course, you did." Mai snorted while she watched Zoe stagger to her feet.

"If you think that poorly aimed stab will defeat me then you truly are a fool." The captain stated with a cold sneer while she stood up grasping at the hilt of her sword.

"The stab won't…but the explosive will." The markswoman declared ominously while she stared victoriously into the other woman's widening hazel eyes.

Zoe stumbled backwards with her free hand feeling at her back only to pale in horror when her fingers grazed over a small landmine.

"I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!" Zoe bellowed in a livid voice before dropping her sword while she furiously fought to remove the bomb from her upper back.

"No. You won't." Mai sneered before pulling Zuko to his feet while he watched Zoe writhe with conflicted golden eyes.

The soldier began to roll on the ground in a surmounting panic while her enraged shouts carried out over the battlefield.

"Traitors! I'll kill the both of you!" The captain shrieked with her hand struggling to pull the mine off her back.

Only for the markswoman to wordlessly walk away with her fiancée holding onto her shoulder.

The two glanced over their shoulders at the bloodthirsty captain rolling in the dirt while Zuko watched with clear discomfort over the dishonorable tactic.

After a great deal of thrashing about Zoe finally managed to remove the landmine from her back.

It dropped before her in the dirt while she struggled to push herself to her feet.

Only to widen her eyes when she caught sight of not one but multiple landmines strung out before her.

'The one on my back was a distraction for the ones at my feet!' Zoe thought in horror while she took off in a maddened sprint for cover.

In her haste the soldier screamed out for her monarch's aid.

Azula was sent skidding backwards with a droplet of blood on her chin while she glared callously back at her uncle.

Her cold eyes swept about while she watched rebel soldiers begin to surround her on all sides.

"It's over Azula." Iroh remarked calmly while he assessed his niece's exhausted face.

It would appear that these new abilities come at a great cost…

Behind him the Avatar sunk to his knees with his gray eyes gazing up in astonishment.

"Iroh!" Aang exclaimed with relief in his voice while the old man turned to smile down at him upon noticing that he had finally snapped out of the Avatar State.

"Rest easy now Aang. Let us take care of the rest." The Dragon of the West greeted kindly while the young monk nodded in agreement.

"I don't know how you managed to obtain the drop on us…but I can assure you it will be your last." Azula purred with a cold smirk returning to her graceful lips only to whip her head around when a familiar shout rang out into the air.

The princess's golden eyes swept about while she quickly assessed her situation.

In the far distance was Ty Lee with Elle behind her while soldiers of the White Lotus too began to surround them.

Somewhere deep inside of her cold heart she felt a shred of relief to see that the two had managed to survive the crash.

Her surviving soldiers were pouring from the downed airship.

A violent battle was now underway between the rebel forces and her own.

That was when her gaze finally landed on the person that had called out her name.

To her great surprise it was not Elle, nor Ty Lee or even Mai.

Saro had just cut down an enemy soldier when one of his men called out to him.

"Sir the captain!" A soldier exclaimed in alarm while the lieutenant wheeled around with his eyes widening in horror.

In that instance everyone saw it.

Mai was helping Zuko walk away with several landmines exploding thunderously behind them.

Azula gazed over her shoulder with her eyes widening in rage like never before when she caught sight of her friend's betrayal.

Only for her fury to increase tenfold when saw her most skilled soldier staggering through an erupting minefield.

The landmines erupted one after another while the captain's body vanished in the blazing inferno.

"Captain!" Saro called out in rage like never before when he took off darting towards his leader's aid.

"Mai…" Ty Lee whispered with her eyes agape in worry when she caught the murderous rage in Azula's eyes.

And not just the princess.

Nearly thirty soldiers were rushing forward to avenge their beloved leader!

The ground began sinking on all sides while the unstable ground began to sink into the earth in every which way.

The injured soldier hung with her fingers slipping while she yelled out in rage once more.

"Princess Azula!" Zoe screamed before finally plummeting into the open earth with her frantic call for help resonating across the war zone.

And then…silence.

The princess trembled in unbridled anger while clenching her fists at her sides.

'Mai you fool! You just cost me the loyalty of all of House Song!' Azula thought with fire spewing from her lips while she watched the fallen woman's soldiers move to capture her friend.

She didn't even need to speak the order.

She was well aware that the captain's crew would do so regardless of what she said.

"Go Zuko!" Mai exclaimed before pushing Zuko backwards while he gazed back at her with hesitant golden eyes.

"I can't!" Zuko protested only for Mai to backhand him furiously.

"You had no qualms doing it before!" The markswoman snapped venomously while guilt now flashed in the former prince's eyes.

"Mai I…" The former prince trailed off just as he turned away while the soldiers rushed towards them.

"Six years together Zuko. And you broke my heart. If you had simply told me why you were leaving…I would have understood. But you didn't. Our relationship is over. But that doesn't mean that I am going to watch you die." Mai spoke with downcast tawny eyes while Zuko swallowed in shame.

"I…am sorry Mai." Zuko muttered with great remorse in his eyes before Mai gazed at him one final time.

"Just go." The markswoman ordered before drawing her blades while she watched her former lover flee the opposite direction.

"Seize her!" The lieutenant roared while they stormed the composed woman.

The former prince fled while he watched the stolen warship soar overhead with a rope dropping down from rails.

Zuko swiftly grasped ahold of it while rebel soldiers began to pull him up to safety.

All the while Mai was being restrained by the loyal soldiers with Saro staring back into her remorseless tawny eyes.

"You are going to wish you hadn't done that." Saro stated frigidly before driving his knee into Mai's gut while he glared down at her coughing face.

"Believe me. It was well worth it." Mai responded in defiance while the soldiers hauled her forward with her hands restrained behind her back.

It was only when she met Azula's glacial golden eyes that she finally began to shiver.

Well aware that a gruesome punishment was sure to await her.

The princess turned her callous eyes away from her treasonous subordinate before gazing back at her uncle with her hand wiping her lip once more.

"If you think that you and these nothings can defeat me Uncle…then you are even more of a fool than I had taken you for." Azula scoffed with a sophisticated scoff while her flames flared to life once more.

"By the looks of it we don't have to defeat you Azula." Iroh retorted before leaping out of the way from an exploding fireball.

Her flame has become unnaturally strong!

It was truly terrifying to know that his niece was capable of such devastating power.

Such power should only be possible on Sozin's Comet and yet…

The princess began to reel around with sweat dripping down her face while she launched a rapid stream of blue fire at all of her attackers.

A rebel soldier released a scream of terror when his entire body caught fire while his comrades watched with horrified eyes.

"Stay back!" The Dragon of the West commanded with the Avatar staring on in horror at the sight of the burning man.

Several soldiers put the fire out with waterbending yet it was clear that the damage was already done.

The man now lay lifeless in the dirt while fires continued to rage around them on all sides.

"S-she just burned a man to death in a matter of seconds!" A rebel soldier exclaimed while the shouts of the enemy soldiers rang in the distance.

The Dai Li were cutting down rebel soldiers left and right while two rebel soldiers now carried the wounded Toph to safety.

All the while Elle stood behind Ty Lee while the acrobat turned to gaze at the rebels surrounding her with unusually stern eyes.

"Surrender!" A rebel soldier ordered while the acrobat pushed the smaller girl behind her.

"No." Ty Lee answered calmly while Elle hid with her face in her back.

"Then you leave us no choice!" The man shouted before charging forward while the woman stared on with hardening brown-gray eyes.

In mere seconds the acrobat delivered a brutal strike to the man's jugular before she swiftly removed a blade from his belt.

"Close your eyes Elle." The brown-haired woman spoke gently with her hair blowing behind her while the petite girl nodded fearfully.

And with that the injured acrobat sliced opened the attacking man's throat before springing forward with an uncharacteristically cold countenance.

The men released cries of terror while the wounded woman dispatched them one after another.

Soon enough Ty Lee was standing with Elle under her arm over a handful of slain men.

The brown-haired woman continued to limp forward with her hand pulling the young girl after her.

Only to stare across the battlefield in concern to see that Azula was completely surrounded.

Rebel soldiers were successfully preventing Saro and his comrades from coming to the princess's aid.

While those on the hovering warship opened fire on the Dai Li.

The earthbending assassins were forced to leap for cover while projectiles continued to drop down on them from above.

Azula began to pant from exhaustion before releasing a furious growl.

"Filthy peasants! I will destroy you all!" The princess barked with fire spitting forth from her lips while she raised her hands to release another blast of blue fire.

Only to widen her eyes when all that came out was a pitiful sputter that could barely be called a flame!

In that very moment she gazed down in frustration to see her veil of flames vanishing in the blink of an eye.

And then she finally collapsed onto all fours with her golden eyes agape in disbelief.

'Impossible! It hasn't even been more than six minutes!' Azula thought with her lips pursing into a thin line while she crushed the dirt beneath her in her anger.

"Chi burnout Azula…it would seem that you've pushed your body too far." Iroh remarked casually while Azula glared up at her with enraged golden eyes.

"And what of it? I will recover! And then I will kill you all!" The princess bellowed with her fists gripping the ground below her.

"Judging by the look of you…you won't be recovering soon enough to do that." The Dragon of the West commented with a serious countenance while he glared down at his defeated niece.

From high above the warship Zuko sat alongside Pakku while the old man nursed his bruised wrists.

The former prince turned to gaze down at his sister with unnerved golden eyes.

In all of his life he has never been as afraid of Azula as he is now.

To think that it would take such extreme measures to finally defeat his sister!

'I can't believe that Azula is strong enough to challenge Aang in the Avatar State!' Zuko thought grimly while he gazed down at Azula's defeated form.

Now there was no doubt in his mind that his sister was far stronger than even their father.

He could only hope that his sister would remain down long enough for the White Lotus to take her into custody.

Ty Lee gazed on with widened eyes at the sight of Azula on her knees with soldiers storming forward to apprehend her.

'I have to help Azula! I can't just leave her to die!' The brown-haired woman thought in alarm before spinning around to stare down at her young friend's horrified face.

"A-Azula-sama is in danger!" The blonde-haired girl cried out with a tear streaming down her cheek before breaking free of the acrobat's grip.

"Elle no! Elle!" Ty Lee called out in alarm while she watched the innocent girl run across the war-torn battlefield to aid Azula.

The rebel army watched in astonishment while the young girl ran panting across the burning landscape.

Iroh could only gape in amazement to witness such a kind hearted girl running to his niece's aid.

Azula turned to gaze over her shoulder with surprised golden eyes to see her handmaid darting through the flames to make it to her side.

Even a woman as ruthless as herself couldn't help but be moved by her servant's unflinching loyalty.

She was so shocked by her handmaid's devotion that she could only stare at the small girl running towards her with her mouth hanging open in a speechless silence.

Out of all of her army, the first person to run to assist her was her handmaid!

"Azula-sama!" Elle shouted in a distraught voice just before she nearly stumbled into the burning landscape.

Aang too was staring on in disbelief while Elle made her way through the flames with no regard for her own well being.

The young blonde rushed through the fires only for a landmine to go off mere feet away from her.

The distraught girl stumbled forward with the horrified acrobat running after her.

"Elle!" The brown-haired woman yelled in a frightened voice while the girl finally made her way over to the stunned princess's side.

The weapons expert stood gazing on at the scene with mutual amazement in her eyes.

There was no doubt about it in her mind.

That girl was in love with Azula.

The ruthless princess finally snapped out of her reverie while she reeled around to glare at her panting girlfriend making her way through the throngs of rebel soldiers.

"Stupid girl! Are you trying to get yourself killed!" Azula barked with a seemingly cruel scowl on her lips while she glared at the girl to dropping to her knees before her.

Only for her cold eyes to stare on in even greater surprise when the petite girl rounded around to glare back at her bewildered uncle.

"You stay away from her!" Elle exclaimed with her ever present smile giving way to anger while she held out her arms to shield the stunned Azula.

Ty Lee finally came to a stop behind her leader while she held onto her blade with her wary eyes gazing about.

'This doesn't look good.' The brown-haired woman thought before turning her attention back to her adopted sister's oddly angered face.

It was just astonishing to witness Elle lose her temper over something that didn't involve spiders.

To think that the only thing that could make the girl truly furious was seeing Azula's life in danger!

"Why do you defend Azula?" Iroh questioned in genuine puzzlement while he stared down at Elle holding her arms out before his niece.

"Because she's my friend!" The blonde-haired girl declared with the princess gazing down at her in a speechless silence.

"Young lady, my niece is not your friend. Whatever she has told you. It isn't true!" The Dragon of the West insisted with a frown on his lips while the princess sat on her backside glaring back at him.

"Yes, she is! I know so! Now get lost!" Elle growled with an adorable expression of anger on her snarling lips while Azula gazed down at her almost amused by her newfound temper.

The rebels stared back at the small girl in bafflement while the blonde began to pull the exhausted princess onto her back.

All the while Ty Lee and Mai watched in astonishment to see the girl attempt to carry the princess to safety.

"Come on Azula-sama. I'll help you walk." The blonde-haired girl offered sweetly while the princess lay on her back with her stern golden eyes peering down at her in disbelief.

"What are you doing peasant?" The princess snorted with a regal roll of her eyes while she peered down at her petite girlfriend's pitiful efforts to carry her.

"T-taking you to safety." Elle stammered before taking a stumbling step forward while she struggled to carry the much taller woman on her back.

It was such a touching sight to Ty Lee that a tear fell from her eye while she watched her young friends' naïve attempts to protect Azula.

And with that she steeled her resolve before bracing herself on her good leg while she glared at the approaching rebels.

For once Azula found herself unable to reply.

All she could do was stare down at her handmaid with stunned golden eyes while the girl struggled to carry her armored body.

"I am sorry young lady, but Azula will not be returning home with you." Iroh announced gravely with his sentries stepping up behind him while Azula turned to glare at him over her shoulder.

"She hurt Katara, Appa, Sokka, Momo, Toph and even Zuko! She must face justice for what she has done!" Aang yelled before staggering to his feet while he gazed after the downed princess with angered gray eyes.

In the ensuing panic Saro had thrown Mai to the ground while the firebender and his men began furiously cutting down the rebel soldiers that stood in their way of assisting their princess.

And then the rebels sprang forward while the acrobat disabled a charging soldier while turning to meet the princess's stunned gaze.

"Go Azula! I'll cover you and Elle!" Ty Lee informed before springing forward on her limp while Azula watched with widened golden eyes.

It soon became clear that the acrobat alone would not be able to cover their retreat.

A rebel soldier rushed forward while the princess stared at their rushing attack with callous golden eyes.

Even exhausted and wounded Azula's gaze was so terrifying that it made the rebels feel pause.

However, her uncle and the Avatar were not so easily intimidated.

"I-I said stay away from Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl cried out in an emotional voice only for the man to knock her to the ground.

It was an action that proved to be one the unfortunate soldier would regret when Azula swung her bloodied fist into his cheekbone so hard that a resounding crack resonated into the air.

The man fell to the ground with a shattered jaw while Azula glared down at him with enraged golden eyes.

"Touch the girl again and I will castrate every last one of you!" Azula snapped in a beyond imposing voice with her eyes narrowing so callously that even her uncle felt pause.

If Princess Azula threatened mass castration, only a fool would doubt her willingness to follow through with her threat.

Yet it did not stop the Avatar from rushing forward in an attempt to bring her to justice.

Elle pushed herself to her feet with her arm once more around Azula's shoulder.

Only for the sentries to swarm forward before shoving her to the ground once more.

And then the enraged princess found herself being restrained on all sides while she thrashed about in a futile effort to break free.

"Release me at once!" The princess roared with her eyes agape in rage while the soldiers began to haul her off.

"Azula!" The brown-haired woman called out while knocking down rebels in desperation to assist her childhood friend.

Only to find that there were far too many for her to fight all by herself.

And soon she found herself being restrained by her numerous attackers.

Just when it seemed hopeless, she heard a cry of pain from one of the men beside her.

The acrobat turned her head in relief to see the weapons expert had come to her aid.

"Quickly, let's get to Azula." The markswoman stated in a tone of resignation while the acrobat nodded with understanding in her eyes.

Both noblewomen knew that a severe punishment was in store for her for Zoe's murder.

But even that would pale in comparison to what Azula would do to her if she just stood by and watched her capture.

And with that in mind the two continued furiously fighting their way through the Lotus legion.

All the while Zuko watched his sister's capture from above with an expression of conflict in his eyes.

He knew that Azula had to be taken down, but that didn't mean that he wanted to watch her die.

"Quickly! Get Azula aboard the ship!" The Dragon of the West shouted with his fists aflame while he fought against his niece's loyal soldiers.

"Kill everyone that stands in the way of the princess's rescue!" Saro called out just before impaling a man through the neck.

Only for Iroh to grasp ahold of his blade while he glared into the veteran's old eyes just as they began to engage in a desperate struggle for dominance.

"Azula-sama!" Elle yelled in a fretful voice before taking off running after the restrained woman.

Azula turned her head to gaze at the young girl once more with her golden eyes expressing her astonishment over her servant's unwavering devotion.

'My most loyal subordinate…is also my weakest. How ironic.' The princess thought with an outraged hiss before slamming her elbow in one of her attacker's eyes.

But it was all in vain.

Her chi was completely drained as a result of the overuse of her new technique.

"Let her go! You can't take her away from me!" The blonde-haired girl wailed with soldiers holding her back while she tried to climb over them to reach her friend's side.

The rebel army was completely stunned by the teenager trying her hardest to reach the cruel princess.

Even Azula could only stare after the girl with her eyes widening in shock by Elle's devotion.

"I-it can't happen again! I can't watch another person that I love die before my eyes! I won't let it happen again!" Elle protested in a deeply emotional voice with her sorrowful cries carrying out over the battlefield.

The young girl's words took the three women by surprise while they watched their young friend scream over the shoulder of one of the men restraining her.

Soldiers were fighting left and right on all sides.

While Elle fought furiously to reach Azula.

Her eyes were stinging so greatly from her tears that they began to clamp shut.

And then the loyal girl called out to her speechless princess one final time.

"I said let her go! Now!" The blonde-haired girl cried out with her fists balled up in her anger unaware that all eyes on the battlefield were now focused solely on her.

A mysterious wind swept through the air that Aang turning to stare at the young girl with his gray eyes widening in surmounting unease.

This…was what he was sensing earlier!

And then it happened.

An inexplicable energy suddenly blew through the air before all of the soldiers that were attacking the three women were blown away by a burst of glowing white energy.

Azula sunk to her knees with a speechless expression in her widening eyes while stared at her handmaid dropping to the ground on all fours.

Ty Lee was so shocked that her hands fell to her sides while she gazed ahead with bewildered eyes to see that her attackers had been removed by a strange propulsion of energy!

But not just her assailants, both of her friends as well!

Mai's mouth hung open in a rare display of great awe.

Her shock was so great that she didn't even notice that her knife falling to her feet.

Even the Fire Nation soldiers and the stoic Dai Li stood gawking at the baffling scene before them.

Every single White Lotus sentry that had been attacking the princess and her two friends had been repelled by a mysterious force.

Iroh stood frozen in disbelief gazing back at Elle with his golden eyes expressing his disbelief.

And the Avatar himself had been sent skidding backwards by the strange burst of energy.

Far above on the warship Zuko gazed down with his eyes widening in puzzlement.

And on the other side of the battlefield Toph sat on her knees with her mouth hanging open in amazement.

All the while the teenager continued to pound her fists on the ground with her eyes closed repeating the same thing over and over.

"Get away from her!" Elle shouted in a shaken voice while Azula still sat gazing at her with amazed golden eyes.

"Elle…open your eyes. Azula is safe." Ty Lee assured in an astonished voice with her mouth still ajar in awe at the sight of the faint white glow emitting from the girl's body.

"W-what was that?" A White Lotus Sentry asked in a frightened voice while he gazed in confusion at the young girl opening her amber eyes.

The blonde-haired girl gazed ahead with her own eyes widening in surprise while she gazed down at her open palms.

"No way…" Elle breathed in shock while Azula pushed herself to her feet.

The princess took a tired step forward while she stared down at her servant in disbelief before finally regaining her composure.

"How…did you do that Elle?" Azula questioned with her eyes still expressing her surprise.

If she hadn't had seen it with her own two eyes, she wouldn't have believed it.

She would have never expected that her cry baby handmaid had powers of any kind!

"Naoki was right! I thought that she was mistaken when she told me that she wanted to recruit me. She told me that I had a gift…I laughed. I told her that my only talent was a paint brush." The blonde-haired girl spoke with her amber eyes still gaping down at her hands while her friends listened in amazement.

The princess could only gaze down at her young admirer with stunned golden eyes while the two noblewomen came running up behind them.

It was plain to see that the gears were already turning in Azula's mind.

Ty Lee gazed between her adopted sister and Azula's unusually surprised face with a trace of worry in her eyes.

She had no doubt that Azula was already thinking of all of the ways that this would benefit her!

"Explain this to me! Every detail!" The princess demanded with her sweat-stained face already staring down at her pet with imposing golden eyes.

"Azula!" The brown-haired woman scolded while her leader paid her protests no mind.

"I…don't know anything about it really. All I know is that this particular power is passed down through bloodlines. When I die…it will randomly transfer to someone else." Elle answered with her explanation invoking worry in the three women.

Even the princess's regal lips curved into a brief frown after hearing those words.

“This…must be what my mother and father died for.” The blonde-haired girl mumbled to herself while the two noblewomen gazed down at her with sisterly concern in their eyes.

"Elle…I didn't know…" Ty Lee spoke softly with her warm eyes expressing her sadness over the girl's grief regarding her mother's death.

"Young lady, I must ask that you step aside." The Dragon of the West stated once more while he stood up seemingly unharmed by the burst of energy.

"Why?" Elle replied with a frown while she pushed herself to her feet while the Avatar stared back at her with stern eyes.

"So, we can defeat the Fire Nation and bring balance back to the world!" Aang declared in a determined voice while he glared at Azula's cruelly scoffing face.

"And where is Azula-sama's place in this world of yours?" The blonde-haired girl pondered with the three women watching in bafflement when a faint white light began to sweep around all four of them.

"Far away from the Fire Nation throne." Iroh answered without delay while Elle hung her head with her bangs in her eyes.

"In other words, you wish to kill her?" Elle spoke with her hands tightly gripping the straps of her backpack.

The Dragon of the West gazed at his niece's enraged face with a grave countenance.

The old man's silence was all that she needed to know what fate would be in store for her beloved princess.

"What a preposterous question. My answer is obviously no." The blonde-haired girl announced to the surprise of the enemy forces yet her highborn friends had expected such a response.

"What?" The Dragon of the West blurted out in disbelief while the princess smiled smugly before collapsing onto her backside in exhaustion.

"Humph. Nice try Uncle. This one is my most loyal servant. She would never betray me." Azula boasted with a pompous huff while she smirked at her handmaid's back in approval.

Such an interesting turn of events…

Any power that her admirer possessed could be considered hers by default.

"You are afraid of Azula-sama's evolved power…and you wish to dispose of her before she has a chance to recover…and master her abilities further. Is that right?" Elle remarked with her amber eyes gazing ahead at the old man's bewildered face.

The two noblewomen and their princess continued to stare down at their petite friend in rising bafflement over the girl's changing personality.

"Yes! If Azula is allowed to obtain a power that rivals the Avatar State there is no telling what horrors she will inflict upon the world!" Iroh explained with a trace of anger in his usually peaceful voice while Azula's crimson lips curled into a proud smile.

And even Mai and Ty Lee couldn't help but shudder over their leader's clear pride in her new abilities.

“Yep! You have just cause to be afraid. Going to war with Azula-sama is no joke. If you’re not careful she could very well kill every last one of you.” The blonde-haired girl chirped in an almost carefree voice while her big sister's sweatdropped alongside her

"Once more yes! Now please stand aside!" The Dragon of the West repeated with genuine bafflement in his eyes when the girl shook her head.

"I truly hope that all of you survive this war. I hold no ill will against any of you and I wish you all long, prosperous lives. But I will not stand aside." Elle insisted with a small smile while Azula gazed at her in sadistic amusement.

The weapons expert couldn't help but stare down at their strange companion with a sliver of amusement in her stare.

The girl was an odd one, that was for certain.

"How can you say those words and still assist her!" The Avatar demanded with fury in his voice while the girl laughed bitterly under her breath.

"Because at heart I am a selfish person." The blonde-haired girl admitted to the surprise of even her friends before removing her backpack from her shoulder.

Her backpack promptly fell to her feet before she turned to gaze down into the princess's once more bewildered golden eyes.

"I hide my selfishness beneath a smile. After many years of torment and despair I have finally found a place where I belong. And you think that I will throw it all away just because you ask me!" Elle almost snapped before tipping her head back with an expression of apathy in her eyes that took even Azula aback.

"Elle." The brown-haired woman murmured in a surprised voice while the teenager turned to face the now disgusted Avatar.

"You would put your own desires before everyone else?" Aang inquired with anger returning to his once peaceful eyes while Elle managed another bitter chuckle.

Both Mai and Ty Lee were completely stunned by their adopted sister's cynical behavior.

Even the princess herself seemed thrown off by the change in personality.

"In a heartbeat! I will not trade my happiness just because you tell me to!" The blonde-haired girl bellowed with her eyes narrowing while the three women listened in an amazed silence.

And they were even beginning to grow concerned for Elle's wellbeing.

From what they have seen Elle had no combat ability whatsoever, and on top of that, a crippling breathing condition.

And they knew nothing about this strange power of hers that was suddenly coming to the surface!

"Then I have no choice but to go through you!" The Avatar shouted with his bad arm hanging at his side while turned to stare hard at the girl's unraveling energy.

Once more…why did gazing at this young girl send a chill down his spine?

"I think I finally understand why you disgust me! You are such a sanctimonious hypocrite!" Elle roared with a scowl on her usually kind face while her three highborn friends stared at her in complete astonishment.

"W-what do you mean?" Aang asked with his anger giving way to hurt while Elle's lips entrenched into a repulsed thin line.

"You have the gall to believe that you are the sole answer to all of the problems in the world! But you're nothing but a stupid boy born with a preordained power!" The blonde-haired girl snapped before spitting at her feet while the princess gazed at her back with surprised golden eyes.

