The Legend of Percy: Book 2 - Through Grief

30. Sunrise Over the Late (Home Doesn't Quite Feel Like Home)

Azula couldn't trust anyone. At least, no one in Fire Nation armour. Even after her conversation with Zuko, her brother had still left. And, in the process of doing so, done an unpredictable amount of harm to her father's trust in her.

They're still my soldiers. They report to me and me alone.

Somehow, that sentiment didn't seem to fill her with the confidence it had previously. What respect she still garnered from her soldiers because of her father had been crushed by the sheer weight of Percy's displays during the attack.

She was sure that the Dai Li were completely up to date on his destructive wave, and possibly even his casual handling of them underground. Not to mention the insidious whispering of his storm. None of it happened in her presence, but spoken around corners and in rooms after she'd walked by... None of it was treasonous, but it was enough to invoke the same sense of dread she remembered from her first conversations with Percy. And there was no way to stop all of it.

Mai and Ty Lee sat by her side, both of them spending the hours of travelling in silence. None of their usual playful teasing could be heard, and the princess couldn't stand it. She didn't know why she missed it, but her head was ravaged by thoughts because of the nauseating monotony.

Her father couldn't let her have one minor victory. He couldn't trust her to go alone, or with just Mai and Ty Lee. Her brother had left her, as had her uncle.

Percy, I know him. I know where he'll go. I can convince him to stay. I can...

Her hands caught themselves tugging at her hair. Its frayed ends fell over her cheek, falling like the barely constrained lake full of tears that seemed to pull themselves towards the ground. She quickly tried to pull it underneath her pin before any soldiers could see.

Her hands began heating up, ready to burn it all. Evaporate the tears, scorch the hair, melt the armour, whatever it took.

You cannot show weakness.

I cannot-

"Azula?" Ty Lee's hand laid on her forearm. "Do you need some help with that?"

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, lighting the interior of the airship vivid oranges and reds. They appeared to be about to make their way over the south-western parts of the Earth Kingdom.

"Azula?" Her typically excitable friend repeated.

Although there was a deeper emotion behind her questions that comforted the princess.

"Yes, I-" She tried to reply, before nodding. Her face softened marginally. "Mai, can you inform me when we arrive at the lake."

The knife-thrower acknowledged her with a lowering of her head, before she and Ty Lee made their way through the corridors. Most of the rooms were relatively empty, with the soldiers on duty, so they didn't have to pass too many people before they made it back to Azula's room. Sure enough, there were still two guards either side of her door. They both bowed as the two girls passed, but the princess eyed them with suspicion.

Ty Lee closed the door behind them and immediately pulled her lightly into a chair. She searched Azula's desk and found her comb. Almost bouncing on her toes, the girl moved behind the princess and pulled out the pin that had been failing to hold up her hair.

With the princess sitting down after so long being forced to try and be aware of everything, her body threatened to shut down. Her gaze lingered on her bed for what was probably a bit too long, and her tired mind decided to flash an image of her boar-q-pine blanket. Sleep had evaded her before, but it was worse. The figment of the aroma that passed through her thoughts didn't help as it seemed to fill the room. All before Ty Lee's words grounded her.