"Wow Elle." Ty Lee spoke with her eyes agape in disbelief.

This is the first time she has ever seen her this angry!

The venomous condemnation hit Aang harder than any punch ever could.

And even Iroh was staring at the girl with his mouth open in shock over the young girl's angry side.

"We're all selfish here. Azula-sama wishes to rule the world, Mai wishes for her lovers' safety above all else, and you fancy yourself the savior of the entire world and I desire to protect the person that I love even at the cost of your lives." Elle ranted with a bright light beginning to emanate from her body once more.

Even Azula was gazing at her young girlfriend with her crimson lips expressing her surprise over the girl's burst of anger.

The Avatar and his allies stood staring back at the strange girl with unnerved eyes when she continued to glow with a white hue.

"Do you know what you're doing Elle?" Mai inquired with worry in her usually monotone voice while she gazed around at the girl's mysterious protective barrier.

"I don't know." The blonde-haired girl admitted with a twinge of a blush on her cheeks when she sensed her princess staring at her with those brilliant eyes that she adored.

"Well that's unsurprising." Azula snorted with a regal roll of her eyes while her two subordinates stared at the back of her head in disapproval.

"All of my life I have hidden been afraid. I have always been hesitant to face the world. But you give me courage Azula-sama. Perhaps…it was meeting you that brought this about in me." Elle confessed in a return to her bashful voice while Azula gazed at her with a flicker of fondness in her callous eyes.

"That explains it. My greatness must be rubbing off on you." The princess commented with a pompous nod while the other two women rolled their eyes over her gargantuan ego.

"It must. Before I came here, I encountered two fellow survivors of the child hunt." The blonde-haired girl answered before turning away once more while her three friends listened with concern in their eyes.

And the two noblewomen gazed at their leader with questioning eyes.

Neither Mai nor Ty Lee had been aware that Elle had been a victim of a child hunt!

"Naoki wanted vengeance. Katsu wanted the same. But that wasn't what I wanted. I told them that I was searching for something…" Elle trailed off with a reminiscent countenance while Azula listened in a taken aback silence.

"What was it that you were searching for Elle?" The brown-haired woman questioned gently when the younger girl turned to smile over her shoulder.

"Home." The blonde-haired girl announced with her amber eyes gazing over their speechless faces before meeting her princess's stunned golden gaze.

Not even Azula could mouth a reply to such a heartfelt statement.

It was all they could do but gape at the girl when she reeled around to face the Avatar with her smile transforming into a resolute stare.

"And I won't let you take that from me!" The blonde-haired girl bellowed with the three women gawking at her change in disbelief.

The Avatar hardened his gaze before leaping forward with a burst of airbending.

All the while Iroh watched with shocked eyes when Elle took off in a mad sprint straight at Aang.

"W-what is Elle doing!" Ty Lee exclaimed in horror while Azula sat up with her own cold eyes agape in a rare show of concern.

"Foolish girl! Do you even know what your power does!" Azula barked with something akin to concern in her callous voice while she gaped at the sight of the tiny girl charging the Avatar.

Toph blinked her glazed eyes while she 'watched' the young girl dart towards Aang.

"I never would have thought that Sunshine had it in her to be this bold." The blind bandit commented with just a small trace of her usual humor in her voice.

"I don't want to hurt you! You are not my enemy!" Aang shouted with his staff in hand while he watched in alarm when the girl's unnerving energy began to spike.

"I don't know what this power does but I know I can fight you with it! Rieko wouldn't be searching to obtain it if it was useless! So, let's go you!" Elle called out with her little fists balled up at her sides.

The princess quirked a brow in curiosity all the while trying to conceal her barest hints of concern for her young girlfriends' safety.

Yet at the same time…curious to see what the girl's power could do.

"Quickly men! Apprehend Azula!" Iroh ordered with his fists burning brightly only for the princess's soldiers to leap down before her.

"Your orders princess?" Saro inquired with a turn of his head while Azula glanced up with cold golden eyes.

"Kill anyone who gets in your way. And do not like that girl die. If she dies…you die." The princess remarked icily with her words causing the soldiers to shiver.

"U-understood! It will be done!" The lieutenant exclaimed before turning away only after briefly casting the weapons expert a warning glare.

The meaning behind the glance was all too clear to Azula.

House Song was expecting her to punish Mai for murdering their captain.

Azula turned to glare frigidly at Mai's flinching countenance only for her eyes to widen when she snapped her attention back to her loyal servant's charge.

The princess's mouth dropped open in complete bafflement when she watched the girl tip her head back and scream at the top of her lungs.

She almost laughed! It was such a preposterous sight!

That is if she wasn't witnessing a powerful chi exuding from her body!

In that very moment each and every person on the battlefield watched in astonishment when the small girl ran screaming to meet the Avatar in battle.

Only to gape in disbelief when they watched the impossible happen.

Before the Avatar could even so much as release a single blast of bending, they all watched in shock when his airbending died out like a waning flame in the palm of his hand.

"My airbending! Where…did it go!" Aang protested as he fell through midair with his eyes widening in shock.

High above the airship Zuko stood staring down at the scene in disbelief when he watched Aang drop through the air like a bird with a broken wing.

"What happened Aang!" Iroh called out only to watch in horror when the Avatar fell to the ground on all fours.

"I can't bend! W-what did she do to my bending!" The Avatar yelled out with his eyes blinking down at his bare fist only for the small girl to tackle him.

"Did…she just turn off the Avatar's bending?" Mai asked with her tawny eyes widening in awe while she watched her adopted sister comically jump on the stunned Avatar.

"S-she did! H-his flow of chi is completely cut off!" Ty Lee shouted with mutual awe in her eyes while Azula pushed herself to her feet beside her.

The two women turned to stare back into the princess's shocked golden eyes while the sadistic woman observed the scene in amazement.

And it didn't take long for Azula's shock to give way to delight.

"The tiger monkey…is the Avatar's bane?" Azula spoke before erupting into belly shaking laughter while her subordinates gawked at the scene.

"Y-you can't bend at all?" The Dragon of the West stammered with a frightened realization in his eyes while the young girl glared down at the now frightened Avatar.

"No! It's like she turned off a switch and it's gone!" Aang cried out while Azula's smug laughter continued to ring out over the battleground.

"This…can only mean one thing." Iroh breathed with his golden eyes agape in shock while Azula listened closely with a curious gleam in her golden eyes.

"Not so mighty now are you!" The blonde-haired girl growled while she sprung to her feet pointing a finger down at the speechless monk.

"Legend has it that long ago there existed a power that functioned in opposition to the Avatar Cycle. They…called it the Component! They say that the Component had the ability to cut through the Avatar’s spiritual energy! It was said to have vanished over two thousand years ago! But I thought that it was just a myth!" The Dragon of the West shouted with his hands at his sides while everyone listened in utter astonishment.

There wasn't a single person present that wasn't struck by the declaration.

Azula stared at the Avatar staggering to his feet with his eyes agape in horror while her red lips began to quirk into a victorious smile.

The former prince listened to those words with a newfound fear of his sister in his eyes.

This couldn't be!

In all of his life he has never been this frightened of Azula as he is now!

Not only was his sister strong enough to challenge the Avatar State but she was now in possession of the sole person capable of nullifying Aang's powers!

"You don't say Uncle? The Component?" The princess purred in a devious voice while she continued to laugh victoriously.

"Vanished thousands of years ago…if all of this is true…would that mean that somehow Elle has ancestry in our world?” The markswoman pondered in a shocked voice while the princess tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Hm. An interesting thought." Azula spoke with a hand under her chin while she regarded her shouting girlfriend in approval.

She couldn't have picked a more appropriate girlfriend!

"I…can't believe it…Elle…the Avatar's opposition?" The brown-haired woman muttered before swallowing in fear for her little sister's safety.

She could only hope that Azula had wouldn't thrust Elle into harm’s way!

"An opposition to me? B-but how will I defeat Azula and the Fire Lord if she is present to turn off my powers!" The Avatar yelled out in fright while the princess observed in sadistic delight.

"You won't be defeating Azula-sama! As soon as she recovers, she's going to kick your sorry ass to the moon and back!” Elle cried out before pumping a fist in the air while Azula continued to laugh in hearty amusement.

"My sentiments exactly. It would certainly seem as if I am rubbing off on her." The princess commented with a proud smile while her two-childhood friends gazed at her in discomfort.

"S-she's a sweet girl Azula! Please don't take advantage of her!" Ty Lee pleaded with her words causing Azula to turn around and scoff at her.

"Take advantage? Please! I have done nothing but pamper her!" Azula snorted with a roll of her arrogant eyes.

"I beg you to please stand aside so I can restore balance to this world!" Aang pleaded with his arms at his sides while Toph marveled at the scene from the sidelines.

"No way. Sunshine is Twinkle Toe's weakness." Toph muttered with unusual shock in her expression.

"Go restore balance then." The blonde-haired girl scoffed with a defiant voice before gesturing to her princess standing a distance behind her.

"I can't do it without my bending!" The Avatar yelled in rising aggravation while the petite girl mustered her back attempt at a glare.

"You've got your little staff and Azula-sama can't bend right now either. Go on! What's stopping you!" Elle exclaimed in a cynical voice while Aang turned to gaze over at Azula's smugly smirking face with hesitation in his eyes.

All the while everyone on all sides stood watching the confrontation with baffled eyes.

"Yes, do come over Avatar! So, I can tear off your genitals and nail them to your forehead!" The princess bellowed with a violent sneer while her childhood friends shuddered alongside her.

"Uh…w-well…" Aang trailed off with his friends gazing at him in pity while Elle clenched her fists at her side in anger.

"Just like I thought! You don't have the balls to face her on even ground! Get lost! My loyalty is to Azula-sama and Azula-sama alone!" The blonde-haired girl declared with prideful puff of her chest before turning around to rejoin her stunned friends.

"I…still can't believe that Elle is the opposition to the Avatar." The brown-haired woman muttered with her sisterly eyes still agape in awe while she watched the girl pad her way over to the pleased princess's side.

"And to think that we would have never known if I hadn't brought her along." The princess purred with a refined smile on her regal lips while she turned to gaze at her little girlfriend in approval.

"You must listen to me! Please!" The Avatar called out in a frantic voice before reaching out to grasp the girl's wrist by his good hand.

"Let go of me!" Elle cried out only to recoil at Aang's touch while Azula waved her hand for her men to back her up.

"It is the Avatar's duty to bring harmony to the four nations! I was chosen by the spirits almost a century ago! But I ran away like a foolish child and I left my friends behind when they needed me most! And then I abandoned the world a second time for six more years! My…my friend Bumi even died waiting for me! And that's why…that's why I will not turn my back on the world a third time!" Aang pleaded with great emotion overcoming his face while Elle stopped to listen as if she were considering his words.

"So, what you're saying is…that the world needs the Avatar?" The blonde-haired girl questioned with a tilt of her head while the monk rapidly nodded his head.

"Yes, it is the Avatar's responsibility to guide the world towards peace." The Avatar answered in a serious voice while the teenager peered up into his eyes.

"Peace…" Elle trailed off with a thoughtful voice while she briefly turned her eyes away from Aang's gaze.

"Elle, will you help me bring peace and stability to the world?" Aang inquired in an adamant voice with hopeful eyes while Elle stood gazing down at her feet.

For the briefest of moments Azula stood with her lips curving into an annoyed scowl.

She stared hard at the girl with her golden eyes momentarily flashing in a long-hidden fear of betrayal.

After opening up her heart to this girl and letting her get to know her in ways that no one else ever has.

After giving this peasant girl the greatest gift of all…her trust!

Elle had better not turn her back on her now!

Not after all that she has done for her!

In that very moment Elle turned to meet Azula's gaze while the princess stared back expectantly at her with narrowing golden eyes.

The teenager's lips began to crease into a thin line all the while recalling the princess's words from that day at the port.

Don't be so afraid to be yourself. Be proud of who you are.

The words from that fateful moment in time continued to play in her mind while Aang gazed down at her with an optimistic smile once more returning to his lips.

Only for each and every person present to stare on with captivated eyes when Elle suddenly slapped Aang's hand away from her wrist.

And Team Azula watched in astonishment when the girl followed that up by knocking the monk's staff from his burned hand.

The staff dropped to the ground at their feet with a resounding thud while Aang gaped down at the girl with disbelieving eyes.

Iroh stood off to the side observing the ensuing conflict with horrified golden eyes while the girl's shouts began to ring into the air once more.

Zuko and Pakku also stood frozen with their mouths agape in shock.

"No matter what you say I will not betray Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl insisted with uncharacteristic anger in her voice while the Avatar stared down at her in disbelief.

The princess stood on exhausted legs with her golden eyes gazing at her companion in ever rising wonderment.

And somewhere deep inside of her cruel heart she felt a growing appreciation for this young peasant girl from another world.

No one…has ever expressed such undying devotion to her before.

It was surreal.

Yet pleasant all the same.

The acrobat turned to the princess's stunned face with the barest hints of a warm smile appearing on her lips.

While she had her concerns for Azula obtaining even greater power.

There was no doubt in her mind that Elle's sweet hearted loyalty was for Azula's own good.

"Elle! How can you be this selfish!?" The Avatar demanded in an utterly furious voice before snatching ahold of the girl's shirt.

As soon as Aang put his hand on Elle the three highborn women were already moving forward to the girl's defense.

And most curious of all was the fact that Azula was the first to spring forward.

The princess's golden eyes were flashing with an aggressive protectiveness at the sight of seeing her enemy manhandle her young girlfriend.

Only for the three to halt in surprise when the girl swiftly struck her flat palm into the monk's cheek.

The monk stumbled back in surprise while his head whipped to the side while the three women watched with taken aback eyes.

And then Aang released a sharp cry of pain when Elle followed up with a merciless kick to his groin.

All males present felt a phantom pain in their lower regions when the Avatar dropped onto his back crying out in pain.

Such a sight was just as shocking to Team Azula as learning that their fragile friend held the key to an ancient power!

"I told you not to touch me! Harmony my ass! You're just as selfish as everyone else!" Elle roared with a glower of disgust on her lips while she scoffed down at Aang’s shocked face.

The three women stood gawking at the scene in shock.

And each of them had a similar thought running through their minds.

This young girl that they have all come to feel a need to protect was learning to protect herself.

And in some way or another they all found themselves pleased by their young friends' growth.

And strangely enough, no one more so than Azula.

'Is this what it feels like to have pride in someone else?' Azula thought with her mouth still entrenched into an expression of astonishment.

"Maybe you're the problem! Maybe the world doesn't need you! Look at all of these people just standing around waiting for you to solve their problems! Maybe, just maybe! The Avatar is hindering human development! Maybe if you took a hike for good the other nations would learn how to handle their problems without you!" The blonde-haired girl snapped with her amber eyes glaring down into the monk's hurt eyes.

The soldiers on both sides had even paused in their individual battles to gaze at the young girl in shock.

And even though none of the White Lotus wanted to admit it aloud, some couldn't help but ponder that the girl had a valid point.

"I implore you to listen to what we have to say! Azula is not what you think she is!" Iroh called out with desperation in his old eyes while Elle turned to glare at him.

"She may not be a friend to you but she is a friend to me! I'm on Team Azula and if you don't like it you can kiss my ass!" Elle declared with a scowl before turning around to dart back over to the princess's side.

The princess watched the girl run back over with the shock in her cold eyes giving way to amusement before erupting into approving laughter once more.

"Did you hear that Ty Lee?" Azula spoke with boundless satisfaction in her voice while the acrobat sighed fondly alongside her.

"I heard it Azula." Ty Lee replied with a chuckle while she watched the girl run back over to rejoin them.

All the while Toph couldn't help but release an amused chuckle of her own.

If only because she understood where Elle was coming from.

"That's the spirit Sunshine! Let it all out!" The blind bandit snickered even while her allies glared in her direction.

"Toph!" Several voices berated in unison while the girl slid to a stop before the smirking princess.

Though Azula did realize that the earthbender had a point.

She was well aware that the girl has been keeping her emotions pent up ever since the moment she met her.

It hadn't escaped her notice that while Elle was genuinely happy the majority of the time that she spent in the girl's company.

Up until now the girl was concealing her anger and sadness beneath the mask of an eternal smile.

"So, you're going to stand as our enemy?!" The Dragon of the West demanded with a grim look in his eyes while the girl held a fist high above her head.

"Damn right I am! Any enemy of the princess is my enemy!" The blonde-haired girl yelled with her chest puffing out while the princess gazed down at her in approval.

"The Component? This is horrible! Can this possibly get any worse!" The waterbending master exclaimed with shock in his voice while the former prince swallowed fearfully beside him.

"I will bring balance to this world! Even if I have to go through you to do it!" The Avatar shouted after shakily pushing himself to his feet while the teenager pointed an angry finger back at him.

"To hell with your balance and your Avatar Cycle! Let's have imbalance! Defeat the Fire Lord you say? Defeat Azula-sama you say! Take a good hard look at me Avatar! I'm your worst enemy!" Elle announced with a snarl while the three women gazed down at her in amazement.

Aang and all of the White Lotus could only stare on in horror when the bright chi burst from the girl once more.

The Fire Nation soldiers and the Dai Li also stood marveling at both the young girl's newfound power and words.

"You better be afraid Avatar! Because my name is Elle Turner! Daughter of Lana Turner! One of the Rosewood Three and as long as I draw breath, I will stand beside Azula-sama!” The blonde-haired girl concluded with a resolute countenance while thrusting a clenched fist high in the air.

The princess quirked a brow while peering down at her young companion with a hand curled up beneath her chin.

"Elle Turner is it now?" Azula commented with a margin of fondness in her strict voice while she continued to study the girl's chi in astonishment.

Who would have thought that the Avatar's greatest weakness was hiding right before her very eyes!

"That's so Azula-sama." Elle answered in a calmer voice with her loyal eyes gazing up at Azula's beautiful countenance.

"Do you feel better now that you got all of that out of your system?" Mai questioned in her usual deadpan voice while she blinked down at the younger girl in puzzlement.

"As a matter of fact, I do!" The blonde-haired girl chirped with a grin while the three women stared down at her in amusement.

"What brought all of that on little sister?" Ty Lee pondered with a tilt of her head while placing a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder.

"Azula-sama told me to be proud. She inspired me to be open with my feelings." Elle admitted softly with a twinge of pink on her cheeks while Azula eyed her closely.

It was a truly jarring statement to both Mai and Ty Lee.

This was the first time that they have ever heard of Azula inspiring anything that didn't involve cruelty!

"I suppose I did say that didn't I?" The princess sighed with her finger sweeping her sweaty bangs from her eyes before turning to glare in the direction of her uncle.

Evidently the older waterbender had been wrong about Iroh being in the Misty Palms Oasis.

The old fool must have changed course when he received word that Zoe was hunting and killing his soldiers.

"You leave me no alternative Azula. Whatever happens from here on out is on your head." Iroh informed in a warning voice with his lips pursed into a scowl while Azula's golden eyes narrowed dangerously.

The meaning of the old man's words was obvious to all three women.

The acrobat could only stare at the back of her leader's head with angered brown-gray eyes.

Now Elle was going to be an open target for capture and maybe even assassination!

Her worst fears were confirmed when she rounded around just in time to see sentries rushing towards them.

Heading straight for her young friend!

The small blonde took a fearful step backwards only to watch with moved amber eyes when the tired princess sprang forward with the ferocity of a protective lover.

Both the Avatar and the former general watched in shock when the princess savagely restrained the first man around the neck while she glared down at him with merciless golden eyes.

The two noblewomen swallowed a stunned gasp while they protectively pushed the petite girl behind them.

"And this poor fool's life is on you. Watch closely Uncle. You're next." Azula hissed in a glacial voice with her toned arms brutally crushing the writhing man's wind pipe.

Zuko gripped the rail of the warship while he stared down at the scene with shuddering golden eyes.

Just before turning away when the man's knife slipped from his fingers and dropped into the dirt at his feet.

Crack!

The other soldiers stood frozen in their tracks when their comrade fell face first into the dirt while the ruthless woman glared back at them with terrifying golden eyes.

"A-Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl squeaked in a mousy voice with her sentimental amber eyes averting her eyes from the slain rebel.

While the sweat soaked princess stood staring icily back at the now terrified enemy army.

"E-eh…well it looks like you're in good hands Elle." The brown-haired woman stammered with a gulp while the princess's merciless gaze swept across every soldier's fearful face.

In that moment Toph turned to 'gaze' at the White Lotus command with anger in her eyes.

'So that's what this has come down to? Murdering a young girl for being on the opposing side?' The blind bandit thought before turning away to scoff in disgust.

"Anyone that tries to touch my girl will be bathed in blue fire!" The princess roared before springing forward at her shocked enemies.

“Azula’s girl?” The Dragon of the West repeated with a horrible realization in his voice.

"S-she's a monster!" A White Lotus Sentry cried out while the two noblewomen sweatdropped as they watched him turn and run away.

Even when she was wounded and drained of all her chi Azula was still a force to be reckoned with!

The former general quickly regained his composure before hardening his eyes while he sprinted straight for his exhausted niece.

Azula's fierce battle roar echoed into the air while she savagely kicked a man to the ground.

At her boot was several stray teeth and a small blood stain.

Saro and his soldiers were ruthlessly fighting their way through the enemy legion while the Dai Li continued to slay men left and right.

The Avatar grasped his staff before he took off running towards the teenager while her big sisters stood defensively above her.

"If you won't cooperate then I will just have to take you by force! Maybe then you'll listen to reason and-" Aang shouted only to be cut off when he was sent soaring backwards by a burst of ominous bright light.

And the White Lotus could only stare on in shock to see that the Avatar was truly powerless in the presence of this girl!

"Stay away from me and my family!" Elle announced with her little fists clenched at her sides while her big sisters gaped down at her in awe.

"If you would only give us a moment to explain ourselves you would see that there is truth to what we are saying!" Iroh bellowed with his eyes agape in shock while Azula viciously slammed her body into his side.

"The moment my bending returns I am going to break your back Uncle. After that…I will bring you back to parade you and the broken Avatar through the streets of the Capital!" Azula snarled with her callous golden eyes staring back into her uncle's while he slid back in the dirt.

The declaration hit Zuko like lightning in the chest while he gazed down at his sister with newfound horror in his eyes.

"W-we should retreat Iroh! This isn't worth the risk!" Another commanding officer yelled out while he gazed fearfully between the frightening princess and the young girl releasing powerful bursts of mysterious chi.

"You don't scare me! Now get away from Azula-sama or I will not hesitate to fight you!” The blonde-haired girl cried out to the disbelief of her friends while she narrowed her eyes back at the stunned Avatar.

“Fight? I thought you were a pacifist?” The markswoman asked in astonishment while gazing down at the girl in shock.

"Three weeks ago, I had nothing. I…was alone. I was lost in the world in search of something…somewhere to belong. A man approached me, and he said that he had a job for me. I said that I wasn't interested and then he hit me hard across the cheek. He would have taken me but then a royal litter passed us by. S-she saved me!" Elle explained in mid pant while her sister's and even Azula listened in a taken aback silence.

The two noblewomen were so stricken by the girl's description of when she first laid eyes on Azula.

The acrobat couldn't help but stare down at the girl with tears in her eyes.

She had no doubt that Azula didn't even notice Elle on that fateful day. That moment in time meant nothing to Azula, but to Elle it meant the world!

"And so, I sat there…so I could watch her walk by every day. And…she protected me without even knowing it. And then…just when I was about to slip away a woman stood over me…that person was Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl shouted with her golden locks sticking to her cheeks while her friends and enemies stood in a transfixed silence.

All the while any thoughts the White Lotus had of convincing Elle to join their side began to rapidly soar out of the metaphorical window when the girl's furious cries resonated over the battlefield.

Team Azula gazed on in amazement when the petite girl leaped to her feet with her fists balling up before her in a stunning display of uncharacteristic rage.

"S-she gave me a roof over my head, food, water, and a bed! S-she put this bow around my neck! She brushed my hair! She held me when I was afraid! And she gave me a home! I don't care what you people say to me! I don't care if you’re at war with her! I will not turn my back on her! And I won’t give up that home for any of you!” Elle screamed with her chi surging to astonishing levels while it swept over the three speechless women.

"Elle…" The brown-haired woman trailed off in a heartfelt voice while the girl's mysterious power continued to surge while the Avatar was sent skidding backwards on both feet.

Aang held his arms over his face while he gaped at the girl just when the earth began to shake beneath their feet.

Only for Iroh to grasp him by the wrist before he took off sprinting to their airship while Azula's forces watched them retreat.

The princess glanced down at her feet with her golden eyes widening in realization while the remaining landmines continued to explode underground.

"Princess! We must leave! Someone detonated the entire minefield!" Saro advised with fear in his eyes while Azula stood scowling in understanding.

Before turning her ruthless gaze back to Mai's flinching face with her cold gaze warning of a severe punishment to come.

There was only one person with remote control over the minefield!

"That's right! You better run! Because there's more where that came from!" The blonde-haired girl called out with a fist held high above her head while the three women sweatdropped in amusement.

It went without saying that even Azula found herself taken aback by the girl's wilder side.

Elle took a tired step forward with her hands on her knees while she panted for air.

And yet she was smiling once more.

Smiling because her princess's golden eyes had swept over her in approval.

And that was victory enough for her.

And that was when it happened.

The princess broke out into a full run to rejoin her companions only for her boot to fall straight through the collapsing ground.

The preceding events seemed to happen in slow motion.

Azula's boots began to slip through the eroding ground only to snap her alarmed eyes upward when a small body slammed into her stomach.

The princess landed on her backside only to find herself gazing on in shock to see her young companion plunging through the ground in her place.

"Elle!" Ty Lee yelled out in alarm while she dropped to the ground to grasp the girl's hand.

The acrobat watched helplessly when her hand just barely grazed the younger girl's fingers.

She could only watch in shock while the girl fell through the open earth just when Mai arrived over her shoulder with her own mouth agape in sorrow.

And Azula sat on her bottom staring down into the pit with something akin to regret in her golden eyes.

Not a single word was uttered when the soldiers rushed to a stop around them.

There was nothing but silence while the three speechless women gazed down into the dark hole.

Even the sounds of the exploding landmines were but an afterthought.

And then…silence.

#Azula #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #ty lee avatar #mai avatar #femslash

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grither55 · 4 years

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The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 25 - Night Terrors

Nearly one week later into the hunt for the Avatar.

It was late at night and Azula was sleeping comfortably in her emperor sized canopy bed.

Her personal chambers aboard the ship had been fit to her liking.

Meaning that it was decorated just as lavishly as back home within the palace.

The princess was sleeping quietly with a content smile upon her lips.

Only to be rudely torn from her sleep by a hesitant knock on her chamber door.

And just like that Azula’s eyes snapped open with her golden eyes agape in simply murderous wrath.

“Who is it!? You had better have a damn good reason for waking me up! If this doesn’t involve the Avatar I will…” Azula bellowed with a venomous bite to her voice only to trail off when she heard a soft cry behind her door.

The princess slapped a hand over her forehead while she groaned under her breath.

She knew well enough that there was only one person who would ever so much as consider coming to cry to her door.

And try as she might she felt a sliver of grudging concern to hear the girl making such miserable sobs.

Ever since she had first begun to express a romantic interest in the girl, she had known that it would only be a matter of time before she started trying to worm her way into her bed.

“A-Azula-sama? C-can I come in?” Elle stammered with tears in her eyes while she shifted on the other side of the door.

Before Azula knew it, she was sitting up with her lips pursing into a moody scowl while her bare feet touched upon her floor.

All the while grumbling under her breathe about how her girlfriend was a cry baby.

'I can't just leave her to cry at my door! If anyone sees her…people will start to think that Princess Azula coddles her handmaids!' The princess thought before she began stomping across her chamber floor.

The small girl stood in her night robes twiddling her thumbs with a saddened countenance.

Then the young girl almost jumped when the large door was thrown open.

And she found herself peering up at her master's beautifully angered visage.

For reasons that Azula couldn't explain she felt her anger begin to ebb the moment that she gazed down into Elle's almost traumatized amber eyes.

She couldn't help but wonder what got the girl so shaken up.

"Ugh! Just come in before someone sees you!" Azula hissed while she grasped the collar of the sniffling girl's shirt before pulling her in like a puppy that she was about to punish.

And then Elle noticeably flinched when the door slammed behind her caretaker all the while finding herself being pulled across the floor of the older girl's quarters.

"S-sumimasen…" The blonde-haired girl murmured while she listened to the tired woman grunt in annoyance above her.

"Would you quit your blubbering?" The princess spoke with an irate frown while she turned to glare down at her girlfriend's annoyingly depressed face.

Whereas she was usually able to halt the girl's crying with but one order.

Much to her increased aggravation her intended only began to cry even more!

"I-I am trying Azula-sama." Elle stuttered while Azula rolled her lovely golden eyes above her.

"You are not trying hard enough! Just get in the bed!" Azula grumbled with her arms folded over her breasts while the girl pitifully wiped at her wet eyes.

"Y-you are really going to let me lay in your bed?" The blonde-haired girl questioned in an awestruck voice while she gulped under her princess's utterly imposing death glare.

"I said get in the bed now!" The princess shouted with a foul tempered scowl on her features just when blue flames sparked from her palms while the tiny girl quivered under her stare.

"Yes Azula-sama! A-as you command!" Elle cried out before scurrying over the side of the massive bed while Azula observed her scampering with a pleased smirk.

"Now sit still! Don't you move another muscle until I get in the bed. You must always wait for me before you lay down. You will yield the entirety of the bed to me and only lay where I say you can lay." Azula ordered in a domineering voice while she stood looming over her fearfully seated pet.

"Y-yes master. I will never lay down without your permission!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed with another sniffle while her master scrunched up her nose in distaste over her tears.

"Good girl." The princess sighed before seating herself beside the girl while she turned to peer down at her little girlfriend's saddened face.

"Will you hold me Azula-sama?" Elle requested in a shy voice while Azula sat above her with her lips curving downward in disapproval.

"If it will make you stop your bawling..." Azula grumbled before reaching out to pull the smaller girl into her arms just while Elle fell face first into her cleavage.

The princess peered down at the small girl seeking haven in her breasts before falling back onto her pillow in the center of her bed.

Only this time she had a young girl crying in her arms.

She glanced down at her petite girlfriend before sighing once again while she leaned over before placing a hand on the little blonde's side.

"How did you find your way to my chamber?" Azula asked in an aloof voice while she stared down at the girl as if she was a bother.

Never wanting to admit that the girl's tears struck a chord within her.

"I-I was wandering around looking for you and I bumped into Ty Lee. She…walked me here and ran off before you opened the door." The blonde-haired girl admitted in a quiet voice while the princess glanced down at her with her golden eyes narrowing in aggravation.

'How kind of you Ty Lee!' The princess thought with a growl before turning her gaze back down to her saddened pet.

"Did she now? So, what's your newest reason for crying like a baby?" Azula questioned in a haughty voice while she managed a scowl over her intended's tears.

Instead of getting a reply she just sighed when the girl released another torn-up cry.

"Did someone do something to you?" The princess demanded in a snarl while she brushed her well manicured fingernails against her little girlfriend's cheek.

Curious as it was. She intended to keep her promise to protect the girl.

She belonged to her after all…

"N-no." Elle murmured with her face burrowing into the opened chest of Azula's robes while the princess continued to hover over her in a way that comforted her.

"Then why are you crying my pet?" Azula purred in a silken voice before bending her neck to press her chin upon the top of her pretty pet's blonde head.

"I-I had a bad dream." The blonde-haired girl admitted timidly with another sniffle while the mighty princess stroked her cheek in a gentle manner that soothed her fears.

"About what little pet?" The princess cooed in a patient voice reserved for her little intended alone while she leaned down lower to peer into the girl's misty eyes.

"W-will you mark me again Azula-sama?" Elle requested with wetness on her fair cheeks while Azula managed to quirk a charming smile down at her.

To a woman like Azula who craved absolute control, those were very pleasing words to hear.

"I suppose I could. You crave my dominance. Don't you?" Azula spoke in an alluring voice while she pulled the smaller girl closer to her face.

"I…do." The blonde-haired girl answered in a mousy little voice while she began to cheer up when the princess pressed her nose above her brows before she snorted like a possessive dragon.

"What did you dream about?" The princess questioned with her nostrils releasing a puff of air while she glared down at her quivering girlfriend in a domineering fashion.

"My…m-mother's death." Elle confessed with a stutter while Azula glanced into her eyes with surprised golden eyes.

And then the princess recovered from her momentary shock before growling above her little intended's shivering brows.

"I see. But even so. The past cannot harm you now." Azula snarled with her palms cupping Elle's crying cheeks while she peered down at the girl's sorrowful face.

"She…died protecting me when I was five years old." The blonde-haired girl revealed in a far-off voice while the princess stared down at her with shocked eyes.

Even as cruel of a woman as Azula was. She knew better than utter any words of mockery about her girlfriend's long-gone mother.

Especially now that she knows that she gave her life for the girl under unknown circumstances.

"This is the first time that you've told me this." The princess remarked in an honest attempt at being nicer while she continued to peer into her handmaid's sad eyes.

"That's…because I don't like to talk about it…or even think about it." Elle mumbled before retreating into Azula's neck while she managed a small smile when the princess pulled her closer.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Azula inquired in an awkward voice while she trailed her fingers through her little girlfriend's hair.

"Do you remember how I told you…that while I don't know if there are any benders back in my homeland…that I have met a woman who has been gifted with powers?" The blonde-haired girl spoke softly much to the older girl's curiosity.

"I do. You've told me about this…Rieko several times now." The princess commented before sliding lower to exhale in her petite pet's eyes.

"Oh, there's more people with unique abilities than just Rieko. I have met a few others besides her." Elle answered in a timid voice while she delighted in how Azula's hot breath swept over her face.

The small girl released a soft giggle when her blonde hair was blown from her eyes by a light puff of air from the princess's exhaling nostrils.

As bizarre as it was…she really enjoyed it when her princess marked her!

She really did!

"A few? Such a high number." Azula taunted with a mocking snort before she released a dominant growl in Elle's meek little face.

"W-well in all fairness Azula-sama. It doesn't matter if it is a low number. Not if their quality trumps quantity." The blonde-haired girl insisted before quivering pleasantly when the princess pressed her forehead against hers.

"Foolish peasant. If and when I should ever lay my own eyes on any of these people, I will be the judge of their quality." The princess stated with a domineering snarl while she purposefully exhaled in her little girlfriend's intimidated face.

How she adored it when Elle trembled as if she were a Fire Goddess come to life.

"Y-yes Azula-sama." Elle muttered with a slight blush while Azula clutched her cheeks in a stern fashion before she growled above her nose once again.

"Continue your story little girlfriend." Azula sighed with her crimson lips still blowing warm air in Elle's eyes while she smiled down at her petite girlfriend.

"O-oh princess…I am so happy to be yours." The blonde-haired girl spoke in a bashful voice while her heart raced when the princess released a deep growl with hot air tickling against her cheek.

All the while Azula lay with her controlling golden eyes literally pressing into her own pleasantly widened amber eyes.

"And I am pleased to have you all too myself." The princess replied with a suave smirk while she continued to stroke her handmaid's soft golden locks.

The small girl peered up at the princess with a calmer countenance before chewing on her lip while she mulled over how to word what she went through.

"When I was littler. There was…a child hunt for anyone thought to be gifted with powers." Elle admitted in a return to a more somber voice while Azula listened with taken aback golden eyes.

That…was not what she had been expecting the girl to say.

"My family got caught up in the midst of it all. They tried to take me away…and my m-mother was wounded protecting me. I…tried to carry her on my shoulder but I was too weak. She…told me to run and find my father. And so, I ran…and my mother was killed. Soon after that…I found my father's dead body…they killed him as well." The blonde-haired girl explained in a solemn voice with a tear streaming down her cheek while the princess listened in as speechless silence.

Once more Azula found herself mulling over how there was more to Elle than meets the eye.

The girl carries herself as simple.

But now she was beginning to think that Elle did so as a façade to run away from the past.

"M-my mother died for me and I couldn't make it in time to help my father. I-I am just a dud. There's nothing special about me." Elle concluded in a broken voice while tried to avoid meeting Azula's displeased golden gaze.

Azula's lips creased into a scowl before leaning in stare into Elle's wettened eyes with her breath sweeping over her young companion's fair skin.

"Are you calling your princess a dud?" Azula demanded in a frigid voice while she glared directly into Elle's surprised little eyes.

"What? No Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl cried out in a still fretful voice before sinking into the princess's protective hold while warm air continued to tickle her cheek.

"I think you are! Because you dare to imply that I, Princess Azula would be interested in a dud! And I will not tolerate such an insult!" The princess barked in her little girlfriend's intimidated face before pulling the girl deeper into her pillow.

"S-sumimasen Azula-sama! Sumimasen!" Elle exclaimed with a revived smile reappearing back on her lips while Azula stroked the back of her head.

"You had better be girl! Because if you're a dud than so am I! And I am most certainly not a dud." Azula scoffed in a haughty voice before leaning in to bump foreheads with her emotional companion.

"Arigatou gozaimasu…" The blonde-haired girl mumbled timidly while she turned red when their foreheads connected in a gentle embrace.

All the while she felt the princess's fingertip brush her tears from her eyes while she smiled back up into the older girl's stern eyes.

"That's my girl. Now worry no more about duds…" The princess trailed off with a charmingly smile before patting her pet atop her golden head.

"Yes Azula-sama." Elle whined with a calmed smile while she lay peering back into Azula's controlling golden eyes.

"You are a needy little thing…but you are my needy little thing." Azula remarked with a sigh while she tenderly held the girl's forehead to her own.

"That's so! I am Her Highness's girl!" The blonde-haired girl chirped with a blush while strong hands pulled her closer.

Just when her face was sternly smashed even deeper into the princess's own while she shivered in delight when the woman released another imposing growl.

"How many times must I mark you before you understand that you belong to me?" The princess commented with her eyes narrowing into a terrifying stare while her little handmaid trembled in the palms of her hands.

"M-mark me as many times as you see fit Azula-sama. I-I don't mind!" Elle stuttered with a sunny smile while she blushed when Azula leaned in to snarl against her cheek.

"I like that answer…such a good submissive." Azula spoke with another dominant snort that blew Elle's blonde tresses from her little amber eyes.

"O-oh Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl swooned in a lovesick voice while she began to smile brightly when the princess rubbed her forehead against her own.

"I own you." The princess hissed with her golden eyes agape in a display of absolute dominance while her little girlfriend lay submissively in her embrace.

"You own me. You are my master…my dominant." Elle agreed with a bashful smile while strong arms wrapped around her small back.

"I have laid claim to you! You are now mine now girl!" Azula bellowed without warning in Elle's shaking face before snorting loudly against her pet's lovely cheek once more.

"I-I am yours Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl cried out before blushing adorably when the princess tenderly kissed her upon her forehead.

The teenager sunk into the plush pillow with her heart racing as fast as can be while the princess continued to gently brush her fingers through her hair.

"Humph. Damn right you are." The princess grumbled with her lips still gently pressing into her little handmaid's forehead while the young girl smiled serenely in her arms.

"M-my princess right." Elle mumbled in a lovelorn fashion before laughing sweetly when Azula kissed her upon the nose.

"Now I trust that you are through crying for the night?" Azula sighed with her lips softly brushing against the fair skin that was her little handmaid's nose.

"Yes Azula-sama. I won't cry anymore…because I know that you will protect me." The blonde-haired girl assured in a timidly spoken voice while the princess's muscular arms continued to crush her in a mighty embrace.

"That I will my pet. That I will." The princess cooed in a honeyed voice before patting her blushing pet atop her little head.

"My alpha…" Elle whined in a puppylike voice before scooting to cuddle in her princess's bosom only to squeak in surprise when Azula sternly shoved her face first into her soft breasts.

"You seek my breasts is that right? So be it." Azula remarked with her hands clamping down on the back of Elle's head while she shoved her little girlfriend's face in between her breasts.

"A-Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl mewled with her face pressing into her princess's plush bosom.

"Mine." The princess growled out in a possessive voice while she crushed her little intended into her open cleavage.

"I…belong to you princess." Elle spoke with a gentle smile before laying her head upon a comfortable breast.

And so, the young girl lay in the powerful princess's arms while long fingertips danced through her golden hair.

While she began to yawn in a sleepy manner while the older female continued to stare down at her with a softened stare.

And with that Azula managed a content sigh all the while brushing her fingers through the girl's hair.

Such a lovely little dear…

And she had her all to herself.

"Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl requested in a muffled voice only to yawn in mid speech.

"What is it now Elle?" Azula questioned in stern voice with her palms still holding Elle into her warm chest.

"I am overjoyed that you find me snuggable." Elle answered with another noisy yawn while she listened to Azula scoff above her.

"Only marginally." The princess snorted in her usual pompous voice while she began to close her eyes at long last.

"That's enough for me. This is all I need." The blonde-haired girl murmured in a sleepy voice while she felt the princess's strong arms pull her in.

"Go to sleep now. Or I will punish you." Azula declared with a smile on her lips while she stroked her little intended's blonde locks.

"Oyasumi nasai Azula-sama." Elle whispered before closing her eyes while Azula never released her grip on the back of her head.

"Oyasumi nasai Elle." The princess responded with her lips curving into a fond grin while the sound of the girl breathing serenely flowed into her ears.

With her arms tightly wrapped around her favorite handmaid she began to drift off once more into a peaceful sleep.

Very soon Azula was sleeping with a content smile while she protectively held Elle into her chest.

And all throughout the night the princess never once released the girl from her possessive grip.

And whenever Elle began to fearfully murmur in her sleep Azula would subconsciously press down upon the back of her little head.

And with that the teenager's cries were effectively silenced by her princess's strong embrace.

The princess and the peasant had become closer than they could have ever predicted.

Their bond was already an unbreakable one.

One that was strong enough to overcome space and time itself.

And whatever else may come.

#Azula #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #femslash #ty lee avatar #mai avatar

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grither55 · 4 years

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The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula epic) - Chapter 2 - We Meet Again

It has been six years since she struck down the Avatar in the Crystal Catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se.

For a year or two she had truly begun to think that her suspicions had been wrong, and that the Avatar was truly dead.

That is until she heard reports of various sightings of a small group of rebels traveling with a comatose boy over the last few years. From then on, she knew that he was out there, somewhere.

Five years ago, it had come to her attention that her escaped fuddy duddy uncle was the leader of a secret society called the Order of the White Lotus.

From there she was able to connect her tea loving uncle to the rebels in question. It was then that she realized that Iroh was aiding and abetting the rebels in evading capture.

Needless to say, they are no longer a secret society. And they have since come to know her wrath.

After that she investigated further, and discovered that the rebels were preparing an invasion on the Day of the Black Sun.

Well, now the Day of the Black Sun has come and passed.

And the Avatar has been revealed...alive.

Just as she suspected all of those years ago.

The Avatar got away and her pathetic brother as well.

It didn't truly surprise her that Zuko turned traitor.

Yet it still produced a sense of disgust from within her.

The princess was currently striding through Royal Caldera City when she suddenly turned her head when she caught a familiar figure moving through the crowds.

Her piercing golden eyes zoned in on the peasant girl while her lips pursed into a frown.

‘She’s just a peasant…so why does this girl plague my mind?’ Azula thought as she gazed at the young girl through the corner of her eye.

Just as quickly as the blonde caught her gaze the girl averted her eyes before turning away with her eyes glued to her feet.

“Peasant.” The princess called out sharply with the small blonde pausing in her footstep while they stood mere paces apart.

Many other peasants in the market briefly paused in their activities when Azula’s voice rang into the air.

Most likely due to a fear of angering their princess in the unlikely event that she was addressing one of them.

“Y-yes princess?” The blonde-haired girl answered softly while grasping at her shirt shyly as she began to twiddle her thumbs once more.

“Are you following me? It seems…strange that I keep running into you.” Azula spoke in her usual stern voice while turning to gaze at the timid girl.

“N-no! I’m not following you princess.” Elle responded as her heart began to beat faster when the domineering girl approached her back.

“That’s a blatant lie and you know it.” The princess sneered as she now stood looming over the tiny girl.

She wasn’t certain just why she was wasting her time speaking to this peasant girl.

Perhaps she was intrigued by her bashful nature.

This girl may very well be the meekest person that she’s ever met.

“I…apologize. You are correct. I was following you…but not with malicious intent.” The blonde-haired girl mumbled while shaking as she heard the older girl snort in amusement.

“You couldn’t harm me even if you wanted to.” Azula scoffed while folding her arms over her breasts as she stared at the girl’s back.

“No…no I could not. You…you are so strong princess.” Elle agreed with admiration in her voice that seemed to pique the older girl’s interest.

“There is no one stronger. Now why are you following me today?” The princess queried in a seemingly disinterested tone as she tilted her head regally.

“I…just…wanted to see if you were okay.” The blonde-haired girl answered to the taller girl’s bafflement as she still gazed down at her feet.

“See…if I am okay?” Azula repeated with clear surprise in her voice as she stood staring at the peasant girl in disbelief.

“There…was an invasion yesterday. I…was worried that they may have hurt you. I…am relieved to see that they haven’t.” Elle admitted while turning to finally peer up at the elegant young woman’s surprised face.

“You…were worried for my safety? That’s why you followed me?” The princess questioned in a break from her usual cruel voice.

Yet another first.

This was the first time that anyone has expressed such genuine concern for her wellbeing.

“That’s so. Your Highness.” The blonde-haired girl stated with a warm smile on her lips as she gazed up at the princess’s lovely face.

“Once more you waste your time. I am not wounded so easily.” Azula remarked in a return to her colder voice while the girl turned away grasping at her backpack strap.

“I…know. But I still needed to see for myself. Have a good day princess.” Elle spoke as she began to slowly walk away while Azula gazed after her with curious golden eyes.

“What is your name peasant?” The princess pondered as her sharp voice cut through the air like a whip.

The younger girl paused with her eyes widening in surprise as she clutched at her bag with a joyous grin adorning her visage.

“E-Elle. My name is Elle.” The blonde-haired girl declared while the princess stared at the back of her head while holding a hand to her chin.

“Well peasant…if you are going to follow after me like a lost puppy then I may as well make use of you. Come walk with me.” Azula announced while gesturing for the smaller girl to follow after her.

Then to the princess’s puzzlement a cry of joy pierced the air.

“Y-yes princess!” Elle cheered with an innocent grin on her lips as she began bouncing after the stoic woman.

‘What a strange girl.’ The princess thought while eying her seeming admirer with cold golden eyes.

“Obedient. I like that…” Azula trailed off while tracing her finger along her chin as they walked through the market.

It did not escape her notice that the petite girl’s mood brightened the longer that she spoke to her.

“I have always been courteous…” The blonde-haired girl answered while briefly peering back at the much taller girl’s stony countenance.

“Pick any fire lilies today?” The princess asked in an almost taunting voice while observing the peasant’s face turn crimson.

“N-no, Your Highness. I have not.” Elle stuttered as she trailed alongside Azula with the older female watching her closely.

The royal’s lips curved into a smirk as she began to muse that this girl may amusing to keep around.

If nothing else it was another way to pass the boring day by.

“I am going to purchase a few things…you will carry the bags. Understood?” Azula purred in a domineering voice while Elle blushed once more under her stern glare.

“Yes princess. As you say. I am at your command.” The blonde-haired girl agreed much to the older girl’s delight as she padded after the older girl.

For reasons Azula did not understand those words pleased her.

It made no sense really. She had endless servants at her beck and call eager to please her every order.

And yet…she finds herself drawn to this street wandering peasant.

It wasn’t long before the naïve girl found herself carrying a large bag all the while smiling shyly at her crush’s flawless face.

“Where do you live peasant?” The princess inquired as she continued to walk beside the timid peasant girl carrying her bag.

“Um…nowhere fit for a woman of your status…” Elle muttered while peering down at her feet with a noticeable break from her cheery demeanor.

“Obviously not.” Azula snorted as she walked with her palms folded behind her back with her brows furrowing in confusion.

Why would she even care if the peasant was homeless…it’s not like it’s her problem.

Soon after that Azula came to a stop before her palanquin with her guards waiting for her as she turned to peer back at the smaller girl holding her bag.

“That will be all. You may go now.” The princess stated curtly as she removed the bag from the teenager’s trembling hand.

The girl even looked like she may be ill…by the look of it.

“U-understood princess. It…was good talking to you. Have…a good evening.” The blonde-haired girl responded while dropping to her knees as she bowed low before the older girl’s boots.

Azula stared down at the peasant girl with harsh golden eyes as the young girl’s face pressed into the dirt.

“A small piece of advice…if you’re going to follow me you ought to learn to be more discreet.” The princess informed as she turned to step into her litter with her guards observing the little interaction in puzzlement.

“If you say so princess…” Elle stated while smiling with her hands gripping her straps as she watched the beautiful woman gaze back at her briefly before her little raised into the air.

No further words were spoken as Azula closed the curtain of her palanquin while seating herself with her hands folded in her lap.

Callous amber eyes gazed down at her boots as her eyes drifted to the bag sitting beside her.

‘Why did I almost give that peasant new clothes?’ Azula thought while frowning as she glanced inside the bag with her lips curving downward in annoyance.

She had purchased several pairs of robes and very nearly gave them to the girl.

The powerful royal just scowled as she shoved the bag aside before folding her arms over her chest.

“Tch. It’s none of my concern.” The princess scoffed before gazing ahead as she forced herself to think of other thoughts.

What a grating little peasant indeed.

#Azula #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #yuri #azula fanfiction #ty lee avatar #mai avatar

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grither55 · 3 years

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The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 100 - Supersoldier

The light from the overhead lamp blinded her eyes.

And the operating table had a distinct metallic chill against her skin.

Men and women adorned in hospital uniform stood above her with surgical masks covering their faces.

She tried with every fiber of her being to move, but it was futile.

Her body…it had been numbed.

All she could do was lay there in her hospital robes with her brown eyes gazing helplessly up at the team of researchers as they prepared a second injection.

Just as she locked eyes with him.

The head researcher.

And his eyes…they were an aberrant shade of red.

And his hair…it was a ghostly white.

And in contrast to the stoic demeanor of his fellow researchers that surrounded him.

He seemed…almost overjoyed.

"This is going to hurt. Try not to bite your tongue out." Nero announced in a sadistic voice as his lips pulled into a cruel smile from beneath his medical mask.

While he gazed into the scarlet-haired girl's widening brown eyes as he leaned down to begin.

And the prodigy found herself unable to say so much as one word as she lay there immobile on the table watching the researchers stoop down over her.

And then she felt agony beyond her wildest dreams.

And soon after that she faded into unconsciousness.

Most of the other children didn't make it through the procedure.

But she survived the surgery for her core implant, a device that served to artificially awaken one's inner potential.

At some point along the way.

She discovered that the cameras shut down for one whole hour on the twenty-fourth hour of every day for system maintenance.

And ever since that day she trained to hone her greatest power outside of the supervision of her captors.

All in preparation of her eventual escape.

And this technique….

She decided to name it Diminished Earth.

Back in the control room.

Senator Greely stood beside his aide Cynthia while he gazed down at the video feed that showed all of the prisoners being taken to the solitary observation tanks.

His brown eyes were rife with anxiety as he turned to cast a glare at Reynold's hardened face while the large man met his gaze.

"It took three platoons to detain her. But I got her. That and so much more." Reynolds stated with great satisfaction dripping from his voice while he smirked with his arms folded over his chest.

While Cynthia stood silent with her blue eyes trying to hide her feelings of displeasure as she turned to gaze away from the video feed.

All the while as the senator still wore a less than happy expression on his face.

"This is all your fault Reynolds! You were the one who let her escape in the first place!" Greely exclaimed as he threw his arms over his head while Reynolds coldly glared back at him.

"Calm yourself Greely. Number Three is subdued. And I would strongly advise you to watch how you speak to me." The colonel replied in a frigid voice while he glared down into the shorter man's recoiling eyes.

"Right…of course. And I can only hope so. If word of her existence gets out…" The senator trailed off in an apprehensive voice while his eyes lingered on the unconscious redhead's image.

"It won't. I have the situation under control." Reynolds spoke in an aggravated voice while the politician shifted nervously on his feet.

"And the others…is it true that those women are from a society beyond that gate?" Greely questioned with a trace of curiosity in his eyes while he gazed at Azula's face on the monitor.

"They are from a country that they call the Fire Nation. The one in ornate armor is their Crown Princess. We may be able to use her to gain leverage over her people." The colonel answered in a heartless voice while the senator listened warily.

"Their Crown Princess? Is that wise? Should we really be risking war with a nation whose war power is currently unknown to us?" The senator inquired with a worried edge to his voice while a frown momentarily graced his face.

Only for a look of fear to develop in his eyes when the imposing man turned to regard him with another piercing stare.

"I suggest you stick to your cover ups Greely. And leave the military affairs to me." Reynolds remarked in a brutal voice while he silently took pleasure in how the man paled under his gaze.

"Certainly. Just as long as everything is secure. We can't afford to lose her or the Turner siblings." Greely concluded with a concerned undertone to his voice while his eyes remained glued in the video once more.

Only for the colonel to pay little heed to his words as Reynolds pushed past him to return to his task at hand not even a second later.

While the aide still stood quietly behind her employer as they watched the military team work rapidly at their stations.

Meanwhile back in the halls.

The group remained gazed ahead in silence as they were carried through another set of heavily armored doors while the fleet of soldiers marched all around them.

Only for the girl's attentions to be regained when a soldier's voice shouted out through the hall.

"What does the commander want done with this shit?" The soldier called out only for Elle's amber eyes to instantly grow wide in panic.

While the Fire Nation women's eyes instantly burned with even greater anger to see that the man was holding their gear and their young friend's treasured bag!

"A-all that I have left of my parents is in that bag! Please don't get rid of it!" Elle pleaded in a borderline hysterical voice while her highborn friends seethed in her defense.

"Haven't you figured it out yet have you? You won't be needing it anymore. Not where you're going." Robert commented in a cruel voice while Elle's eyes widened in distress.

While the young girl's mouth was now ajar as her lips trembled in indescribable emotion.

All the while as her four friends' eyes narrowed into expressions of unfathomable rage as they clenched their teeth in their fury.

It couldn't be more obvious that they wouldn't be leaving this fortress alive if they didn't figure out how to escape their bonds soon!

While the princess's lips smashed into a boiling display of her royal wrath as she glared murderously back at the soldiers faces.

"I don't give a shit what you do with it. Trash it for all I care. The commander wants them separated and placed in individual solitary tanks for further observation." David spoke in a pitiless voice from where he stood at the front while the team listened with alarmed looks in their eyes.

Only for the teenager to soon find herself watching powerlessly as several soldiers then departed down an adjacent hall with her belongings.

But as much as the thought of parting with her parents treasured items tore at her heart.

The very thought of losing her newfound family broke her heart even more!

"N-no. P-please don't separate me from my friends!" The blonde-haired girl cried out in a greatly emotional voice while her companions glowered helplessly in their captor's unsympathetic helmet covered faces.

"Monsters!" Ty Lee exclaimed with fury overflowing from her voice while Azula bared her teeth as she stared mercilessly back at the soldiers.

"Mark my words. I am going to kill each and every one of you." Azula hissed with her callous eyes agape in boiling rage while the armed soldiers laughed raucously once more.

"You freaks always think so fucking highly of yourselves. Thinking that you can't die. But you die to a bullet just like everyone else." Robert mocked from behind the terrified teenager while he stared tauntingly back at Azula's ruthlessly glaring face.

While the noblewomen listened in a degree of surprise to hear benders being openly referred to as freaks.

"They'll be having a different attitude in a few minutes." The lieutenant stated in a smug voice while he gazed back at the older girl's increasingly disconcerted faces.

And yet once more the five females found themselves defenseless as they were led down yet another steel corridor.

While Azula trembled in her vengeful anger with her commanding golden eyes briefly catching her captain's equally furious gaze.

All the while as the two mighty firebenders desperately tried to devise a plan of retaliation.

Just as they heard Robert sneer in evident hatred once more while the armored soldier cruelly stared down over their young friend's traumatized shoulder.

"It's past time you dirty freaks were put in your place." The man spat out in a disdainful voice as Elle's shoulders slumped while the highborn women were forced to listen in ever rising anger.

While Elle gazed down at the floor with an unmistakable look of hurt in her amber eyes that her friends did not miss.

"S-sumimasen for being a freak." Elle mumbled in a shaken voice as she hung her head while her friends glowered at their captors.

"Don't apologize to them kid. You're not a freak." Mai stated with her teeth gritted in her fury while her tawny eyes glared at the cruel soldiers in disgust.

Only for the soldiers to laugh coldly once more while the Fire Nation women fought as hard as they could to avoid letting their tempers get the best of them.

Just before they approached yet another pair of reinforced armored doors that were drawing closer at the end of the hallway.

While they found themselves being shoved towards the set of doors with their eyes gazing at it in growing unease.

Before their eyes drifted to the unconscious redhead and the two soldiers that were carrying her by the arms waiting up ahead.

And then they came to another momentary stop before the armored doors with their increasingly distressed eyes urgently trying to conceive a way to escape their restraints.

All the while as the older females stared coldly back at David as he stepped ahead of them with his uncaring eyes disregarding their glares.

While Naoki's face still hung limply in the air with her motionless body being braced by the two men that stood over her.

Just as Robert stopped with his hand still heartlessly gripping Elle's hair while the small girl still trembled in fear.

All while the highborn women's rage continued to boil over with every demeaning act that the ruthless soldiers put their delicate young friend through.

Before they were yet again snapped out of their infuriated musings when the man let out a derisive snort as he gazed tauntingly back into the supersoldier's sleeping face.

"Not so invincible, now are you freak?" Robert questioned in a voice of great contempt while he sneered at the immobile Naoki from over Elle's quivering shoulder.

While Azula still gazed venomously from one soldier to another through the corner of her imposing golden eye.

Only for David's voice to snap Robert back to focus.

"Enough talk Robert. We got a job to do." David remarked in an apathetic voice as he pressed the doors open while he pushed the indignant princess forward.

And then the scowling Robert followed soon after.

And with that the team was marched through the opened doors by the fleet of soldiers.

While the callous princess and her stony-faced captain soon found themselves being shoved to the forefront.

All the while as the two soldiers escorting the unconscious girl ended up taking up at the rear of the group.

And right then in that very moment was when it happened.

The distinct sound of metal snapping in two resounded into the air while the soldiers froze up in their tracks.

And then the sound of steel rattling upon steel followed soon after.

While Team Azula's eyes collectively widened in curiosity as they tried to gaze behind them.

Only for their eyes to grow agape in surprise when they saw the broken chains rolling along the steel floor through the corner of their vision.

All while David's eyes widened as he gazed down at his booted feet as he watched a syringe roll past him.

While the princess's golden eyes gazed down at the syringe through the inside of her facial cage.

And Elle's amber eyes were now growing wide in realization as she tried her hardest to peer behind her.

Just as David and his soldiers spun around to gaze over their shoulders with their eyes as wide as can be.

And then not a moment later the Fire Nation women watched in silent disbelief as a soldier fell to the ground at their feet.

While the sound of the dying man's helmet clanging upon the floor echoed all throughout the hall.

And then a second man dropped to his knees with his neck bleeding profusely while the captain gazed on with awestruck hazel eyes.

And that was when all eyes were drawn to the end of the hallway.

While Team Azula's eyes grew even larger when their suspicions were proven correct.

Arising from a crouch was none other than Naoki with her machinelike brown eyes gazing back at the stunned faces of her captors.

"N-Naoki…how?" The blonde-haired girl asked in a disbelieving voice while her princess's eyes were wide in likewise fascination.

And then before the five females could even mouth another word, they were sent soaring to the metal floor.

While the team hit the floor with their widened eyes still gazing back at the redhead in shock.

All the while as the redhead's lips pulled into an ever-confident smile as her booted feet slid back on the floor.

"I told you that I would show you how to kill Elle." The scarlet-haired girl spoke in a chilling voice with her brown eyes momentarily passing over the younger girl's speechless face.

Just as David's roaring voice split through the air.

"Open fire!" The lieutenant bellowed as he rapidly withdrew his rifle while all of his fellow soldiers did the same.

Before the supersoldier pounced forward with utterly lightning speed that stunned her opponents.

And then seconds later the sound of deafening gunfire erupted thunderously into the hallway.

All the while as the Fire Nation women stared on from the floor beside their young friend with their eyes in marvelment over the power of the nonbending weaponry.

While the sound of bullets tearing through flesh quickly flowed into their ears amidst the cacophony of gunfire.

Only for the eyes of the soldiers to widen in realization as they swiftly halted their gunfire.

And then the highborn women found themselves unable to resist gazing on in satisfaction when they saw the cause for the soldier's hesitation.

On the floor of the hall Robert now lay with numerous bullet holes piercing his chest while he rasped for air with Naoki sheltered safely behind his back.

The girl had used the man as a flesh shield!

"That…fucking bitch." David snarled under his breath with his eyes glaring back at Naoki's smirking face from over his dying comrade's shoulder.

All the while as the princess's sadistic laugher now echoed into the air with her crimson lips curving into a cruel smirk.

And then just like that the heavily armored doors closed shut with one punch of David's fist.

"Farewell Robert." Azula purred with sadistic pleasure in her voice as she gazed cruelly at Robert's dying face before the doors slammed shut with a resounding thud.

And not a second after that the sound of glass shattering resounded into the panicked hallway.

And now the sound of a thunderous siren was now blaring in the ears of the still shocked Team Azula.

While the overhead lights now flashed with an urgent red that lit the frenzied hallway with an ominous red hue.

"They're dead. She…she killed them." A soldier stated in a shaken voice while his fellows recovered alongside him.

"How is she able to move? I thought she was disabled!" Another soldier exclaimed in a frustrated voice while Team Azula listened from where were laying immobile on the floor.

"Evidently not." The princess taunted in a pleased voice only to find herself hissing when David's boot impacted with her stomach.

"You shut the fuck up!" The lieutenant shouted as he stood over the enraged princess while his hardened eyes glared down at the woman's glowering countenance.

"What are we going to do David?" A third man inquired in a distraught voice while the lieutenant pulled the furious princess to her feet.

"Get them to solitary and seal up all the doors! There isn't a spec of earth in this entire fortress! It's only a matter of hunting her down with superior numbers!" David yelled snapped as he began hauling Azula down the hall by her neck.

While the princess clenched her jaw in anger over her powerless state.

And then just as quickly the other four members of Team Azula were being pulled down the winding hall with much greater urgency than before.

All the while as Elle's amber eyes were still agape with immeasurable distress as she watched door after door slam shut behind them.

'If Naoki makes it to us before my friends are able to defend themselves…she'll kill everyone but me!' The blonde-haired girl thought with her compassionate eyes fraught in concern for her friend's well-being.

The deafening siren blared all throughout the hallway while Robert's lifeless body now lay face first on the floor.

Just as Naoki's foot stomped down on the man's back while she let out an entertained laugh above him.

"All too easy Reynolds." Naoki spoke in a gratified voice with her brown eyes now glancing about the halls of the fortress.

While she heard the distant sounds of approaching guards that were coming in response to investigate the chaos.

Just before she turned to gaze tauntingly up at the camera while her eyes momentarily lingered on the screen.

All the while as the prisoners were still being ushered down the halls.

The soldiers that were leading Felix down the hall paused to gaze up in alarm when they heard the sounds of piercing gunfire in the distance.

Which was followed up not even seconds later by the sound of the siren that now blared in their now alert ears.

While Felix's amber eyes were now alight with glee as a wicked grin grew upon his lips.

"Ah. It seems as if things are slipping outside the realm of your control. That's the way chaos is you know…you can't control it forever." The brother stated in a joyous voice as he was rushed down the hall by the panicked soldiers.

And he found himself unable to resist laughing in amusement as he watched the soldier's anxiety begin to grow.

Meanwhile in the control room.

It had happened so quickly that Reynolds and Greely never had a chance to react.

The colonel's blue eyes were wide with disbelief as he watched the events unfold on the monitor.

And then just like that the doors closed shut while David and his soldiers hurriedly rushed the five female prisoners down the hall.

While the senator and his aide stared on with a newfound sense of terror in their eyes.

All the while as Naoki's eerie brown eyes now stared right back up at the camera with a scarily at ease smile gracing her lips.

"How! She was tranquilized! I saw it with my own eyes!" Reynolds roared as he pounded his fist down on the countertop while he ground his teeth together in his fury.

"You…you said that she was subdued!" Greely yelled out with fear in his brown eyes while the larger man still stood staring furiously down at the video feed.

"S-sir! It…it might be possible that she has…developed an immunity to the compound." A staff member spoke up in a terrified voice while the commander listened with an incensed look in his eyes.

"An immunity?" The colonel questioned in a seething voice as he clenched his gloved fists over the edge of the controls.

"We have been administering the drug to her since she was a child and I can only speculate…that it no longer works to neutralize her powers." The female staffer informed in a frightened voice while the politician shook in terror.

And then the commander straightened his back as he gazed back at the image of the redhead with his blue eyes now marginally widening in comprehension.

"She feigned capture…all so she could gain entry inside." Reynolds stated in a quiet voice with his fists balled up at his hips as he shook in his anger.

"You told me before I arrived that it was safe to come here to view the gate! So why don't you have this situation under control Reynolds!" The senator barked in a frenzied voice as he stared accusingly back at the other man's infuriated face.

And then not an instant after that a fist impacted with his cheek.

And his back soared into the wall while he once again paled in fear while the commander glared frigidly down at him.

All the while as Cynthia wisely held her tongue as she stood silent at the back of the room with her blue eyes gazing between the two men.

"Shut your mouth you spineless weakling or I will throw you out there as bait." The colonel remarked in a voice devoid of all compassion while the politician now frightfully trembled against the wall.

And then Greely soon found himself swallowing as he rapidly nodded in acquiescence.

Just as everyone turned their heads to the doors to see a group of soldiers seemingly awaiting the commander's order.

"Get out there. And bring Number Three in. I don't care what it takes. Just get her." Reynolds commanded in an increasingly obsessed voice as he rounded about to stare harshly back at his silent soldiers.

Only for his blue eyes to narrow in fury when several of the soldiers faces flashed with hesitation.

"But…but sir. I heard that she took out three platoons. What if the same fate awaits us if we go out in those halls?" A soldier questioned with apprehension in his eyes while his comrades stood silent behind him.

While the commander's eyes now burned with a deep sense of rage over being questioned by his subordinates.

And then before anyone else could so much as speak another word.

The sound of a gun going off echoed throughout the control room while the team of researchers sat in a terrified silence.

And now the politician and his aide gazed on with even greater terror than before while they watched the soldier drop to the ground at the feet of his shocked comrades.

All the while as Reynolds now stared back at the frightened soldiers with monstrously ruthless blue eyes.

"I said get out there." The colonel repeated in a savage voice with his teeth clenched together while his stunned soldiers numbly nodded their heads.

"Not…not a problem sir. We'll…do that." Another man responded in an intimidated voice before he hurriedly stepped over his dead comrade as he rushed out the doors.

And then soon enough his equally startled comrades departed after him.

While everyone else in the control was now gazing fearfully between the commander's brutal countenance and the executed soldier.

Yet not a single one of them dared so much as say a word in protest of the man's actions out of a growing fear that they would be next.

Team Azula now gazed on with shared distress in their eyes as they now found themselves entering a large open room.

All the while as the princess still gazed at her captors with sneering golden eyes that were still taking obvious satisfaction in their increasingly volatile situation.

While she pursed her lips into a regal glower as she met the gaze of the lieutenant once more.

"It's going to be a real pleasure wiping that smug expression off your face in a few short moments." David commented in a harsh voice while Azula glared defiantly back at him.

While the other four females remained in a powerless silence only for looks of uneasiness to develop in their eyes when the man gazed in the direction of Mai and Ty Lee.

"It has come to the commander's attention that we don't need all of you. And he had decided that we can part with two of you." The lieutenant spoke in an uncaring voice while he gazed back into the two noblewomen's frightfully widened eyes.

And that was all it took for a palpable sense of dread to consume the air.

A sensation that was only heightened by tenfold when the man waved his had in in the air.

And just like that the two nobles were being pushed away from the rest of their group while they gazed on with their eyes now wide in realization.

While Azula's crimson lips had parted in a rare display of panic with her eyes now staring on with a newfound sense of urgency.

All the while as Zoe listened with her stoic eyes widening in comprehension.

And Elle felt as if someone had just torn her heart out.

"It's time to streamline this shit. Take them to the gas chamber and put the other three in solitary." David announced in a casual voice while the two terrified women gazed helplessly back at their horrified companions.

And the princess's golden eyes widened with uncharacteristic emotion while her very breath died in her throat.

And for reasons that she couldn't explain.

The very thought of losing her two childhood friends made her frozen heart twist with a foreign pain.

"N-no! No! Not my oneesans! I beg of you no!" Elle screamed in a trauma filled voice that touched the hearts of her two distraught big sisters.

While the two noblewomen gazed back at her with emotional looks in their eyes.

Only for David to pay her pleas no heed.

While Azula shook with her teeth bared in her unbridled anger.

"A-Azula please do something! I don't want to die!" Ty Lee called out in a momentary loss of composure while a tear fell from her eye to the floor below.

All the while as the princess stared after her with her callous eyes wide in unusual distress as she futilely fought to regain control of her limbs.

"You…cancel that order! Now!" The princess bellowed with her hair hanging in her enraged eyes while she glared murderously back at the man's unmoved face.

Only to find herself soon being carried off in the other direction while her unusually panicked eyes stared after her terrified childhood friends.

While her young girlfriend's screams continued to ring into the air as the teenager's voice grew hysterical.

"Mai! Ty Lee! N-no!" The blonde-haired girl called out in an overwhelmed voice with her wet amber eyes growing as wide as can be.

All the while as she fought in vain to thrash in her captor's arms.

Only for the eyes of the highborn women to widen in surprise when they saw a faint spark of energy erupt from their young friend's body.

Just as the soldiers turned to gaze back at Elle's traumatized face with a look of shock in their eyes.

"Stifle that kid!" The lieutenant shouted in an uncaring voice while the sorrowful teenager desperately cried in a soldier's arms.

"I can't lose my family again! It can't happen again! Not like this! Please!" Elle yelled at the top of her lungs while all four of her friends listened with expressions of emotion in their eyes.

And just like that her two big sister's moved faces vanished around the corner.

While her voice still rang out into the air as she fought to get to her big sisters with every fiber of her being.

And then before she knew it a fist impacted with the back of her neck.

And soon after that her head slumped forward with her wet amber eyes closing shut as she faded into unconsciousness.

All the while as the princess and the captain's anger had now reached never before seen heights.

And then all three of them were carried into separate directions.

While Azula's golden eyes caught a last fleeting look of the younger female's emotional face before the girl disappeared from her line of vision.

'This isn't over! I'll get them for this!' The princess thought with her nostrils releasing vengeful snorts of air while she was hauled into a frigid chamber.

And yet somewhere deep down inside of her she couldn't help but ask herself if she would truly come up with a brilliant plan of counterattack in time to save her childhood friends.

In the past she always managed to do so.

Would she this time?

The siren blared throughout the fortress in unison with the sound of footsteps rushing down the halls.

While the foreboding red light lit the way as the soldiers rounded a narrow corridor.

Only for the soldiers to come to a stop when they saw their target standing at the end of the hallway.

Their eyes narrowed as they gazed out from underneath their helmets to find themselves gazing back at the prodigy's smirking face.

"Subdue the target!" A voice hollered with maddened urgency while a rain of bullets opened fire on the stationary supersoldier.

And then Naoki's tabi boot covered feet skidded backwards upon the steel floor while her scarlet hair shadowed her smiling face.

Just before she sprinted towards her opponents with frightening agility while a rain of bullets resounded into the air.

Only for the soldier's eyes to widen in shock when the girl effortlessly evaded their fire by leaping from wall to wall!

While Reynolds watched from the control room with his blue eyes growing even wider in incomprehension.

All the while as the researchers gazed on with equal shock in their widened eyes just as the redhead bounded above the startled soldiers.

"How…how is she this fast? This is far beyond what we recorded months ago!" Reynolds protested with immeasurable aggravation lacing his voice while he clenched his gloved fists on the counter.

While Greely still sat against the wall in a dumbfounded silence with his fearful eyes still gazing back at the monitor.

All the while as Cynthia stood in an increasingly distressed state with her blue eyes grimacing as she watched a soldier get cut down.

And just like that the man fell forward after being slashed in the jugular with a stolen military knife.

While the soldier's voices rang out into the air one after another as they grew more and more desperate to tag their target.

"Hit her goddammit!" A soldier yelled in a frantic voice as gunfire continued to spray off the walls while the girl sprinted over them once more.

"We're trying!" Another voice shouted in a frenzy as he spun about the hall with his manic eyes struggling to locate the agile supersoldier.

"She's a demon!" A man screamed in a frightened voice from the rear of the group.

While the occupants of the control room still stared on in indescribable disbelief.

"Do you like it Reynolds? This is my greatest ability. Speed that is imperceivable to the human eye…. speed so fast that it can only be called beyond godlike. I call it…Diminished Earth." The scarlet-haired girl spoke in a stunningly confident voice as she smiled up at the camera while the commander seethed in his boiling fury.

"Speed that is beyond godlike?! How is it that we have no record of this power! I was under the impression that her primary power was terraformation!" The colonel roared as his fists slammed upon the metal surface while the staffers swallowed in terror.

Both of the monstrous girl and their brutal commander.

"I…I don't know sir. Our files indeed state that her power is terraformation." An officer answered from where he frantically observed the video feed.

Only to find himself flinching in fear when the man's voice cut into the air like a whip once more.

"Then how! She couldn't have devised this new power in such a short period of time!" Reynolds shouted with his face turning red in his absolute anger.

While he continued to watch in incredulity as his soldier's gunfire peppered the walls of the fortress.

All the while as a red blur rapidly evaded their fire as the girl continued to circle in for another kill.

"The…the only chance that she would have had was when the cameras turned off for the daily system maintenance. But she couldn't have known…" A woman trailed off in a voice of sudden realization as her eyes grew wide in understanding.

While an unnerved silence came over the control room as all present stood or sat in a state of palatable shock.

And the commander now stood with his gloved fists falling to his sides while his blue eyes flashed in comprehension as it finally dawned on him.

"She knew. She was…hunting us all this time." Reynolds stated in a stunned voice while the others present listened in fright.

While the senator sat unmoving with his eyes now wide in dread as he too understood the implications of the other man's words.

"Her true power is not terraformation…it is inhuman speed. But we didn't know. Because she developed it when the cameras were off." The colonel remarked in a bitter voice while his blue eyes shook with humiliation as he stared back at the video feed.

All the while as everyone else remained dead silent with their eyes still expressing their horror and disbelief.

While the shouts of the soldiers grew more and more frantic as they began to back up.

All while they madly attempted to ward off their target with rapid successions of gunfire.

"She has two powers and terraformation…is just secondary! She deceived us into thinking that it was her sole power! Because she wanted to catch us off guard! We don't even know the true capabilities of our own lab subject! Damn her! She thinks that she can humiliate me again!" Reynolds bellowed as he clenched a gloved fist before his seething face while his increasingly maddened eyes glared back at the darting blur on the video feed.

The room was dead silent, save for the sound of the soldiers distressed cries from the observation monitors.

Before a staffer finally gained the courage to speak as she swallowed the lump that was in her throat.

"S-sir. I advise that you call in a retreat. Those soldiers are going to get slaughtered. We should evacuate while we still can." The female staffer advised in a rightfully terrified voice while the politician quickly nodded his head in agreement.

Only for all present to stare on in disbelief when the commander punched his gloved fist into the wall.

"There will be no retreat! Today I bring her in! At all costs!" The colonel insisted with his blue eyes practically popping out of their sockets while he ignored the stunned looks from his subordinates.

And then not a moment later the shouts from the screens grew louder and louder.

While the occupants of the control room gazed on in a shell shocked state.

Which was followed up shortly by the sound of ear-piercing screams that resounded into their terrified ears.

Before the camera in the hall exploded and their video feed went to an unsettling static.

While an eerie silence now overtook the very air that they breathed.

And then they watched in disquiet to see several stray soldiers fleeing the opposite way on an adjacent camera.

All the while as Reynolds now stood with his mouth ajar in a state of unfathomable disbelief.

"No. My unit." Reynolds spoke in a breathless voice with his eyes wide in an inability to accept that he was beaten.

'She…she took out the entire patrol in under a minute flat.' Cynthia thought with her face now turning pale in fear of what was to come.

She was just a government political agent assigned to assist the senator.

She has done her fair share of under the table dealings.

But she has had no part in the conception of these experiments.

She hadn't even known of their existence until a few months ago.

But it didn't matter.

If that girl got to her…she was dead.

"W-we created her to be the best. We constructed her to be better than all of those soldiers combined. There is no way that we can defeat her with what we have here." A male officer concluded in a barely perceivable voice while his commander still stood with his back turned to them.

While the commander gripped his fists tightly as they fall to his hips.

'If only Strados has not quit working for the military! If I had his manpower…or maybe Iwao…then I could defeat her!' The colonel thought with his eyes enraged eyes flickering in frustration while he stared broodingly back at the countless monitors.

If he lets her escape his grasp…

Then his entire plan was bound to fall apart.

And at this rate it was seeming like it would be a likely outcome.

'No! I will not let that happen! This is the day that I receive my due!' Reynolds thought with his blue eyes taking on a fixated stare.

While everyone else had begun to exchange unnerved looks only for the fear to build up in their eyes when they saw the girl's image appear on another camera.

All the while as she confidently came before a set of sealed armored doors.

"W-what…what are we supposed to do now Reynolds? She's heading right for us!" Greely questioned in a distraught voice as he stared back at Naoki's smirking face upon the video feed.

"It doesn't matter how strong she is. She cannot get through to us. Those doors are reinforced with tungsten." The colonel spoke in a low voice while the others listened in a discomforted silence.

Only for all eyes present to watch in bewilderment when the girl began to tap her left foot upon the floor.

And then the redhead dropped down into a crouch as if she was about to go for a long run.

While her hair hung in her emotionless brown eyes as her smile grew even larger upon her lips.

"What…what is she doing?" The aide pondered in an unsettled voice just as she watched in shock when the girl sprinted towards the doors with terrifying speed.

And then they all gazed on in fright when a scarlet blur impacted with the double doors.

Just before the supersoldier back flipped backwards onto the floor with a smirk still gracing her lips.

Before she darted at the door once more not a second later.

Slam!

The sound of the prodigy impacting with the doors echoed throughout the video feed while the staffers sprang to their feet in terror.

"S-she's…methodically striking the pressure points!" An officer shouted in a long past panicked voice while his commander still shook with his eyes agape in a stubborn fury.

And then finally…

Thoom!

And just like that the two double doors were ever so slightly pried open!

But it was all that the girl needed to push the doors open enough for her to slip through.

And then supersoldier was seen heading down the hall to the next set of doors.

All the while as the colonel stared on with his blue eyes still flickering in shock.

Reynolds was so absorbed in his reverie that he failed to notice the sound of the doors opening behind him with a mechanical hiss.

And before he even had a chance to react the staffers were fleeing past the terrified Greely and the panicking Cynthia.

And then even the officers bolted soon after.

"Reynolds!" The senator cried out in a fraught voice while the larger man shook with his back turned to him.

Only to find himself staring on in confusion when the commander swiftly brushed him aside.

"She will not defeat me!" Reynolds shouted in a voice that was long past reason as he strode towards the open doors while the politician and the aide observed him in bafflement.

And then he departed the control room and rushed towards the armory.

While he hurriedly equipped his belt with ammunition and then he threw several guns onto his back.

And he swiped a stockpile of grenades.

And then he tore off down the halls with his obsessed blue eyes glaring ruthlessly ahead as he carried a large machine gun over his shoulder.

Alive or dead.

He will get her.

Back in the control room.

The lone two occupants now stood staring in fright back at the image of the monitors as Naoki rapidly made her way down the halls.

Before Cynthia turned her eyes to the video of feed of the other prisoners.

Her eyes then momentarily lingered on the footage of the two frightened women sitting in a gas chamber that was about to begin pumping a lethal dose.

Just as her eyes turned to the image of the princess seated in her bonds with her beyond infuriated eyes gazing back at the door.

"Cynthia! I want you to…where are you going!" Greely exclaimed in a terror-stricken voice as he reached out to touch his aide's shoulder when he saw her step past him.

Before the woman turned to cast him a disgusted glance as she swatted his hand away.

"I don't get paid enough for this shit. You're on your own Greely." Cynthia stated in a repulsed voice while her boss's brown eyes now trembled with anger.

And then she swept past him while she ignored his calls of indignation.

"You can't speak to me like that! Cynthia! Get back here!" The senator ordered in a frenzied voice only to find himself gazing on helplessly as the woman paid him no mind.

And before he could say another word he could only watch as his aid rushed out of the control room just like those that had come before her.

Only for the sound of the supersoldier making her way through another set of armored doors to pull him back to focus.

While his brown eyes were now as wide as can be with anxiety as he ran towards the controls.

Before he frantically punched in a series of codes as the immense doors slammed shut.

Just as another layer of reinforced metal that had been built for an emergency just like this slid down over the heavy doors.

And then it concluded with the sound of multiple high security bolts clicking shut.

"I…I have to call for help! Someone will come! They can't just leave me to die here! I am a senator!" Greely screamed in a desperate voice as he began frantically dialing for help on the radio.

While his panic filled eyes were still wide with incomprehensible fright as he continued to listen to the sirens still blaring in the background.

"Omega level security breach. All personnel report to your stations immediately." A computerized voice announced over speak system while soldiers rushed down the halls from every corner of the fortress.

And with that David and his men too ran out from solitary with urgent looks overtaking their eyes.

While Cynthia watched from around the corner before she quickly snuck towards the way that the soldiers had come from.

Before she slipped inside with her wary eyes gazing about as she rapidly navigated her way.

Azula sat in her solitary cell with her golden eyes flashing with uncharacteristic inner conflict as she listened to the deafening siren go off in her eyes.

While her heartbeat continued to quicken in tempo as it pounded thunderously in her unusually worried chest.

All the while as her regal lips shook in a furious line as she repeatedly fought to no avail to move her limbs.

While her merciless golden eyes began to express a profound sensation of panic.

And for one of the first times in her life she was finding herself struggling to keep her composure.

"I still can't move!" The princess roared as she thrashed her face in her cage while she bared her teeth like a raging dragon.

Only for her tyrannical eyes to widen when she heard a familiar voice flow into her ears.

"You're not going to let your friends die…are you Azula?" Ursa asked from where she stood behind the trembling woman while Azula's golden eyes had grown wide with fury.

"Come to gloat, have you Mother? That's just like you. You have always enjoyed watching me suffer." Azula snarled in a ferocious voice as she glared up at her mother's solemn face through the corner of her cold eye.

"That isn't true and you know it Azula. You are my daughter and I cherish you." The mother spoke with her robed sleeves folded over her breasts while the princess seethed with her lips smashed into a glower.

"Don't pretend to care about me. I know how you really feel." The princess hissed in a refined voice with her golden eyes momentarily flashing in emotion.

"I love you Azula." Ursa assured in a tender voice with an expression of maternal warmth in her golden eyes while her daughter hung her head.

"Leave me alone. I don't need you. I never did. I have Elle now…and she…she loves me." Azula snapped out with venom lacing her every word while her bangs now hung over her sweating forehead.

While she squeezed her callous eyes shut for the briefest of moments with her lips still shaking in a rare expression of vulnerability.

And then she held her head as high as she possibly could.

Before she opened her ruthless eyes not a moment later only to find herself gazing on to discover that the older woman was gone.

Only for her callous eyes to be torn from her reverie when she heard footsteps approaching towards her cell.

And just like that her eyes took on a much colder tint as she stared back with a vengeance expecting to be greeted by David.

Just before her frigid eyes flickered with yet another spark of surprise when she found herself gazing back at the face of a woman around her captain's age.

"Omega level security breach. I repeat omega level security breach." The male voice droned without emotion while the princess narrowed her imposing eyes at the woman gazing through her cell window.

And just as quickly as the princess's composure had been shaken.

It had already returned in full force.

While she now hardened her intimidating eyes into a glare as she met the woman's gaze.

And within seconds of gazing into the other woman's eyes she saw something distinctly familiar.

Something that she had seen before in the eyes of the Dai Li so long ago.

Fear and disloyalty.

While Azula's imposing eyes now took on the gaze of a terrifying ruler as she gazed hard back into the agent's faintly unsettled eyes.

"Greetings. Foreign princess." The aide greeted in a businesslike voice while the princess's dominating eyes gazed right back into her soul.

And she found herself unable to deny that she felt uneasy under the woman's commanding stare.

"Release me commoner." The princess ordered in a tone of presumed absolute authority with her domineering eyes never leaving the woman's shaken gaze.

'I am a conqueror. And my rule is a divine right. I will not show weakness to these nothings. I will do what I was born to do…I will rule.' Azula thought with her harsh eyes staring directly into the other woman's hesitant blue eyes.

"Your two friends are going to die within ten minutes if I don't. I'll be blunt though. Why should I?" Cynthia pondered in return while she lingered before the massive door.

While she felt as if Azula's imposing eyes were peering into the depths of her mind itself.

"I can see it in your eyes. You aren't sure if you are going to make it out of here alive. You're afraid that Naoki is going to kill you." The princess remarked in a sophisticated voice while she sat back with her strict eyes gazing over the woman's mildly sweating face.

"I don't deny that. But how do I know that you won't if I set you free?" The aide retorted in a seemingly calm voice with her eyes scanning the other woman's now smiling face.

"You don't. However, I suggest you worry less about the person who has already made their mind up about killing you and more about the person who is currently mulling it over." Azula commented in a voice of effortless dominance while her stern eyes burned right back into Cynthia's crumbling gaze.

"And if I don't?" Cynthia inquired as she shifted on her feet with her intimidated eyes still meeting Azula's overpowering stare.

"The fact is regardless of what you do Naoki will be out to kill you. In one scenario, she is the only one that you have to worry about. In the other…when I escape and I assure you that I will. You will be dealing with Naoki and me." The princess spoke in a frightening voice with her controlling eyes gazing out at the aide's unsettled face.

"You speak as if you feel like you already know what I am going to do." The aide replied with her blue eyes almost shivering under the princess's unfathomably dominant golden gaze.

"That's because I do. I know that you are going to bow before me. And you know too." Azula commented in a regal voice with her oppressive golden eyes staring into the other woman's nervous eyes.

All the while her lips remained in a stonily strict scowl as she watched in satisfaction when the women seemed to falter under her gaze.

Before she watched with cold golden eyes when the aide wordlessly turned around to walk away.

While she sat back with her unbelievably authoritative eyes gazing after the woman's departing back.

"It's settled then. I'll be waiting for you to return with the keys." The princess called out in a taunting voice with her sanguine eyes staring after the retreating woman.

While her conquering golden eyes observed the woman vanish from her line of sight.

All the while as she held herself as high as she could with a dignified posture about her.

And she was almost certain that the woman was sure to return.

And yet as a cold scowl once again pulled on her beautiful crimson lips.

She couldn't help but express a sliver of internal doubt.

Would she be able to escape?

And above all.

Would she make it in time to save Mai and Ty Lee?

That was a question that made her stomach twist up in uncertainty.

And somewhere deep down inside her frozen heart she felt something akin to a stab of pain.

And try as she might she did not know the answer.

#Azula #Avatar The Last Airbender #femslash #ty lee avatar #mai avatar

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grither55 · 3 years

Text

The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 90 - Refuge

The chi exploded into the air while Team Azula stood surrounding the awakening girl with their eyes agape in shared awe.

Just as the sage finally lowered her hand to the ground with a small smile forming upon her aged lips.

While Elle stared down at her hands with amazed amber eyes as her aura continued emanate from her body.

All the while as her friends stood over her in a state of silent shock.

“Such…a powerful chi.” Zoe stated with her hazel eyes agape in wonderment while she stared down at the handmaiden’s panting face.

All the while as the princess stood behind her servant with her callous golden eyes staring down at the girl in marvelment.

Before her regal lips began to pull into a brilliant smile while she gazed down at her pet now sitting up at her boots.

“Well done Elle.” Azula spoke in a tone of boundless approval with a smile gracing her royal lips while Elle turned to peer up at her with emotional amber eyes.

“Yeah. Good job.” Mai agreed with a nod while her lips formed into a smile as she knelt down beside the exhausted teenager.

“Breath slowly little sister.” Ty Lee instructed in a nurturing voice as she patted Elle’s back while the serving girl still panted for air.

“She…had all that chi in her?” Saro asked with his golden eyes blinking in surprise while Jiao gazed down with awestruck blue eyes.

‘What…is this girl?’ Jiao thought with her blue eyes blinking in puzzlement.

‘Does…this mean that we’ve accomplished what we came to do?’ Nako thought with her golden eyes staring down at her strange friend in bewilderment.

“A-Azula-sama.” Elle breathed as she gazed up at her master with the acrobat’s hand on her shoulder while Azula’s strict golden eyes gazed down at her in approval.

“Catch your breath before you speak peasant.” The princess ordered in a cold voice with her arms folded gracefully over her breasts while she gazed dominantly down at her girlfriend’s reddened face.

“Indeed. Congratulations child. You have awoken your chi.” Mava remarked with her hands falling into her lap while Elle let out a heavy breath.

And then she sunk forward with her head hovering above her knees while her companions gazed down at her in returning concern when they noted the distress in her eyes.

“C-can you explain to me what I just saw?” The blonde-haired girl requested turned to gaze back into the old woman’s glazed over eyes.

While the group stared between the two in uncertainty as the sage nodded her head.

“I can. When we get back inside.” The sage answered with her hand gripping her staff once more while the princess turned to peer down at the girl seated at her feet.

“Tell me what you saw servant.” Azula commanded in a controlling voice while she smiled down at her young girlfriend seated before her.

Only for her smile to crease into a frown when she noticed both sadness and fear flashing in her little admirer’s eyes.

“I-I had a vision of many horrible things. I…saw that woman…Vega…and a winged monster as well.” Elle admitted in a shaken voice while the others listened in surprise over her shoulder.

“A winged monster?” The brown-haired woman asked in a concerned voice while her little sister nodded her head.

“That’s…so oneesan. It was…a horrible monster wearing a half dragons helm. It was…frightening.” The blonde-haired girl replied with noticeable distress in her amber eyes while her friends exchanged baffled looks at one another.

While the princess soon found her lips pursing into tight scowl in disapproval of her girlfriend’s fear.

“Try not to worry Elle. After all it was a vision. It could mean many different things.” Ty Lee consoled in her best attempt at optimism with her hand still resting on her little sister’s back while Elle chewed on her lip.

All the while as she tried to push down her concerns over the girl’s glummer than usual behavior.

“B-but that’s not all. I saw…this horrifying phantom eye.” Elle stammered as she turned to peer at the faces of her bewildered companions.

Just as Mava’s aged eyes flashed with a barely perceivable grave gleam.

While Azula and Zoe both glanced at the old sage over their shoulders when they took note of the look in the old woman’s eyes.

“A phantom eye?” The captain questioned in a curious voice with her hazel eyes contemplating the girl’s words.

“I-I couldn’t make out the rest of its shape but I saw the eye clearly. Just talking about it sends a chill down my spine.” The blonde-haired girl spoke in a fearful voice as she shivered while the team gazed on in alarm.

“What do you know about this hag?” The princess queried in a stern voice as she turned to stare hard at the old crone’s weathered countenance.

“As I said…once we return inside.” Mava responded in a scratchy voice while Azula studied her with a scrutinizing golden eye.

And then the group gazed around with returning wonder to their eyes when the platform of tree roots began to raise them into the air.

“And…just before I came out of it…the Avatar somehow forced his way into my vision.” Elle confessed as she bit her lip while her highborn friends now gazed down at her in alarm.

“The Avatar was in your vision?” Azula asked with an edge to her frigid voice while her hardened eyes narrowed in contemplation.

“He was Azula-sama. He tried to tell me that you were a bad person.” The blonde-haired girl spoke in a mousy voice while the princess’s lips pursed into a wrathful scowl.

As the others wisely kept their mouth shut while Azula glared icily at all of their faces through the corner of her foul tempered eye.

"Did he now?” The princess queried in a low voice with her callous eyes narrowing into an imposing stare.

If there was one thing that has come to truly infuriate her.

It was when anyone tried to turn her loyal companion against her.

“He d-did. B-but I told him that I would never betray you Azula-sama. Because I know in the bottom of my heart that you’re a good person. And I-I know that I can trust you…because you’re my home.” Elle assured in an emotional voice as she gazed up into Azula’s taken aback golden eyes.

Ty Lee once more found herself unable to resist a grin from forming upon her lips while Mai just sighed as she shook her head.

And Zoe was unfazed as always.

And the princess quickly regained her composure while she squashed the twinge of emotion that she was now feeling with practiced ease.

“Azula…” The brown-haired woman trailed off in a moved voice while the haughty princess posed with her arms folded over her breasts.

“Good. It pleases me to hear that servant. I expect you to ignore any and all slander that contradicts my will. “ Azula commented in a pompous voice with her crimson lips curving back into an approving smile while her faithful serving girl hurriedly nodded her little head.

Only for the old crone to snort derisively while she turned to glare at the woman through the corner of her eye.

“If that qualifies as slander then I am a youthful young woman.” The sage mocked as she leaned on her wooden staff while all but the princess sweatdropped.

While the princess just scowled but decided it was not worth a retort.

Just as Elle glanced around with her saddened amber eyes now taking on a concerned gleam when she noticed that all of her friends were injured.

And the area around them was covered in rubble for as far as the eye could see.

“What happened here? And why is everyone hurt?” The blonde-haired girl pondered in a distraught voice with her mouth ajar while her friends grimaced as they gazed down at her.

“It’s nothing for you to worry over young Elle. We simply…ran into a troublesome opponent.” Zoe remarked in a calm voice while her hazel eyes still shook with anger towards the puppeteer.

“That’s putting it mildly captain.” Saro commented with a shiver while his leader still glared into the rubble below while the tree lifted them into the air.

“W-well I hope that everyone is okay.” Elle mumbled as she gazed at her wounded companions while Azula let out a loud scoff behind her.

“Please! It was nothing that the Great Princess Azula couldn’t handle!” The princess huffed as she flipped her hair with an elegant hand while her childhood friends rolled their eyes.

“Just be glad that you slept through it kid.” The markswoman stated in a still wary voice as she took a seat beside her concerned little sister.

Before she slid the girl’s backpack off her shoulder as she reached out to hand it to the moved teenager.

“You…you looked after my backpack oneesan?” The blonde-haired girl inquired in a sentimental voice while the noblewoman offered her a thawed smile.

“I did.” Mai answered softly only to find herself stiffening slightly when the younger girl assaulted her midsection.

While Azula now turned to stare down at them with monstrous golden eyes while Ty Lee stifled a giggle.

“A-arigatou gozaimasu Mai.�� Elle stammered with her arms around the older woman’s belly while Mai gingerly patted her back.

“You’re welcome little sister.” The markswoman spoke in a fond voice as she sat with her hand on the teenager’s back while the girl hid in her robed stomach.

“Mai. Get off my pet.” Azula growled with her boot tapping on the wooden platform while Mai gazed at her in annoyance out of the corner of her eye.

And a second after that the two girls parted from their embrace while the mighty princess continued to scowl down at her young girlfriend.

“I swear Azula. You have got to be the most overbearing girlfriend to ever walk this Earth.” Mai scoffed in a monotone voice while Azula just regarded her with a cold stare.

While Elle held her backpack in her as she diligently checked the contents to make sure that everything was intact.

Before she hung her head with her amber eyes once more glistening in sorrow while her friends gazed down at her in concern.

“He…h-he shot my mother in the face.” The blonde-haired girl lamented in a broken voice as she sunk back into her knees while an uncomfortable chill swept through the air.

The group gazed at the depressed girl uncertain of how to respond.

And for once even Jiao held her tongue.

And even though the pilot had no understanding of what the girl had went through.

Nako could only stare at Elle with sympathy in her grimacing eyes.

While the four highborn women once more stiffened with rage in their eyes over what they had witnessed in the girl’s memories.

And strangely enough Azula found herself clenching her fists against her plated chest while she glared ahead with a murderous glimmer in her golden eyes.

“And…t-then they killed my father. And burned everything I once loved to the ground.” Elle muttered in a sullen voice with the acrobat’s hand on her shoulder while a tear streamed from her eye.

“Was it really necessary for her to have to see that? She already lived through it once. Why did you have to make her witness it again?” Ty Lee questioned in a disconcerted voice with her brown-gray eyes taking on a protective gleam while Azula turned to cast the sage a piercing stare.

It was a sentiment that they all shared.

“Unfortunately. She needed to witness the power of the Component in action if she is to have any hope at mastering her power. If she can’t do that…then she will not survive the enemy to come.” Mava answered in a graveled voice while the princess’s eyes narrowed into slits once more.

It was a truly foreboding statement.

And even though Team Azula could see the old woman’s point.

It still angered them nonetheless.

“I suppose Rieko was right after all. The world really is a horrible place.” The blonde-haired girl whispered with her hair blowing in front of her sorrowful eyes while her companions stood in a speechless quiet behind her.

“Elle…” The brown-haired woman stated gently with a tear in her eye while she embraced the teenager into her side.

All the while as Elle gazed on with an unusually solemn expression in her usually sunny eyes.

While Mai’s lips sunk into an even dourer expression than her typical frown.

And Azula found herself unable to fight the enraged glower that was pulling upon her regal lips.

And Zoe gazed away with a spark of sadness in her stoic hazel eyes.

It did not escape their notice that the always cheerful girl seemed…somewhat different than before she went into her meditative state.

It was almost as if…Elle had changed.

And the princess decided that she didn’t like it.

‘This in unacceptable. I didn’t bring the girl here to break her spirit. I will have to correct this immediately. I…prefer her smiling.’ The princess thought with a tiny sliver of inexplicable emotion flashing in her callous eyes while she gazed down at her girlfriend’s slumped back.

But before she could so much as speak another word.

They were all torn from their reverie by the sound of rubble shifting below.

And then they all spun around to gaze off into the distance with both fear and anger returning to their eyes to see the artist lifting herself up out from underneath a boulder.

While a pale hand now held the remnants of her fractured mask to her shrouded face as she slowly stood up.

Just before she turned to gaze out of the corner of her predatory eye up at the regenerated tree while her gaze narrowed in barely discernable anger.

All the while as Nako, Jiao, Saro, Mai and Ty Lee gazed down with unhidden fright in their eyes.

“W-who is that?” Elle asked in a still fretful voice when she noticed the way that her companions were tensing in unease.

Only for all of them to turn to the captain in surprise when she wordlessly pushed past them.

And then the warrior set one foot outside of the glowing barrier with her hazel gaze once more taking on a razor-sharp stare.

Before she began to slide down the slope of the Sentinel Tree with her katana in hand while her comrades gazed down at her in disbelief.

Mai’s jaw dropped in astonishment as she gazed down at her rival’s back.

It was just like back on the isle with the rebels!

The woman did not quit!

“I suppose I better get going. We’ll finish this another day…Azula…Zoe.” Silah commented in a casual voice while Azula’s enraged eyes seethed down at her.

Just as she turned to leap away while the princess’s forces watched her retreat with uneasy looks in their eyes.

“Where do you think you’re going? I’m not done with you yet Silah.” The captain spoke with wrath overflowing from her voice while she fired her utility line into the air.

“Don’t be a fool! Silah wants you to chase her! The farther you get from this barrier the more vulnerable you are! If she downs you outside the range of this barrier, you’ll be helpless to stop her from claiming you as a puppet!” The sage shouted in a hastened voice while the group watched with unnerve eyes as the captain slid down the enormous tree.

“Do you really think that I am just going to let you get away with killing my comrades?” Zoe demanded in a vengeful voice as she swung with lightning speed at the remorseless artist.

While the group watched in anticipation as the soldier dropped down over the puppeteer’s back.

Only for a flurry of jagged rocks to explode into the air when Silah quickly flicked her hand backwards.

The torrent of rocks flew with terrifying speed at the descending captain while steam once more began to rise from her furious body.

All the while as Zoe fell with her hair blowing in her focused hazel eyes.

Just before her body lit up with red fire while the princess watched through the corner of her eye in fascination.

And then each and every rock was shot down by an eruption of firebending!

The shattered rocks rained down in harmless bits and pieces while a smoke bomb was rapidly hurled over the fleeing artist’s shoulder.

The smoke blew into the forest air while the captain landed on her booted feet with her enraged glaring about in search of her prey.

“I am inclined to agree with Zoe. This is not over.” Azula hissed in a still livid voice as she gracefully stepped past her worried servant girl while her childhood friends observed her warily.

“Azula…be careful.” The brown-haired woman urged in an unusually frightened voice while the princess placed one boot outside of the barrier.

“A-Azula-sama.” The blonde-haired girl stammered in a sensitive voice while the princess stood glaring down below.

And mere seconds later the powerful princess placed two fingers from each hand together.

While her amazed subordinates watched in a transfixed silence as she swiftly generated a massive ball of lightning over her head!

The lightning hummed with indescribable power while Azula glared down with intimidating golden eyes when the sound of the ground bursting echoed into her ears.

Just as the smoke finally cleared.

Only for her callous gaze to widen ever so marginally when she saw the large mechanical badgermole rearing up from hole in the earth!

The metal monstrosity swatted the captain away with a deadly claw while the outraged soldier slid back in the dirt.

While they all watched in a frozen shock to see a cockpit opening in the underside of the badgermole’s chest.

Just as they caught a fleeting glimpse of the ingenious construction inside.

It was possible even more advanced than Fire Nation’s war machines!

And then Silah leaped into her seat with her hand already punching the controls in.

While the three puppets leaped into an open compartment in the back that quickly closed shut.

All the while as the artist still held one hand over her destroyed mask as she turned to gaze up at her enemies with a ruthless blue eye.

“And what of it Zoe? I have taken hundreds of Fire Nation lives. And just as many from the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe. What makes them any different than the others?” The puppeteer taunted in a sadistic voice as she sunk back in her seat with a belt strapping over her chest.

While the group listened in a horrified silence as they caught a momentary view of the woman’s monstrously smiling lips.

All the while as the captain’s hazel eyes now grew wide in complete and utter rage!

“You will die for making sport of the people of the Fire Nation!” The captain yelled out as she broke into a rapid sprint towards the mechanical vehicle.

Before Saro too jumped forth from the barrier with the look of anger in his eyes overpowering his fear of his opponent.

“Foolish brats!” Mava grumbled as the platform rose up while the princess’s ball of lightning churned brilliantly above her head.

“Even though I didn’t get the Component…I still came out ahead. After all one doesn’t harvest their garden until the time is right. And your bending is not at its peak yet…so that in mind. Farewell…until next time.” Silah remarked with a sadistic smirk while she gazed out at her enemies horrified faces.

And then not a second after that the door slammed shut with a hiss.

Azula’s golden eyes now danced with unimaginable rage with her jaw clenched in her fury.

Before she threw the giant orb of lightning into the air while it careened with meticulous precision straight toward the mechanical badgermole!

The group threw their arms up over their faces as the lethal electricity abruptly detonated into the forest air.

While the blinding light caused each and everyone of them to squint as they gazed away.

All the while as Azula now stood on the slope of the tree with smoking hands falling to her womanly hips.

While the captain and her second in command dropped to the ground with their elbows covering their eyes.

Only for their eyes to widen when the dust finally settled.

And they could only gaze on in helpless anger to see that the metal badgermole was gone.

And in its place was a burrowed hole that had been dug into the depths of the earth!

“She…got away!” Zoe snarled as she punched her mighty fist into the ground while Azula also seethed from where she stood on the base of the tree.

“The next time I see that freak I am going to flay her alive!” The princess snapped as she turned to stomp back up the tree.

While her companions breathed a sigh of relief.

“I…don’t know about you guys but I am glad that she’s gone.” Nako shuddered with her eyes still agape in terror while Mai nodded in agreement.

“As am I! And this is the last death trip that I am joining you on Zoe!” Jiao complained with a huff while Zoe stood glaring down into the gaping pit.

“We’ll avenge them next time captain.” The lieutenant assured with his palm on his captain’s shoulder while the warrior’s bangs shadowed her eyes.

“Yes, Saro. We will.” The captain agreed in a low voice with her steam finally dissipating from body.

Before she turned to walk away with her subordinate following after her.

“Are you alright princess?” Elle pondered in a doting voice while Azula stepped back into the barrier with her moody golden eyes glaring ahead.

“I will be fine servant.” Azula growled out as she stomped closer with her possessive eyes already seeking to pull the girl off the sighing acrobat.

Just before she turned around in curiosity when she heard the two soldiers call out to her as they jumped down behind her.

“Princess! We found something…I think it’s for you.” Saro began in a rightfully nervous voice as he held out a small wooden princess doll before Azula’s enraged golden eyes.

And in its arms was a wrapped-up note.

“She…left a doll?” Mai asked in a disgusted voice as she gazed at the item in revulsion while a shiver traveled down her spine.

Just before the princess swiped the doll from the man’s hands while she tore the note open.

And then she gazed down at it with her callous eyes now agape in boiling wrath while her subordinates gazed on from over her shoulder.

Zoe and Saro’s eyes also widened after they finished reading the note.

While Mai, Ty Lee, Nako and Jiao shuddered after they too read it from behind their enraged leader.

It read as follows.

Azula,

Though I am going to kill many other people before we meet again. I want you to know that I will be thinking of you each and every time.

When they scream, I will be thinking of you screaming. When they run, I will picture you running away. When they beg, I will imagine you begging.

You will die in an orgasmic rush of terror at my hand. It’s just a matter of time. And I have all the time in the world to wait.

Sooner or later I am going to seal your fate among my collection. Until then, my beautiful doll.

Silah.

And then not a second afterward Azula roared in outrage as she crushed the doll in her powerful fist.

And just like that both the doll and the note were burned to ashes in her azure flames while she snorted out plumes of blue fire through her furious nostrils.

“I am not her doll!” Azula snapped with her flame coated fist falling back to her hip as she glared down with her golden eyes narrowed in fury.

“W-what did it say Azula-sama?” The blonde-haired girl asked with tears still on her cheeks while her princess discarded the remains over her shoulder.

“Nothing that you need concern yourself with peasant.” The princess snarled as she stomped forward with her sword sheathed at her shapely hip.

“What a demented beast.” The markswoman stated in a repulsed voice as she put her knives away.

“Indeed. It would seem that my earlier assessments were correct after all.” The captain remarked in a low voice as she gazed over her shoulder into the vast forest with cold hazel eyes.

Just before the princess came to a stop over the old woman while she glared down at her with imposing golden eyes.

“I expect you to tell me everything that you know about this…former friend of yours.” Azula ordered with venom dripping from her voice while Mava raised her staff in the air once more.

“So be it. But we need to withdraw for the time being. There are still far too many potential enemies present to speak freely.” The sage commented as they gazed at her in bafflement while they turned around to watch in awe as the tree began to close up.

With its huge branches now wrapping around its great form while the group stared on in wonderment.

At this point not a single one of them could find it within themselves to doubt the power of the old sage.

“Other enemies?” Ty Lee inquired in a puzzled voice with her adopted sister now standing up beside her.

Only for Elle’s wet amber eyes to widen as she craned her neck to gaze up into the tree branches to find a familiar face gazing back down at her.

The others turned to follow the young girl’s gaze only for their eyes to widen in unison.

“Naoki.” The blonde-haired girl breathed as she swallowed down her apprehension while she met the redhead’s machinelike gaze.

While her highborn friends stared up at the girl with their eyes wide in surprise.

The redhead stood above them on a tree branch in a crouched stance with her hand resting over the hilt of her sheathed sword as if she had been preparing to draw it on them at any moment!

And Azula’s lips creased back into another seething scowl as she glowered up into Naoki’s emotionless eyes.

“That kid…was watching us…the entire time…” Mai stated in a stunned voice with her tawny eyes agape in aggravation.

“She was surveying us in battle…to see who was the last one standing. And then she was going to attack the survivor.” Zoe spoke in an observant voice as she watched Naoki stand up with her hand sliding off her sheathed blade.

Those words brought a scowl to the lips of Team Azula as they all glared up at the stoic girl with annoyance in their eyes.

‘She was spying on me…waiting to see if I would fall in battle so she could take Elle away from me!’ The princess thought with fire pouring forth from her nostrils while she glared up at the young assassin with penetrating golden eyes.

“That’s a bizarre way to thank us for carrying her to shelter.” The royal pilot commented with a puzzled look in her eyes.

“You figured it out. You two really are quite impressive.” Naoki spoke with a smile on her lips while she gazed down at the two firebenders irate faces.

Before Azula took an imposing step in front of her servant while she regarded the redhead with a domineering stare.

“I distinctly recall telling you what would happen if you crossed me.” Azula commented in a powerfully stoic voice while she glared up at the girl with her burning fists clenched at her hips.

“Glare at me all that you want princess. It doesn’t work on me.” The scarlet-haired girl answered in an uncaring voice with a smirk on her lips while the princess’s golden eyes burned through her skull.

Just as the platform of roots began to withdraw into an opening in the vast Sentinel Tree while the group observed in amazement.

All the while as they warily gazed up at the assassin standing over them on an overlooking tree branch.

“I told you Elle. It would seem that I was right after all. You have power.” The scarlet-haired girl remarked in a pleased voice with her lips pulling into a smile.

While she gazed down coldly into the younger girl’s shaken amber eyes as the girl’s friends still glared up at her.

“I…suppose you were Naoki. But I really wish that I didn’t.” Elle murmured as she grasped at her sleeves with her amber eyes still reflecting a saddened gleam.

While the acrobat held a comforting hand on her shoulder as the noblewomen directed a warning stare up at the unfazed redhead.

As did Mai as well while the markswoman never took her eyes off Naoki’s strikingly emotionless face.

Just as they watched in marvelment through the corners of their eyes as the tree opened up all around them.

While the redhead’s face began to slowly but surely disappear from their view.

But not before the mighty princess stood over her servant with her arms folded over her armored breasts as she turned to glare icily up at the girl once more.

“Elle is mine. I own her. Right down to the very power that runs through her veins. Isn’t that right Elle?” The princess announced in a pompous voice as she glanced down over her shoulder at her petite serving girl’s adorably obedient face.

All the while as the two noblewomen gazed at their childhood friend in exasperation over her domineering behavior.

“T-that’s right. Azula-sama is my leader now. I’m sorry Naoki…but Azula-sama is my home now. And I am content serving under her.” The blonde-haired girl admitted in a meek voice as she hid behind her princess’s tall back while her master gazed down at her in approval.

Only for the redhead to release a scoff while the princess turned to stare hard back up at the young assassin’s vanishing face.

“And there you have it runaway slave. I was born with a divine right to rule. This one understands that I am absolute. And in time. So, will you.” Azula spoke in a supremely hubristic voice with a smug smile forming upon her crimson lips while she gazed up into the young assassin’s cold brown eyes.

While she found herself inwardly enjoying how her young girlfriend’s hands were grasping a hold of her armored back.

Just before her golden eyes narrowed in anger when the redhead let out an amused laugh.

“Almost absolute but not quite princess. If that puppeteer’s words were anything to go by.” Naoki called out in a chuckled as she turned to gaze over her shoulder into the distance while Azula’s golden eyes grew wide in renewed murderous fury.

Only for the Sentinel Tree’s limbs to finish wrapping around its outer shell while the group watched in still present awe as the tree began closing shut around them.

But not before they once more gazed up at the assassin’s smiling face.

All the while as the wind slowly rustled through the redhead’s hair as she glanced back down while the blonde’s fretful eyes met her stony gaze.

“This talk isn’t over Elle. I’ll be back after I deal with those military fools.” The scarlet-haired girl stated in a tone devoid of kindness while the younger teenager’s eyes widened in alarm.

And then the group’s eyes widened in alertness after hearing that.

While they spun around to gaze out of the rapidly shrinking opening when they could have sworn that they heard the very distant sounds of military machinery.

And then not a second later the young assassin vanished off the tree branch in a scarlet blur.

Just before the Sentinel Tree finally slammed shut.

And then just like that the Sentinel Tree retreated into the depths of the earth while they gazed at one another in uncertainty.

“The military…is coming through.” Elle whispered in a quiet voice with her amber eyes gazing ahead while her big sisters gazed on in worry beside her.

“Those soldiers from before princess…somehow more of them are coming into the valley.” The captain remarked in an angered voice as she turned to gaze back into her ruler’s mutually furious golden eyes.

“Then they will regret it in their death throes! Old woman! I demand that you let us out so we may punish these intruders!” The princess barked in a livid voice with her fists planted upon her womanly hips while she gazed out of the corner of her eye as they were pulled inside the tree.

“We just barely escaped one nightmare of a fight and now you want to jump right back into another?” The markswoman asked in a monotone voice while the princess turned to scowl back at her.

“Mai has a point Azula. Shouldn’t we at least take a short breather?” The brown-haired woman suggested in a tired voice while the princess glared at her.

“A breather Ty Lee? While we’re being invaded?” Azula snarled in a taunting voice with her icy eyes gazing back at the other woman’s exhausted face.

“What should we do captain?” The lieutenant questioned as he turned to his captain while the warrior frowned in contemplation.

“Do whatever you guys want. I’ll be down here…resuming my nap while you fight valiantly for our country.” Jiao yawned with a hand over her mouth as she smiled while the others turned to glare at her.

But before the princess could snap out an insult at the commoner.

They all turned their head when the old woman’s staff thudded against the flooring.

“No. As I said before. I don’t care if there are invading soldiers in the forest. My sole concern is concluding my business with the Component. Should you leave any sooner…you will never find this tree again.” The sage declared in a firm voice that allowed no room for argument while the princess’s golden eyes narrowed in aggravation.

And suffice to say it stunned the group to a degree that the old woman cared so little of what happened outside of her ‘home’.

And then they heard the sound of tree roots shifting outside the tree while they listened in wonderment.

Just before the movement finally settled.

And then the inside of the tree opened up while they all slid down inside the tree once more.

“Did you…move the location of the tree?” Zoe pondered in a taken aback voice as she turned to gaze at the hobbling sage.

“I did. For the time being I moved it underground.” Mava answered in a blunt voice while the group’s mouths dropped open in disbelief.

While the princess gazed around once more with fascination flickering in her cold golden eyes.

“You can move the entire tree at will?” Mai inquired a surprised voice with her tawny eyes gazing about in a rare state of wonder.

“When the circumstances call for it…the Sentinel Tree is no ordinary tree. It is the hub of an ancient magical power.” The sage stated as she shuffled out from an opening in the wall while the team listened in disbelief.

Just before she stepped out with a scowl forming on her lips when she found herself stepping through countless broken items.

The princess’s forces gazed about in the lower floor of the ‘house’ with grimacing expressions when they saw the ravaged state of the old woman’s abode.

“Damn Silah. She ruined everything.” Mava grumbled as she slowly moved forward while Elle gazed around with saddened amber eyes.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure that Azula would be more than happy to replace all that she is able. Isn’t that right Azula?” Ty Lee commented as she turned to stare pointedly at Azula’s scoffing face while the royal woman gazed back with uncaring golden eyes.

“Bah! I don’t want anything from that brat! The sooner she is out of my house for good the better!” The sage exclaimed as she hobbled ahead as the others sweatdropped when the princess rounded to glare icily after her back.

“Filthy hag. You can sleep on the floor for all I care!” The princess called out in a venomous voice while she exhaled fire through her nostrils.

“Not now Azula.” The markswoman groaned as she gazed at her friend in annoyance.

“I can’t help but wonder…if that girl Naoki played a factor in Silah’s retreat.” The captain stated in a reflective voice as she around with thoughtful hazel eyes while the others turned to gaze curiously at her.

“Please Zoe. You give that girl far too much credit.” Azula scoffed as she walked with her handmaiden following at her heels.

“I don’t think so princess. I have never seen anyone that was so difficult to read before…it was like…her eyes were completely devoid of emotion. I suspect that Silah had just as difficult a time predicting her as I did.” Zoe insisted with her hazel eyes taking on a serious tint while Azula’s golden eyes flashed in grudging recognition.

While the others listened in a bewildered silence.

“It wouldn’t surprise me. They removed Naoki’s ability to process emotions. It’s almost impossible to predict her. Because she doesn’t feel emotion…be it anger…happiness…sorrow or anything really.” Elle explained as she strode behind her companions while they turned to gaze down at her in fascination.

And the acrobat and the markswoman found themselves unable to resist shivering as they tried to picture what sort of torture it would take to strip a human being of the ability to feel emotion.

“I presume that Silah did not want to risk exposure of too many of her secrets to a possible unknown enemy.” The captain concluded with a nod while her monarch scowled beside her.

“Elle! Tell me everything that you know about these invading soldiers.” The princess commanded as she turned to gaze down at her serving girl only for her callous eyes to flash with a sliver of uncharacteristic emotion when she saw that the girl was struggling not to cry.

The group froze up with renewed sympathy in their eyes while they all gazed back at their saddened young friend uncertain of what they should do to console her.

“I-I…I’m sorry Azula-sama but I need to go think things over for a little while. This…is just too much for me to handle all at once.” The blonde-haired girl announced in a downcast voice with her hair hanging in her eyes while her companions stood in silence behind her.

And then she padded off with her backpack over her shoulders in search of a private place to sit.

While the princess watched the girl walk off with her crimson lips ajar in conflicted emotion as she clenched a burning fist at her hip.

All the while aware that her two childhood friends were already turning to her with saddened eyes that implored her to follow.

“Azula…go after her.” The brown-haired woman advised in a hushed voice with a tear brewing in her eye while the proud princess turned to scowl at her from over her shoulder.

“I don’t need you to tell me to do that Ty Lee.” Azula grumbled as she stomped off with her fists balled up at her hips while her boots crunched as she strode through broken glass.

Before she vanished down a corridor while her companions watched with pity in their eyes.

The captain grimaced with her hazel eyes reflecting sympathy while the pilot stood in a depressed silence beside her.

And the old sage let out a heavy sigh as she gazed ahead with a remorseful look in her glazed golden eyes.

It had not been her intent to cause the girl adverse pain.

But it was regrettably necessary for the young holder to awaken her power at all costs.

There was simply…no other alternative.

And then she took another step forward only to gasp in exhaustion when she nearly fell down to the floor with her eyes now wide in pain.

Only to for a strong hand to catch her gently under her arms while she turned to find the stoic captain bracing her from behind.

“Let me help you walk Mava.” Zoe remarked as she held up the old woman with her hands on her shoulders while Mava stood up.

“Thank you.” Mava muttered in a momentary break from her gruff voice while Zoe dutifully nodded her head.

“It’s nothing…it’s the least I can do.” The captain stated in a composed voice as she allowed the sage to balance herself upon her arm.

“We’ll help you clean this place up.” Nako commented as she bent over to pick up a book while Saro nodded in agreement.

“I’ll get the book shelf. You get the books Nako.” Saro said as he began to lift a fall book shelf back up against the wall while the pilot offered him a quick nod.

And then Mai and Ty Lee exchanged a glance before they moved to help as they began picking up items off the floor.

Before Jiao sighed as she ran a hand through her hair before she took them by surprise when she bent over to assist them.

While the sage turned away with an appreciative expression in her aged eyes as the captain led her down the hall.

And soon after that the warrior lifted a chair onto its right side while she helped the noticeably worn out woman seat herself.

“Rest. We’ll take care of the cleanup.” Zoe instructed in a cool-headed voice as she gazed down at the sage’s weary face before she turned to rejoin her compatriots.

While she walked off with her observant hazel eye taking note that the hermit was breathing more heavily than before the tree repaired itself.

A few moments after that another book shelf was placed up against the wall.

While Zoe now stood beside Mai and Ty Lee as they went about putting ancient tomes back upon the shelves.

Just before the acrobat turned to the captain with her brown-gray eyes conveying a thoughtful gleam.

In some ways ever since she had come to accept Zoe, she now saw her as a second leader of sorts for the group.

And she figured that now that Azula was out of the room that it was a good time to voice her concerns.

“Zoe. Can I ask you something?” Ty Lee pondered to the surprise of her two fellow nobles while Zoe turned to her with her hazel eyes taking on a curious expression.

“What is it Ty Lee?” The captain answered as she carefully placed books in a row on the shelf while Mai’s tawny eyes studied the acrobat.

“I was wondering if…that woman still reports to the Fire Lord.” The brown-haired woman began in a hesitant voice while the two women gazed back at her with surprised looks in their eyes.

While the three noblewomen now warily gazed back at one another before the captain finally voiced her thoughts.

“I find it unlikely.” Zoe replied in a stony voice as she set down another old book with great care while her fellow nobles gazed at her in slight puzzlement.

“And just why is that?” Mai inquired in a monotone voice with her tawny eyes studying the warrior’s contemplative countenance.

“Because having a subordinate that attacks your daughter and massacres your own troops…makes it appear as if she is beyond your control. And that is a bad look for any Fire Lord.” The captain spoke as she turned to gaze grievously back into her two companion’s understanding eyes.

Both Mai and Ty Lee knew that Zoe had a point.

But even still…

It was terribly disconcerting to know that a monster like Silah was once under the employ of Fire Lord Ozai.

Just the very thought of it was enough to send another horrifying shudder down their spines.

Elle sat on the floor gazing at the wall of a small room with crestfallen amber eyes when she heard the sound of boots coming to a stop behind her.

She tried her hardest to suppress a sniffle while listened to Azula let out a sigh from where she stood over her.

“Servant.” Azula greeted in a stern voice as she seated herself on her round backside beside her betrothed while she gazed down at the saddened girl through the corner of her cold golden eye.

“Azula-sama.” Elle replied in a voice of indescribable reverence that the monarch adored as she gazed out from her knees up into Azula’s callous golden eyes.

While the princess released a loud snort of blue fire as she rolled her eyes down at her young girlfriend’s teary face.

Before she patted her armored thigh with a well-manicured hand while Elle peered up at her with boundless appreciation in her eyes.

“Just come here and get in my lap already peasant.” The princess ordered in an unsocial voice as slid her arm around the much smaller girl’s shoulder while she watched as her servant climbed into her lap.

And then not a second later the serving girl was pulled into her master’s strong arms while she now sat with the back of her head resting against the princess’s plated bosom.

Just as she pressed her face into Azula’s armored breasts.

While she silently savored the way that her princess’s mighty arms were now wrapping around her chest.

All the while as she shivered pleasantly when she listened to Azula let out a forceful growl over her shoulder.

“I…I don’t want to be the Component. I…just want to be your serving girl.” The blonde-haired girl murmured in a disconcerted voice as she sat over her princess’s well-formed thighs while muscular arms held her close.

The princess gazed down at the petite girl in her arms with her crimson lips almost pulling into her usual confident smile after hearing those words.

Only to find herself sighing once more as she possessively wrapped her toned arms around the smaller girl’s shoulders.

“You are still my servant Elle. This changes nothing. You will always serve me.” Azula spoke in a controlling voice with her greedy golden eyes gazing down at Elle’s head as the girl lay back against her breast.

“I know Azula-sama. But…but I’m scared.” Elle admitted in a timid voice as she chewed on her lip while Azula glanced down at her with assertive golden eyes.

“Why does that not surprise me? It couldn’t be more obvious that you need my strength.” The princess stated in a matter of fact voice as she stared down at her handmaid’s lovely face with beyond dominant golden eyes.

“T-that’s so Azula-sama. I do.” The blonde-haired girl agreed in a soft-spoken voice while mighty arms crushed her against her princess’s armored chest.

“What sort of leader do you take me for? Do you think me incapable of protecting my own girlfriend?” Azula growled with her arms holding Elle in her lap while she gazed hard down at the girl’s pretty face.

“No Azula-sama…I do not doubt your dominance.” Elle replied in a sweet voice as relaxed in the older woman’s arms while she blushed while Azula scoffed over her shoulder.

“Good. Because if you did…I would have no choice but to punish you…” The princess purred with a smile growing onto her full lips while her perfect fingernails gently brushed against her girlfriend’s quivering cheek.

“O-oh princess…” The blonde-haired girl murmured in a lovelorn voice as she sunk back with her face resting upon her princess’s breast while an arm coiled around her upper back.

“Oh peasant.” Azula spoke with a sigh escaping her crimson lips as she reclined against the wall while held her betrothed against her bosom.

Just before moment was broken not a second later when the teenager abruptly cried out in panic in her arms.

While she glanced down with a puzzled look in her callous golden eyes as she suddenly found herself scanning her pet for the slightest injury.

Only for her hardened gaze to gaze down with cold recognition when she noticed that her handmaiden was gazing at her wounded arm in horror.

“Y-your arm Azula-sama!” Elle cried out in a fretful voice with her sadness momentarily giving way for concern for her master’s wellbeing.

“Hm? Oh that. I sustained a wound in battle.” The princess remarked in a hardened voice while her golden eyes burned with still noticeable rage toward her audacious new enemy.

Only for her cold eyes to watch in bewilderment when her pet reached for her bag in a clumsy frenzy.

And then not a second later another sigh escaped her lips when the girl withdrew her first aid kit.

“Please allow me to treat your wound master. I simply cannot stand the sight of Your Highness injured…” The blonde-haired girl commented as she gazed up at her princess’s stony countenance from where she sat on her lap while the older girl rolled her eyes above her.

“Mushy peasant.” Azula grunted as she sunk back with her head against the wall while her regal lips pursed into a proud scowl.

As she allowed her servant to gently unravel her torn sleeve while the girl gazed down at her wound at the gash with still mortified amber eyes.

And although no matter how much she tried to deny it.

It felt…rewarding having someone express such tender concern for her safety.

“I am Azula-sama. Just like my…mother.” Elle mumbled as she pulled back Azula’s sleeve while the much taller woman scowled down at her.

“You peasants are too emotional for your own good.” The princess grumbled in a cold voice as she sat patiently with her young girlfriend’s dainty hands cleaning her wound.

All the while as she coldly studied the young girl through the corner of her frigid eye in disapproval of the girl’s sadness.

And somewhere deep down inside of her frozen heart she found herself wishing that she had been around to stop the genocide of her servant’s village.

‘If only they had been under my rule…’ Azula thought with her nostrils releasing a puff of furious blue fire as she ground her teeth together.

She could have…saved her servant’s parents.

“Master Azula?” The blonde-haired girl began in an uncertain voice as she cleaned the royal woman’s muscular arm while golden eyes glanced down at her in dominant approval.

“What is it servant?” The princess queried in a tone of boundless patience that she only used with her most loyal follower.

While she observed with a strict eye as the girl began to soak up the blood on her bicep.

“I…I don’t feel comfortable with the last hour that I spent outside of your control.” Elle admitted in a mousy voice while she missed how Azula’s possessive eyes now flashed in delight.

“Is that right?” Azula asked in a purr with her domineering golden eyes closely gazing down at her young girlfriend’s sensitive face.

Only for her cold gaze to narrow when she caught sight of the sorrow once more brewing in the girl’s emotional amber eyes.

“It…it is Azula-sama. W-will you…will you…reassert control over me?” The blonde-haired girl requested in a shaken voice while the princess’s domineer golden eyes widened in excitement.

“You…wish for me to dominate you even more?” The princess pondered with her lips curling into a pleased smile while her petite servant sat in her lap patting down her arm.

“I-I would Azula-sama. Please lend me your guidance. I…don’t know what to do.” Elle confessed with her bangs hanging in her eyes while Azula’s smile quickly gave way to another regal scowl.

“So…you want me to decide for you?” Azula questioned in a cold voice as she sat with her icy eyes gazing down at the young girl’s sorrowful face.

Only for her ruthless eyes to narrow in displeasure when she spied a tear dripping down the teenager’s fair cheek.

“Y-yes. Please give me an order. A-any order.” The blonde-haired girl stammered in a desperate voice as her hands shook over the princess’s bicep while the older woman now gazed sternly down at her.

“Stop crying or I will discipline you.” The princess commanded in a much stricter voice than before while she glared down at the crying girl’s now nodding face.

She was both pleased and displeased all at once.

Her betrothed truly craved her control.

That much was obvious.

And yet at the same time…it angered her watching her girlfriend cry.

“Yes p-princess. As you say…a-always as you say.” Elle stuttered in a relieved voice as she gazed gratefully up into Azula’s strict golden eyes.

“Very good. I command you to tell me what this girl…Naoki wants with you.” Azula ordered in a tone of absolute authority as she lounged with a hand on her knee while gentle hands bandaged her wound.

While she observed in approval when her faithful servant bowed her head in reverence.

“She wants me to join her in getting vengeance on those who wronged us.” The blonde-haired girl answered in a stabilizing voice while the princess stared at her with stern golden eyes.

“I had already gathered as much Elle.” The princess said with a pleased look in her eyes while her handmaid sat on her leg wrapping her arm.

All the while taking note that her commands seemed to have a calming effect on the girl’s mood.

“But…but it’s so much more than that. She wants to hurt people that had no part in it. As in killing hundreds of thousands…if not millions.” Elle explained in a disturbed voice as she met Azula’s somewhat taken aback golden gaze.

“I see.” Azula muttered in a thoughtful voice with her ruthless eyes briefly mulling the matter over while Elle diligently tended to her arm.

“And…I just can’t do that. That’s…not how my mother raised me.” The blonde-haired girl mumbled as she tightly bound her princess’s arm while golden eyes studied her intently.

“I forbid you to take part in such acts. Understand servant?” The princess spoke in a strict voice with a scowl on her crimson lips while her serving girl bowed her head once more.

“As Her Highness commands.” Elle agreed in a devoted voice while Azula’s lips pulled back into another smile.

“That’s what I like to hear. Obedience.” Azula sighed as she relaxed with her head propped up upon the wall while she savored the way the smaller female sat in her lap.

“I-I couldn’t watch what he did to my mother. I…had to block it out.” The blonde-haired girl whispered while the princess glanced down at her once again.

“Good. I don’t want you thinking of such thoughts.” The princess grumbled in a prideful voice with her icy eyes staring down at her handmaid’s wet face.

“Then…I will try my best not to.” Elle answered as she tied the bandages while Azula still watched her closely.

“I will avenge your parents Elle.” Azula announced in a callous voice with her golden eyes watching as Elle gazed up at her with emotive amber eyes.

“Y-you will?” The blonde-haired girl asked in a moved voice while the princess’s lips pursed into a ferocious scowl.

“Of course, I will!” The princess scoffed with an arrogant roll of her eyes just as she felt a smaller hand take hold of her own.

“A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama.” Elle spoke with her loyal eyes peering up into Azula’s proud golden eyes.

“You are such a sentimental little thing. But to my liking all the same.” Azula stated as she sat back with her stern eyes gazing down at her admirer’s face while she allowed the girl to hold her hand.

“She…she saw me before she died Azula-sama…an older me. Do you think…that if she could see me now…that she would be proud of me?” The blonde-haired girl inquired in a hopeful voice as she gazed up into her princess’s attentive golden eyes.

“I do. I am certain of it.” The princess stated in a tone that brook no room for argument with her golden eyes momentarily flickering with a sliver of emotion.

Somehow there was no doubt in her mind that the Lana that she saw.

Would not be proud of the girl seated before her.

“That…that is good to know. I wouldn’t want to disappoint her.” Elle replied with the tears finally drying in her eyes while she concluded wrapping her princess’s arm.

All the while as golden eyes gazed back at her with a controlling gleam that sent a wonderful shudder down her spine.

“You belong to me Elle. And I will not share you with anyone. Is that clear?” Azula growled in a possessive voice with her callous golden eyes hardening into an imposing glare while Elle shook under her stare.

“Y-yes princess. I am yours.” The blonde-haired girl agreed in a lovesick voice as she peered dreamily back up into her princess’s beautiful face while she once more found herself lost in the older woman’s eyes.

“You will continue to serve me as the Component. You will only take orders from me. And this power will be used for my benefit alone.” The princess commanded in a supremely dominant voice with her controlling golden eyes gazing back down into her submissive girl’s swooning amber eyes.

“You alone Azula-sama. I serve you with pride on this day…for all of my days.” Elle assured as she wiped a tear from her eye as she reached up to touch Azula’s scowling cheek while she smiled up at her.

“You better peasant. I will not be satisfied with anything less than your absolute worship.” Azula declared in a spoiled voice as she glared over her shoulder at the wall with the barest twinge of a blush now adorning her regal cheeks.

While Elle nodded in understanding as she smiled softly up at her scowling countenance.

“Wakarimashita Azula-sama.” The blonde-haired girl answered in a devoted voice with her head bowing in respect while her princess gazed down at her with endless approval in her cold eyes.

“You are a fine servant. I want you to know that I will never forget your loyalty. You will always have a home by my side Elle.” The princess remarked in a voice of rare sincerity while she turned to stare down into her handmaiden’s emotional amber eyes.

“A-Azula-sama.” Elle stuttered in a heartfelt voice as she smiled up at Azula’s glowering face while her palm lingered upon the royal woman’s cheek.

Only to find herself jumping in a panic when the woman’s authoritative voice rang into her ears.

“Cease that waterworks right this minute or I will imprison you in a dark cell until the end of time!” Azula barked in an overbearing voice as she glared down at her young girlfriend’s gulping face.

“S-sumimasen Azula-sama!” The blonde-haired girl cried out in an adorable voice as she hurriedly bowed her head while her princess’s lips curved into another smile.

“Such a good girl.” The princess commented in an approving voice as she reclined with her girlfriend’s head pressing into her armored bosom once more.

“Princess?” Elle pondered with the back of her head pushing into Azula’s breastplate while she savored the way that the woman’s arms once again wrapped around her belly.

“Hm?” Azula answered in a lazy voice with her golden eyes gazing down at the lovely young girl in her arms.

“Will…will you surround me with your firebending?” The blonde-haired girl requested in a soft voice with a timid blush on her cheeks while her princess smiled once more.

“Now that…I just adore.” Azula purred as she drew the shorter girl in closer while her powerful arms coiled around her companion’s midsection.

And then the princess sat back against the wall with her peasant in her arms while she gazed down at the girl resting against her plated breast.

Just as a wall of intense azure flames flared up all around them while Elle curled up with her head propped up upon her ceremonial armor.

All the while as the dome of blue fire blazed brightly before the teenager’s content amber eyes.

“Try not to worry your little mind over what is to come. Whatever may happen…we’ll face it together.” The princess instructed with her cold voice taking on a protective edge while she held her girlfriend’s face into her armored breasts.

“Yes Azula-sama…. together.” Elle murmured with a tender smile forming upon her lips while she closed her eyes as she listened to Azula’s heartbeat behind her ears.

“Hm. That’s my peasant.” Azula sighed in a tone of finality as she found herself unable to resist crushing Elle’s small form in her arms while her fire crackled around them.

“My…my princess charming.” The blonde-haired girl spoke in a bashful voice as she cuddled up against her princess’s chestplate with two strong arms holding her tight.

“Mine…my girl.” The princess snarled with her callous golden eyes vigilant gleam while she wrapped one arm around the young girl’s neck.

As she held the teenager’s head against her breast while the girl breathed serenely with her face buried in her bust.

While her azure flames accentuated her face as she glared down at the relaxing girl with frigid golden eyes.

If anyone dares to try to take her girl away from her.

Be it the Avatar. Her brother. Her father. Silah. Naoki. Or this Rieko that she has heard so much about. Or anyone else.

They will suffer an agonizing death in her flames.

And that was a promise.

Elsewhere in the Fire Nation…

A small ship sailed through the ocean’s waters while Chancellor Terak sat gazing back at the freshly washed dark-haired young woman seated opposite of him.

The former prisoner gazed around her with her green eyes still agape in surprise that she had actually been released.

Before she turned to gaze back at the man seated across from her with while he smiled back at her.

“If I do as you say…my sisters and I will gain our freedom?” Arin questioned with her hands on the tabletop while Terak nodded his head.

“You deduce correctly. I require your assistance Arin.” Terak stated in a cordial voice with a disarming smile on his lips while he gazed at the woman’s still taken aback face.

“To crown Prince Zuko?” The Kyoshi Warrior queried in a quiet voice as she listened to the small ship sail along the sea.

“Indeed. As I told you…I am working against the Crown. That is why I retrieved you. So, I could find an ally sympathetic to my cause.” The chancellor explained in a sly voice with his golden eyes gazing back at the prisoner’s guarded face.

“If what you say is true…why not release the rest of my sisters?” Arin pondered in a skeptical voice as she studied the official closely with her green eyes.

“Release one Kyoshi Warrior and the Crown Princess and the Fire Lord will not blink. Release them all and we would draw upon the wrath of Princess Azula. You don’t want to draw the notice of Princess Azula do you?” Terak replied in a smooth voice as he stared back at Arin’s now horrified face as the woman quickly shook her head.

“No. No I do not.” The Kyoshi Warrior answered in a hastened voice while the chancellor nodded in agreement.

“Nor do I. Which is why we must keep this from her at all costs. She would most surely not appreciate that I am conspiring with Princess Ling to overthrow the current…corrupt regime.” The chancellor spoke in an amicable voice as he leaned forward to gaze back into widened green eyes.

“I…still can’t believe…that she is truly alive.” Arin breathed with her exhausted eyes gazing on with something akin to hope in her eyes.

For the first time in six years of her time in that torturous prison she truly felt hope.

Hope that her resurfaced princess would deliver the people of her nation to freedom from the grip of the Fire Nation.

And most of all, free her people from the tyrannical Princess Azula’s rule.

“She is Arin. The people of the Earth Kingdom are rising up. And those who fight for peace between nations are rallying behind Prince Zuko’s banner. It is our intention to see the prince crowned Fire Lord by Sozin’s Comet.” Terak announced in a silenced voice with his palms clasped over the table while Arin sat in a suspenseful silence.

“And how exactly do I help you do that?” The Kyoshi Warrior asked in a quiet voice as she stared back into the man’s bright golden eyes.

“We must coordinate our movements with the Avatar. And to do that…well that is going to require a covert operation.” The chancellor responded in a crafty voice as he smiled back at the woman’s frowning face.

“And what’s to stop me from killing you and commandeering this ship? From the look of it. You didn’t even bring any guards.” Arin declared with her green eyes taking on a harder tiny while she gazed back at Terak’s amused face.

“There is nothing to stop you. If you wish you can take control of the boat at any time.” Terak purred to the surprise of Arin while she gazed back with bewildered green eyes.

“Then why shouldn’t I?” The Kyoshi Warrior questioned as she narrowed her eyes back at the official’s smirking face.

“Of course, if you do, how will you help your sisters if you kill your only friend in the Fire Nation?” The chancellor inquired as he stared back into the prisoner’s once more widened eyes.

While Arin’s eyes glanced about the cabin before gazing back at Terak’s smiling countenance.

“The choice is yours Arin.” Terak stated in a charismatic voice as he sat unmoving while Arin’s eyes darted around the room.

And for the briefest of moments it almost seemed as if the Kyoshi Warrior was considering lunging across the table to open his throat.

Until finally Arin relented.

“Fine. For the sake of my sisters. I will hear you out.” Arin agreed with her hands returning to the table once more while Terak smiled once more.

“Wonderful. You made a wise choice Arin.” The chancellor assured as he reached across the table with his palm touching the woman’s own while her green eyes gazed back at him.

“Let us hope.” The Kyoshi Warrior replied as she reached for a bowl of food as she pulled it towards her while the chancellor relaxed in his seat once more.

“Worry not Arin. I am not your enemy. I am a friend of the Earth Kingdom. And together…we will help the Avatar achieve victory over the Fire Nation.” Terak spoke in a persuasive voice as his robed hands relaxed in his lap.

As he smiled back at the Kyoshi Warrior’s more at ease face while he watched her take a bite out of a dinner roll.

While he gazed across the room with a carefully hidden conniving gleam in his golden eyes.

Just wait until he delivers his report to Princess Azula.

It was certain to cement his position in her eyes.

Yes. She will be pleased.

Very, pleased.

#Azula #Avatar The Last Airbender #femslash #ty lee avatar #mai avatar

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grither55 · 3 years

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The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 80 - Devils, Chaos and Suffering

Elle panted as she ran as fast as she could in hopes of making it to her house to find her father and brother.

Only to freeze in her tracks with her wide teary amber eyes staring ahead to find armed soldiers had blocked the street off.

The child stepped back with her little mouth agape in naivety only to find herself trembling in trauma while she watched soldiers begin to advance on her.

All the while she cowered with tears dripping down her cheeks while her terrified eyes now gazed back at the man who attacked her mother.

As Strados walked forward with his torn coat slung over his shoulder.

While his pitiless blue eyes stared down at her trembling form just as he came to a stop looming over her.

"Your mother won't be coming back for you. I killed her." Strados announced in a heartless voice with a cigarette burning between his lips while Elle's innocent eyes watered after hearing his words.

"W-what. D-dead? T-that can't be-" Elle stammered in a broken voice only to find herself dropping to her knees when a powerful fist slammed into her stomach.

The little girl slumped into the dirt with saliva dripping out of her open mouth while tears still stained her traumatized cheeks.

All the while as Team Azula seethed in rage while they watched a soldier carelessly drag the unconscious girl away.

While Strados took another drag of his cigarette while he gazed on with terrifyingly detached blue eyes.

His gaze was that of someone with no remorse or sympathy for the survivors that were crying out in terror across the settlement.

And soon enough a gruesome scene began to unfold across the smoking horizon.

Armed military vehicles sat outside of the village.

While military officials watched from their positions with detached looks in their eyes as the survivors were now being led in a rank and file march.

And in the distance, there was a massive tent.

And to the horror of Team Azula little Elle was now being shoved into the ominous line.

While the child gazed on with her traumatized eyes still not understanding what was going on.

All the while a man stood at the front of the line as he called ascertained the value of each prisoner with a peculiar handheld scanning device.

"C-can someone tell me where my parents are? W-where is my family?" Elle sputtered out in a destroyed voice with her wet eyes gazing ahead in fear as she padded to a stop at the front of the line.

Not one person answered the young child's sorrowful query.

The prisoners could only stare on with despairing eyes as their fates were callously decided by their captors.

Just as little Elle whimpered as she gazed up at a stocky man who glanced down at her for a passing moment only for the device to let out a dull beep.

Just before he spoke savage words that tore into the hearts of Team Azula.

"Trash. Take her to liquidation!" The officer exclaimed in a dismissive voice while the little girl stared up at him with her wet amber eyes unable to process his words.

The four highborn women watched with a sickening feeling in their stomachs when their friend's younger self was seized by a soldier once more.

While Azula continued to gaze on with her crimson lips ajar in a rare emotion that she could not place.

All the while her frigid golden eyes shone with great anger as she observed her little servant girl cry out as she was dragged away.

As much as she tried to tell herself that the girl was just another peasant and that she didn't care.

For reasons that she couldn't explain she did.

If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have even blinked an eye.

After all, they weren't her peasants. So, it wasn't any concern of hers. Right?

And yet she couldn't help but purse her tight lips into a beautiful thin line as she exhaled flames through her wrathful nostrils.

"I-I want my family!" The blonde-haired girl protested in a weak voice with tears running down her cheeks while whimpered as she was roughly dragged towards the ominous tent.

Only for an emotionless voice to cause the man leading her to pause as he turned around to find himself gazing fearfully back at Strados's stony face.

"No. Not that one. She may yet have power in her veins. And I want to see if I can bring it out." The soldier declared in an authoritative voice with his cigarette between his fingers while the other officers stared back at him in bewilderment.

"What? But her power reading is zero!" The other officer blurted out with confusion in his voice only to find himself shuddering under the terrifying man's death stare.

"Of course. I could always see what could be done to bring about yours as well…" Strados trailed off in a menacing voice with his lifeless eyes staring back at the now paling officer's face as he rapidly shook his head.

"That's…not necessary. You know best. Take her." The officer assured in a hurried voice as he waved for two soldiers to take the trembling child away.

All the while young Elle's sorrowful cries continued to resonate into the air in a futile effort to locate her parents.

"Mom! D-dad! I'm scared! Where are my parents!" Elle wailed in an increasingly distraught voice as she padded along with the men shoving her along like a sheep to the slaughter.

While Azula clenched her jaw as she gazed on with her dark hair showing her callous golden eyes with a blue fire escaping her nostrils.

Only to find herself torn from her thoughts when the soldiers dragged another struggling child into view.

The redhead and the blonde met each other's gazes while the other child was dragged to a stop while the sounds of soldier's voices broke out into the air.

"Look at what the cat dragged in. Red…we meet again." The soldier spoke in a predatory voice as he strode closer with his blue eyes gazing mockingly down at the beaten girl.

The scarlet-haired child said nothing as she defiantly gazed back up into his eyes while he exhaled from the cigarette between his lips.

Just as she began kicking at her captors only to find herself reeling from a brutal blow to the belly not a moment later.

And not a moment later the child sunk onto her knees with the breath leaving her lips while the blonde watched with horrified amber eyes.

All the while the soldier stared on with an emotionless look in his cold blue eyes as the redhead was beaten by the two men.

"Looks like we got a fighter in this one!" One of the men called out in a mocking voice just as his fist collided with the redhead's cheek.

"Do you want to know why these things keep happening to you and everyone you see around you?" Strados pondered in an almost offhand fashion as he dropped down onto one knee before the redhead's rasping face.

Just before he took hold of the girl's chin while he exhaled smoke in the coughing orphan's face.

"Because you are weak. The strong have no regard for the weak." The soldier declared in a deep voice with his pitiless eyes staring back down into the redhead's widening eyes.

Elle stood with her feet shaking in her shoes while she gazed fearfully up at the man's looming face only to find herself being drug away soon after.

"Take these two away. I will see to them shortly." Strados ordered with his burning cigarette between his lips while he stood back up.

Just as the redhead was hoisted away while she gazed on with her brown eyes never leaving the man's face.

Only to find herself being pulled through the dirt while the sounds of the terrified populace continued to resonate all around them.

"There's another one that we found." The officer from before spoke up from behind Strados while he nodded as he took a drag of his smoke.

"Take that one as well then." The soldier remarked with his cigarette between his fingers while he began to walk off.

"And the rest?" Another soldier queried as people stepped to the front of the line.

"Doesn't matter. Whatever you want. I don't care." Strados commented in a dismissive shrug as he walked away while the prisoners gazed on with frightened eyes.

"Understood." The officer replied in a sadistic voice while he turned to appraise the group.

While Amar stood gazing ahead with his terrified eyes reflecting a great fear of the tent that loomed before him.

And soon enough he too entered the ominous tent.

And he never came out alive.

The same as all who had entered before him.

Until soon enough the sound of a vehicle engine roaring to life ruptured the air.

Just as the soldiers spun around to gaze back in surprise to see one of their cars driving away like a bolt of lightning.

Strados stared on with his blue eyes widening ever so slightly as he bit down on the cigarette between his lips.

"Looks like a couple stragglers managed to get away thanks to that woman." A soldier stated from behind Elle while the child gazed on with emotional amber eyes.

Elle shook as she stumbled through the dirt with her little mouth dropping open in realization as she processed the man's words.

"It matters not. We'll hunt them down before the day is over." The soldier spoke as he held his burning cigarette between his fingers.

And then he resumed his walk with his eyes gazing after the car in the distance for a final moment before he turned away once more.

"Dying to save just three or four people. If you ask me that's pretty pathetic." Another man scoffed as he pushed the blonde child along while the little girl gazed ahead with watering amber eyes.

All the while Elle walked along with her wide eyes staring on in a trance as she recalled her mother's words of wisdom from the previous day.

'No living being has the right to take the life of another.' Elle thought with a sniffle escaping her lips while she naively trudged ahead.

While she continued to cry softly with her hands at her sides while she continued to follow her captors unaware of the further terror that was about to come.

But she would know soon enough.

As would Team Azula.

The blonde child soon found herself shoved down beside the same brown-haired girl from before who was trembling in fear just like her.

The redhead was more viciously pushed down beside them while the other two girls gazed fearfully up at their armed captors.

Before the two turned to gaze back to gaze at each other once more.

"M-my name is Elle. What's your name?" Elle questioned in a timid voice as she gazed back at the other girl’s fear struck face.

Only for the brown-haired girl to simply stare on with a traumatized look in her green eyes almost as if she was too shocked to process the other girl’s words.

All the while as the redhead gazed at the little blonde in faint annoyance out of the corner of her shimmering brown eye.

"Names won't matter soon enough. Not if we don't get out of here." The scarlet-haired child interjected in a serious voice as she stared back at the blonde’s quivering face.

Before she turned to gaze up at the soldiers with a more stoic countenance than her once again two crying companions.

And the terrifying thing was that both Elle and Clare knew that the older girl was not wrong.

And it was only a short time later that white water was crashing against a rocky shoreline.

While the four highborn women stared on in astonishment with even Azula once more finding herself taken aback by Strados's cruelty.

The sun was shining high in the sky.

A vast tree sat by a rushing river with a long, large branch extending over the rapidly flowing white water.

While the three girls were now standing tied to one another with their backs to each other in the middle of the raging river.

And wrapped around each of their necks was a noose!

While Strados walked towards them with a twisted smile once more adorning his lips.

He carried his torn coat over his shoulder before he came to a stop over the three terrified girls with a small ruby locket in hand.

"Hold your heads high and be supportive of one another…because if one of you falls…the rest of you fall too." Strados announced in a merciless voice with his cruel blue eyes staring down into their aghast faces.

All the while smiling widely down at the trembling girls before he turned to gaze down into the redhead's still resistant brown eyes.

Just before he tauntingly draped the locket over the orphan's shivering neckline with a small photograph preciously housed in its chamber.

"A little memento. Keep the memories of your loved ones close to heart…think of them in your time of need and know that they are forever lost to you." The soldier spoke in a sadistically delighted voice as the necklace dangled from the struggling child's neck.

Just as each of the children's eyes flashed with terror as they shook in their bonds when a river rapid slammed into their already trembling legs.

All the while Strados smiled with his subordinates gazing on in similar enjoyment from the sidelines as the girls let out panicked cries as their feet began to buckle beneath them.

While the three children now stood knee deep in the rushing rapids with the soldiers watching in unconcealed excitement from the shoreline.

Only for little Elle to release a heart wrenching wail as she cried with her small neck shaking in her noose.

"S-someone please help me! I am so afraid!" Elle cried out in a meek voice as tears streamed down her cheeks only to jump when the water rushed over her legs once more.

All the while as Clare cried out in mutual fright alongside her as they huddled their bodies together.

While Strados continued to stare down into their increasingly terrified eyes with a deranged smile that only grew with every cry that they made.

Just as Team Azula watched from the slope with their widened eyes now staring at the man's face in even greater hatred.

Ty Lee's eyes welled up with angry tears as she gritted her teeth together beside the similarly enraged Mai.

While Azula gazed on with her beautiful crimson lips pursed into a deepening scowl while she tried to fight down the uncharacteristic protective instincts that were rising up from within her.

All the while she watched with growing discomfort as Elle's tiny body nearly fell over when the waters smashed into her once again.

Yet somehow throughout it all the redhead remained strong.

The oldest child stood with her head held high while she bit down on her rope line just as the two other girls slammed into her body.

And not even moments later the innocent blonde nearly fell into the water with the rope tightly grasping at her reddening neck.

Only for the highborn women to watch in surprise when the redhead quickly caught Elle's struggling body with her left hand.

And soon followed shortly by Clare as well.

The second traumatized child sunk like a rock only for the redhead to catch her as well.

While the two children leaned against the redhead's shoulders while her legs continued to shake underneath the force of the colliding river rapids.

All the while as Strados gazed down at her with a savage smile while he watched their bodies struggle in the powerful white rapids.

Just as he turned to step back onto the shore with his cruel blue eyes still gazing back at the girl's gasping face with the rope starting to press down on her neck.

While the two passed out girls slumped against the older girl's body as she too began to waver upon her feet.

"Do you know why I became a soldier? It wasn't for heroics or notions of honor and duty. It was for that face!" Strados commented with his wet boots stepping out onto the shoreline while his comrades turned to him in understanding.

After all each of them joined his unit because in some way or another they felt the same.

The captain wore a glower on her lips as she clenched a fist at her hip while she stared icily at the foreign soldier's face as he stood smiling over the waterside.

While the princess and her friends also glared at him no doubt with many thoughts of what tortures they would inflict upon him should they ever meet him.

While Strados's eyes continued to shine with sadistic joy as he looked the redhead up and down while wobbled on her tired feet.

All the while as she stumbled upon her feet with her locket swinging before her face while she struggled to prevent the rope from pulling her under.

As water sprayed in her eyes she swayed on her exhausted feet while she momentarily met her tormenter's cruel blue eyes.

Just before she abruptly fell into the water with the two younger girls dropping down alongside her with their ropes tightening around their necks.

While the soldiers chuckled in amusement as they turned to walk away only to turn to their leader to find that he was still smiling intently down at the water.

While their gazes collectively watched in surprise when there was a brief struggle underwater.

Only for the rope to be hastily cut before it could break their necks just as the three girls were suddenly swept away by the raging white water rapids.

All the while as the soldier still wore a dark smile on his lips while he watched the children's bodies get pulled away in the unforgiving river.

'The other two were worthless but the red-haired one…will one day make for a marvelous hunt.' The soldier thought in a pleased fashion as he turned to walk away with his lackeys following after him.

If she survived that is.

Only to turn his head around not a moment later with surprise in his eyes to see another force arriving upon the horizon.

"Another military?" One of the men questioned in a concerned voice with his leader squinting his eyes as he scrutinized the approaching force.

Just before Strados quickly walked ahead with his hands already grasping a hold of his pistols.

And soon enough the sounds of gunshots were firing through the air once more.

And then….

Later on, that day.

The redhead and the blonde washed up ashore as they lay coughing in the wet grass while an old blade fell from the older girl's-tired hand.

While the sounds of Elle's renewed sobbing filtered into the air as she turned to the other girl with her brown eyes already appraising the younger girl's worth.

"W-where is the other kid?" The blonde-haired child pondered in a destroyed cry while the redhead sat up behind her.

"I don't know and I honestly don't care. She probably drowned." The scarlet-haired child answered in a dismissive voice only to sigh when the blonde's crying only grew louder.

While she gazed at the smaller child's back with her eyes fearfully keeping watch out for the return of their tormenter's.

"So…do you have any survival skills of any kind?" The older girl questioned in a frustrated voice as her damp hair hung behind her while she stared at the crying child's back.

"I-I want my momma!" Elle wailed in a heartbroken voice with her tears streaming down her cheeks while the redhead held her face in her hands.

The older girl said nothing as she gazed down at her feet with her locket still hanging from her neck.

Before she grasped a hold of it as she opened the latch while she glanced down inside at the waterlogged photograph of a woman holding her as a baby.

It was her and her mother.

Or at least she believed it to be so.

But there was no point mulling over what was said and done.

No. There wasn't.

They needed to get moving.

The following day in the ruins of Rosewood.

Despite her new companion's protests.

Young Elle decided to return to the settlement in hopes of finding someone.

Anyone.

But most of all her parents and brother.

Strados and his soldiers had left after encountering the other military power upon the horizon.

With the entire populace all but wiped out.

There was nothing more to be done in the isolated wooded town of Rosewood.

And all that remained was an eerie silence that blew through the air.

And the corpses of the slain inhabitants littering the streets and their once happy homesteads.

And now the little girl sat huddled up on the floor of their abandoned house with her downcast amber eyes brewing with wetness.

"Mom? Dad? Felix?" The blonde-haired child called out once more in a sorrowful voice with her tired eyes gazing around in hopes of seeing her family once more.

Only to find herself sinking back into her ball with her head in her knees with the only reply being the growling of her own belly.

"They're not going to come back you know." The scarlet-haired child spoke up from the doorway with her brown eyes gazing back at the blonde's quivering back while the younger girl sniffled once more.

"Y-you don't know that." Elle protested in an unusually glum voice as she listened to the slightly older child pushed herself up off the wall.

"I do know. Because they are dead Elle. Just like everyone else here." The older girl announced once again with her feet padding along the floor while she gazed down at the shorter girl's crying back.

"N-no. They're not! They have to be around here somewhere." The blonde-haired child blurted out in a stubborn voice with her wide eyes staring ahead while the redhead stared over her shoulder.

"No trust me they are not and the sooner you accept that the better off you will be." The scarlet-haired child advised in a blunt voice while she watched the other girl stand up as she wiped at her eyes.

Just before the smaller child turned to face her with tears still fresh in her eyes.

"I-I just can't accept that. I'll find them. I know I will." Elle insisted in a naïve voice as she padded past the redhead's frustrated face while the girl rushed after her.

"We need to get going. He didn't spare us out of the kindness of their hearts! He's going to come back for us and he'll catch us again if we don't go!" The older girl exclaimed as she moved after the younger girl while the blonde wandered out the doorway.

Only for her brown eyes to watch in renewed frustration when the other girl began hopelessly calling out for her parents once more.

While the naïve child stumbled through the lifeless town with her wet eyes gazing around in search of her family.

All the while as she trembled in horror when she ran past a man's corpse lying dead from a bullet wound to the chest.

"Is anyone there!" The blonde-haired child called out in a torn-up voice as she padded along with her damp eyes staring on in an unusually depressed manner.

Only for her teary briefly widen when she caught sight of a familiar color at the bottom of a slope as she approached the local beach.

Just before the redhead's eyes widened when the blonde began to ignorantly run down to the beach front unaware of what was in store for her.

"No! Elle! Don't go down there!" The scarlet-haired child shouted with a hand over her mouth as she ran after the younger girl.

But it was too late.

Elle had already reached the bottom.

And not even a moment later the child's heartbroken voice broke out into the air when she found herself gazing down hauntingly at her mother's lifeless face.

"M-mom! Mom! Get up!" Elle cried out as she dropped down to shake her mother's shoulders while the woman lay there motionless.

Only for her amber eyes to grow frantic as she clutched at her mother's blouse while the redhead stood quietly behind her.

So distraught that she failed to process the sight of the bullet holes in her mother's face and chest.

All the while as Team Azula gazed down at their young friend's child self with emotion tugging in their chests when the little girl began to choke up.

"P-please wake up mom. Please!" The blonde-haired child exclaimed in a shattered voice with her hands furiously shaking her mother's clothed chest.

Only for her lip to tremble when her mother's body limply dropped back into the reddened sand.

While she now sat there with tears streaming down her cheeks while the other girl stared down at her back.

"She's dead Elle. She's been dead since they killed her yesterday." The older girl stated in a softer voice than before while the blonde's amber eyes grew wide with wetness.

"N-no…that can't be." Elle mumbled in a disbelieving voice with tears pouring from her stinging eyes while Lana's lifeless eyes still gazed back up at her.

It was in that very moment that she finally began to understand that her mother was truly dead.

Just like everyone else. And likely her father and brother as well.

The sky was dark and cloudy just like the pain that was overflowing from within her heart.

Her little fists soon balled up over her mother's blouse while tears still dripped down her anguished face.

And then not even a second later she released a sorrowful cry at the top of her lungs.

"Momma!" The blonde-haired child wailed in a heartbroken voice with her eyes burning with sorrow while an ethereal glow swept over her body.

While the redhead now gazed down at her with her brown eyes widening in shock only to find herself taking a stunned step backwards when an aura exploded from the girl's body.

All the while as the child continued to release an anguished cry with her hair sticking to her damp cheeks.

"M-mom come back! Please come back!" Elle shouted in a sob as she dropped to her knees with an aura of energy seeping forth from her body.

While her tear-stained eyes finally closed shut while she screamed as loud as her lungs could handle.

Just as she pounded her fist into the wet sand below while her small body shook as she collapsed into a ball.

"M-mom!" The blonde-haired child called out for a final time as she continued to sob in sorrow.

And then not a moment later it all faded to black.

While Azula stared on beside her stunned friends with her golden eyes agape in shock.

To think that Elle showed signs of power that far back.

It was just…

Astonishing!

Elle's eyes snapped open to find herself resting against a tree trunk while she gazed around in confusion.

Only for it all to come back to her just like that.

All save for the memory of the aura that she released and the power that her mother displayed when she protected her.

"S-she's really gone. S-so is Father. They all are." Elle stammered with a hand over her wet face while her back slumped against the tree.

Just as she quickly turned around when she heard someone approaching from behind her.

Only to find herself blinking her wet eyes when a fresh apple was dropped into her lap while she now gazed up at the redhead's much calmer face.

"Eat." The scarlet-haired child instructed as she held a half-eaten apple in her own hand while the depressed girl still sat against the tree.

Just before the saddened girl took a bite of her apple while failing to conceal a sniffle.

"Why…" The blonde-haired child mumbled in a saddened voice as the redhead sat down opposite of her.

"Why what?" The older girl asked as she took another bite of her apple while the blonde met her pain-stricken gaze.

"W-why did this happen to us?" Elle questioned in a terribly naïve voice with wetness still in her amber eyes while the redhead sat in silence.

"Because…people enjoy making others suffer." The scarlet-haired child answered in a reflective voice as she stared down with haunted brown eyes.

"S-suffer?" The blonde-haired child repeated in a solemn voice while the other girl nodded her head.

"All of my life…everyone I have ever met has been like that. No matter where I go…or what I do. It's always the same. I get hit and beat just for asking for food. That's why I started smiling all the time. So, that they'll eventually get bored and move on to another target." The older girl spoke with a fading smile on her lips while the blonde stared at her with watering amber eyes.

"T-that's horrible." Elle sputtered in a sensitive voice as she sniffled once more while the nameless girl shrugged her shoulders.

"It's just the way things are. No sense dwelling on it." The scarlet-haired child muttered as she stared back down with pain flashing in her brown eyes while the other girl shook her head.

"T-that's not true. Not everyone is cruel. E-everyone I used to know was so very k-kind." The blonde-haired child stuttered with more tears streaming from her eyes while she gazed down at her apple.

"It is true. And just like everything else. The sooner you come to accept it the better." The older girl scoffed as she sunk back with her fruit in hand before she took another bite.

"I…don't believe that. I…just don't." Elle insisted with a sniff while the redhead swallowed her mouthful.

"Then you are a fool Elle. But somehow that doesn't surprise me." The scarlet-haired child stated with a shrug only to turn to gaze back at the younger girl when the blonde started crying once more.

"I-I miss my family!" The blonde-haired child sobbed as she broke down once more with tears in her eyes while the redhead quietly gazed back at her.

Only for the girl to sigh not a moment later as she resumed eating her apple musing that it was to be expected after all that the girl just went through.

In time she will understand.

If she wants to survive that is.

And so, it went.

The two children traveled together for a few days in search of new civilization.

Elle soon took to following after the other girl like a lost duckling.

And if the redhead had a name.

The little blonde never learned it.

And for a short time, they almost seemed to be growing closer.

After several days of walking they stopped when they heard a sound in the distance.

"A train." The older girl breathed with a bag over her shoulder while the small blonde stood at her heels.

"W-what are we going to do?" Elle pondered in a beyond naïve voice as she wiped at her eyes knowing that the redhead hated it when she cried.

"We are going to board it. That's what." The scarlet-haired child declared as she picked up her pace with the little blonde hurrying after her.

"B-board it? But how?" The blonde-haired child stammered in a fearful voice while hoisting a backpack over her shoulders as she rushed after her friend.

"By jumping onto it from over this hill. How else?" The older girl replied as she ran up an overlooking hill while Elle panted as she ran after her heels.

Just as they slid to a stop on top of the hill gazing down at the passing train with widened eyes as it rapidly approached below them.

"I-I don't know about this." Elle protested lamely as she shook in fear while the redhead watched the train with calculating brown eyes.

"We have no choice Elle. It's coming…get ready to jump on my mark." The scarlet-haired child spoke as she stared down at the roaring train as it sped forward on the tracks.

"I-I'm scared. I don't know if I can make that jump." The blonde-haired child whimpered as she turned to the redhead for guidance while the other girl bent her knees in preparation.

"Just do as I say and you'll be fine!" The older girl exclaimed as she turned to offer the timid blonde a quick glance of reassurance before turning her attention back to the speeding train.

Just as the train rushed forward while Elle swallowed as she trembled in anticipation.

"O-okay. I'll try." Elle gulped as her legs shook beneath her while the redhead crouched with her eyes never leaving the oncoming train.

And then the train finally came into jumping distance.

While the redhead turned to gaze at her terrified companion for the briefest of moments before speaking out an order.

"Now Elle!" The scarlet-haired child called out to the intimidated girl while Elle shook as she shakily met her gaze.

And then just like that she jumped over the hillside into the air.

While she fell with her brown eyes flashing in momentary terror.

And then clang!

The redhead landed on all fours with her hands grasping a metal bar as she turned to glance over her shoulder.

Only for her eyes to widen in realization when she saw that the blonde had yet to jump.

"Jump Elle!" The older girl shouted to the fear-stricken girl while Elle stared down with terrified amber eyes.

"I-I…I…c-can't!" The blonde-haired child blurted out lamely in a shameful voice as tears began to drip from her eyes while she met the redhead's widened eyes.

And then just as quickly as the chance had arisen.

It was gone.

"Elle!" The scarlet-haired child yelled out only to watch in shock as the little blonde soon vanished from view.

While she sunk back against the roof of the train car with her eyes still processing that her only friend was gone.

Only to chastise herself as soon as the thought floated into her mind while she clenched a fist at her hip.

They weren't friends.

Were they?

On the hillside Elle dropped to her knees with her amber eyes spilling with uncontrolled tears.

All the while as her heartbroken sobs soon rang out into the air as she cried her heart out once more.

"I-I am alone again!" Elle cried out in a destroyed voice with pain overflowing from her voice while she shouted at the top of her lungs.

And soon enough she collapsed into a ball with her backpack as her only companion while quiet sobs continued to emanate from the hilltop.

And for years to come. That would be the last she saw of the mysterious redhead.

Days ago, back in the Rosewood ruins.

Felix walked with cracked glasses adorning his face while droplets of blood dripped down to the dusty ground below.

It was only by a stroke of luck that he managed to make it out alive!

A tank shell had hit the street and caused him to collapse underground.

By all rights he should have died.

And yet…

He is not.

Moments later he pushed his way out from a ruptured wall as he made his way into the building rasping for air.

Until he came to a stop before an old dresser as he rapidly tore open a drawer.

Just as a smile grew onto his lips while he reached in to collect his gun.

"It's still here!" Felix exclaimed with blood adorning his lips while he clutched the gun in his hand before slamming the drawer shut.

Just before he exited the room with his amber eyes gazing out of a broken window.

Only to turn to walk away a moment later before stepping out of the destroyed building.

While he walked around with his cold gaze wandering about while he made his way past several bodies with his pistol in hand.

"It appears…as if I am the only survivor." The teenager muttered in a reflective voice with his thoughts briefly drifting to his family.

Only to turn his head with his eyes paying close attention when he heard footsteps in the distance.

He immediately jumped behind a building for cover while he listened closely to the rushing footsteps expecting for it to be accompanied by tank fire.

Only to relax when the gunfire never came.

Just as he whipped his head around when he heard someone swiftly rounding the corner.

Only for his amber eyes to widen through his broken glasses when he found himself gazing back into Gregory's startled eyes.

"Y-you survived too?" Gregory asked in a shaken voice while Felix stared back at him with returning rage in his amber eyes.

Just as Felix's eyes took on a focused gleam while he grasped the gun in hand just as Gregory's eyes finally drifted down to the pistol in question.

That was all it took for his eyes to widen in fear when he found himself staring down the barrel of the gun once more.

Just as he turned to sprint away while the other boy stared back at him with monstrous amber eyes.

And for the briefest of moments his mother's words flowed throughout his mind.

No living being has the right to take the life of another.

Only to scoff under his breath while a cool wind swept through his hair.

"What childish nonsense. There are no rules in this life." Felix spoke to himself with a ghost of a grin growing onto his lips while he watched Gregory attempt to flee around the corner.

Only for the sound of a piercing gunshot to rupture into the air.

And not a moment later Gregory fell face first into the barren street with a hole in the back of his head.

All the while Felix now stared down at his lifeless body with his amber eyes widened in momentary shock.

While he felt the adrenaline rush through his veins as he gazed down at the blood trickling out onto the street.

Only to be torn from his reverie when he heard a second set of footsteps rushing around the bend.

Just as he turned around to find himself staring directly back at Tomas's pale face while the boy gazed back at him with his mouth ajar in shock.

"W-what the fuck? Felix?" Tomas questioned in a surprised voice with his hands clamming up at his sides as he gazed between the other boy and his slain friend.

Before he raised his frightened eyes as he gazed back at the gun once again.

And before he even had a chance to move a second gunshot pierced the air.

And just like that he dropped to the sound with blood seeping from his leg while his pained shouts echoed throughout the abandoned street.

All the while as the vengeful boy rapidly stalked towards him as he desperately tried to crawl away.

He didn't survive that hellish war zone just to die like this!

"N-no! Please! I didn't mean any of it! I was just playing around Felix! Really!" The dark-haired boy pleaded as he now found himself gazing up into the other boy's demented amber eyes.

Only to release a cry of pain when he was viciously bludgeoned over the head with the back of the pistol.

All the while he cried out in terror as he was repeatedly beaten from behind while the maliciously boy kicked him the stomach over and over.

And soon enough Felix's maddened shouts resonated throughout the abandoned rooftops while Team Azula watched the memory unfold in a baffled silence.

"Not so fucking tough now without your buddies are you!" The teenager yelled out as he stomped down at the screaming boy before savagely beating him over the head once more.

All the while a smile began to form on his lips while Tomas was mercilessly beaten to death.

It was just beyond astonishing that their young friend had survived all of this and still managed to grow up so sweet and kind.

And her brother grew up be…such a monster.

Ty Lee and Mai were more unsettled by Felix's behavior than Azula and Zoe.

Yet even the two ruthless firebenders were finding themselves increasing taken aback by the boy's descent into cruelty.

"Well princess it appears that in the future you may find yourself with an interesting brother in law." Zoe commented in a wry voice with her fellow noblewomen glaring at the back of her head.

While Azula too glared at her with murderously narrowed eyes just as Tomas's final screams broke into the air.

Just as Felix slid back panting for air with his mouth still agape in a demented smile.

All the while as his jacket blew over his shoulders as he took an adrenaline filled step backwards with his bloodied hands falling to his sides.

"That…felt good." Felix spoke as he gazed out of broken glasses with unnerving joy in his eyes before he stepped over the boy's corpse.

And soon enough the exhausted but strangely content boy wandered through the vacant streets with growing excitement in his eyes.

"Everything's…gone. Those fools were the only other ones to survive…" The teenager remarked as he trudged through the burning streets while his amber eyes gazed around in amazement.

Until he came upon the radio tower staircase.

And then he began to transcend the staircase with his cracked glasses rattling over the bridge of his nose while he held his pistol to his hip.

Only to come to a stop before the open doorway at the top of the staircase while he now stared in with faintly widened amber eyes.

Laying in a heap in the corner of the room was none other than his father.

He couldn't say it surprised him.

The moment that his father went for the radio tower he knew that he would die.

And yet…

Somewhere deep down inside of him he couldn't help but feel a sliver of emotion.

"It's unfortunate…that you didn't have what it took to survive Father. And neither did mother. Or anyone else here for that matter." Felix spoke with his eyes gazing down at Elias's bloodied face while he stared into lifeless blue eyes.

Just before he reached down to collect his father's rifle while he slung it over his shoulder.

Before he glanced back at his father's face for a final time as he turned to walk away.

"But I do." The teenager declared in a confident voice as he walked off with his boots clanging upon the metal flooring while he began to stride down the long staircase.

All the while as he walked with a twisted smile returning onto his lips.

Just as he withdrew a pack of cigarettes before he paused to light one before his waiting lips.

While he took a long good look over the murdered town with his pitiless eyes gazing about as far as he could see.

"Absence of order…no control. Nothing but fire and chaos." Felix stated as he strode down the steps with his jacket clinging to his shoulders.

While he exhaled smoke from his grinning lips as he slowly sauntered down the staircase.

And then he held his cut hand up before his widened amber eyes.

Just before he began to move it methodically before his face as he took a purposeful step downward.

"It's the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen." The teenager announced with smoke blowing into the air before his smiling face.

While the highborn women stared on in disbelief as Felix seemingly strode right by their stunned faces.

Even Azula was taken aback to hear the boy say those words.

"What sort of lunatic is happy that an army attacked his city?" Mai pondered in disgust with her tawny eyes wide in repugnance while Felix happily exhaled from his cigarette.

And suddenly ever horrible thing that Elle has ever said about her older brother rang true.

Just as the teenager began to sway his head back and forth with rising smile on his lips while he waved the pistol in purposeful slow motion before his delighted amber eyes.

While Team Azula watched in bafflement as Felix danced down the staircase.

"He's…dancing." Ty Lee spoke in revulsion with her brown gray eyes staring hatefully at the back of the boy's head.

And yet even so.

She couldn't help but feel a shiver travel down her spine at the sight of Felix's demented smile.

Although she wouldn't say it out loud.

It almost reminded her of a male Azula!

All the while as Azula let out a haughty scoff with her frigid golden eyes glaring at Felix's visage as he stomped down onto the next step with laughter escaping his lips.

"Finally. I don't have to pretend anymore. I can finally be myself!" Felix exclaimed with his hands before his grinning face while his joyous laughter echoed throughout the rooftops.

And with that the injured boy resumed his walk while his smile never once faded from his lips.

It was strange but…

There was no mistaking that he has never felt more alive!

Three days later.

Elle sat huddled in a ball with her wet eyes staring down at her feet while she let out another saddened sniffle.

Only to jump back against the tree trunk in shock when she heard someone step over her.

Just as she glanced up only for her young eyes to widen in relief when she found herself gazing up at her older brother's smirking face.

"Crying again I see." The brother commented as he watched impassively when he was assaulted by a blonde blur.

"Y-you're alive! I thought I was all alone!" The blonde-haired child cried out with her hands grasping at her brother's coat while the boy let out an annoyed sigh over her.

"Yes, Elle I am alive. Now stop being such a cry baby." Felix spoke in a dismissive voice as he pushed his crying sister off of him.

"I-I'll try. Just don't leave me here alone." Elle stuttered in a traumatized voice as she wiped at her eyes while Felix turned to walk away.

Just as she eagerly began to rush after her older brother while Felix walked with his jacket swaying behind him.

Just as her innocent amber eyes glanced up in confusion when she took in her brother's pleased smile.

"F-Felix…why do you look so happy?" The blonde-haired child asked in a confused voice while her brother just turned to smile down at her.

"It's nothing. I am just glad that I was able to find you. That's all." The brother answered with his rifle over his shoulder while his little sister cracked a smile once more.

And with that the two siblings set off to find shelter.

While Team Azula stared on with a growing discomfort in their eyes.

The most horrifying thing of all to all of them was the indisputable fact that they knew that the deranged boy would serve as their young friend's caretaker for the better part of nine years!

It was enough to make more tears pour from Ty Lee's eyes while Azula still glared on with a displeased glower on her beautiful lips.

All the while as countless memories and images flashed before their amazed eyes.

Including one of Elle standing in all black at her parent's funeral.

And then a different memory after that.

This time of Felix.

While Zoe turned to Azula with a thoughtful frown gracing her lips.

"Princess. The old sage told us that we would see Elle's memories. As well as her mother's. Did she not?" Zoe questioned as she gazed back at Azula's regal face while the royal woman scowled as well.

"Yes, Zoe she did. And your point is?" Azula responded in a moody voice with her arms folded over her armored breasts while her soldier held a contemplative hand below her chin.

"So, why then are we also seeing his memories?" The captain inquired with a frown on her lips while the other three women widened their eyes in understanding.

It was a good question.

One that they were all now thinking.

The princess just pursed her lovely lips into a thin line as she pondered the question herself.

Only to turn her head as she watched the memory world take shape once more.

While they gazed on in fascination as a gigantic crowd of people formed before their very eyes.

With many people gazing at a single person in spellbound fascination.

While young Elle and her older brother watched from the back of the crowd in silence as a platinum-blonde-haired young woman held her white gloved fist before her face.

It took only seconds for Team Azula to recognize the woman's face.

Her beautiful blonde hair blew in her brilliant eyes while her white uniform swayed in the breeze.

Just before she shouted out her words in the voice of a charismatic conqueror.

"Gone are your days of sorrow! For too long you have languished in the misery of this war-torn age! I forswear to you that you will never go hungry again! Never again shall war and suffering blanket your skies! I promise you that under me that you shall experience true peace!" Rieko called out with her gloved fist held high in the air while she gazed out at the enraptured crowd.

The four highborn women listened in fascination while the princess rolled her eyes over the woman's offerings of peace.

But even so.

Azula couldn't help but stare at Rieko in grudging intrigue as the young woman effortlessly elicited cries of adoration from the gathered crowd.

The roar that split forth from the crowd was utterly thunderous while both Mai and Ty Lee stared on in wonderment over the vocal love that the people had for the foreign monarch.

Neither one of them would say it out loud but they knew that the people of the Fire Nation were much too afraid to openly express such joy for Azula and Ozai.

All the while as little Elle listened with her six-year-old eyes staring up in awe while Rieko stood in the midst of the roaring crowd with a growing smirk on her lips.

"Never again shall the aristocracy hoard mountains of food and wealth in their mansions! For I have seen fit to completely dissolve the aristocracy and restore power to the common man and woman!" The platinum-blonde-haired young woman roared with her lips curving into a magnetic grin while the mass of people answered her in kind.

The declaration took Team Azula by surprise as they watched strange vehicles dump cartloads of wealth out onto the waiting streets.

While the princess's callous golden eyes widened in disbelief as she watched as the crowd erupted into another ecstatic cry.

'What sort of monarch would be foolish enough to destroy the nobility and give her wealth to peasants?' Azula thought in bewilderment as her frigid eyes studied Rieko's smiling face in reluctant interest.

"And…all that I ask in return is that you trust in me. Have faith in me and know that if you stick with me you will never have want for anything ever again!" Rieko bellowed with her arm outstretched to her sides as the people cried out in one unified voice.

The shout that came afterward was a passionate cry of long live Emperor Rieko while the public gazed on in adoration.

While the young ruler smiled sweetly as she was rushed by her adoring subjects while they besieged her one after another.

People in the crowd eagerly grasped a hold of her gloved hands while her lips continued to twitch into a mesmerizing smirk.

And soon enough she allowed them to hoist her into the air while their spirited shouts echoed throughout the city's rooftops.

While the four highborn women stared on in marvelment as they watched the foreign masses carry Rieko over their shoulders while the young woman grinned down at them in delight.

All the while as the princess let out a snide snort under her breath as she tried to squash the sliver of jealousy that she felt over how the people had expressed such open adoration for Rieko.

But she couldn't deny that she was curious to learn more about her otherworldly rival.

'Elle is mine! The girl belongs to me and me alone! I will crush this woman in the wake of my flames just like anyone else who dares to impede me!' Azula thought with fire escaping her constricting nostrils while her crimson lips pursed into a possessive snarl.

While she held a well-manicured fingernail underneath her chin before she resolutely nodded her head with another puff of flames escaping her nostrils.

Indeed.

This little peasant is hers and hers alone.

That she knew for certain!

Meanwhile in the world of the present.

Naoki shot up from where she sat on her tree branch with her brown eyes briefly widening in a break from their emotionless gaze.

"That dream again…" The scarlet-haired girl spoke as she sunk back against the tree with her cold eyes gazing ahead while she held her sheathed sword close to her chest.

All the while as her lips dropped into a thin line as she once more envisioned his face as he walked towards her with his coat slung over his shoulder.

While she watched with an eerily focused gaze as the man smiled with a locket dangling from his hand.

And for the briefest of moments she almost thought that Strados was actually right there standing before her.

Her brown eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she watched the man rush forward with her hand sliding down the handle of her sword.

While she stared on with obsessively determined brown eyes as she imagined that he was drawing his gun from his holster.

And then not even a second later a scarlet blur traversed through the air before she swiftly drew her sword.

A branch was cleanly sliced in half while it dropped to the forest floor below as her booted foot now pressed into the branch that she was standing on.

As she now stood with her sword in her right hand while her emotionless brown eyes stared ahead into the distant treetops.

"I am going to kill you Strados…and that is a promise." Naoki spoke in a cold voice with her left hand clutching her locket close to her chest.

While her icy brown eyes still gazed off into the tree line with the wind sweeping through her red hair.

"And you too…Sayomi." The scarlet-haired girl stated in a callous voice as she imagined that a blonde-haired woman was standing before her.

Just before she rapidly swung her sword once more as it sliced through the woman's face.

And soon enough her second target too faded away into the breeze just like the one before her.

Make no mistake.

Each and every one of her enemies will die by her hand.

And that too was a promise.

Elsewhere in the Forgetful Valley.

A fleet of puppets jumped from tree to tree with their cloaked master at the forefront.

While the puppeteer's pale lips curled into a cold smile as she watched her puppets one by one head into different directions.

Before she jumped into the air once more with one cloaked puppet following closely behind her as she jumped from tree to tree.

"I can sense it…I am drawing closer." Silah remarked in a gratified voice with a silken smile on her pale lips.

All the while as she gracefully bounded from branch to branch with her hair flowing behind her.

There was no mistaking it.

The Component was with the old sage after all!

She let out a demented chuckle before she leaped into the air while her predatory blue eyes gazed intently ahead.

Just before she jumped through the thick foliage with her cloak flowing lightly behind her.

All the while as her puppet's tall body bounded after her with his lifeless eyes gazing on ahead.

And with that the two vanished into the seemingly endless tree line.

Leaving nothing but the quiet sounds of the forest creatures in their wake.

#Azula #Avatar The Last Airbender #mai avatar #ty lee avatar #yuri

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