The day after Azula's conversation with her father, he gave his permission to conduct an inspection of the Fire Nation lands, including the old colonies and newly conquered territories. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to start immediately to inspect and check everything. There were several reasons for this.
The princess's ship had sustained a lot of damage and required serious repairs, and part of the crew had died under "mysterious" circumstances or had fallen overboard during the storm. The chances of survival in such weather were close to zero. The ship was promised to be repaired in a couple of months at best, which was unacceptable. Fortunately, there was a backup vessel, but it still needed to be prepared, which would take a week or a little more.
It was also necessary to find a new captain and other missing crew members, as well as to fully staff the princess's imperial guard and many other minor things that didn't require my attention, or even the princess's. There was also a set of necessary documents, sealed with the Fire Lord's personal stamp, confirming Azula's authority by his word. The authority, by the way, was very great—in fact, it was enormous. The princess had immense power. All the preparations had to be completed in a maximum of a week and a half, as we had many things planned.
Neither I nor Azula were used to wasting our time. And the enjoyment of life quickly gets dull if you live like a king every day. It was a good thing that the grueling training sessions, which the girl gladly returned to after her recovery, brightened up the luxurious life of the princess. The large hot springs; a variety of dishes that were amazing in taste; personal masters of manicure, pedicure; masseurs and other charms of being the country's heiress… I managed to enjoy all of this to the fullest. Along with these activities, we played games of chess and pai sho.
The game I suggested Azula liked much more than the world-famous pai sho. Lately, our games have become much more interesting. This happened when I stopped losing to Zula so decisively. Perhaps it's somehow related to the memory transfer, or maybe I'm just learning from a worthy opponent.
Of course, while the princess's new ship was being prepared, Zula wasn't just training and relaxing; she was also handling important matters, while the smaller problems were being solved by professionals in their fields, minor officials, and workers. One of the main problems she faced was recruiting a crew.
And in this, we had a few disagreements.
— What don't you like about this one? Excellent credentials, experience in naval combat, has been in several battles on land, distinguished himself during a fight, received a medal for bravery. A hereditary military man who went into the internal troops with a decent rank—the girl shifts her gaze from the stack of documents to me.
This was the personal file of one of the captain candidates I had rejected. While in one of the palace's many offices, we were sifting through the personal files of all the military men worthy of being promoted to captain of the princess's personal ship. For Azula, this was much more difficult than she had imagined. The reason for that was me, specifically my high demands.
— Don't you understand? Pay attention to who he served under—I replied calmly, continuing to look at the documents. I was astonished by the girl's blindness, who didn't understand such mundane aspects of life and the military machine.
— Hmm...—she flipped through the pages—His father's an admiral?—she gave me a thoughtful look.
— Hmm-m—I drawled with pleasure—I can practically see your thoughts starting to move in the right direction.
— I still don't understand, and you're getting more and more annoying. Explain your position clearly!—it seems I overestimated her.
— Isn't it obvious? I know you've almost never faced the task of choosing your close associates, but to not understand such simple things? All his awards and successes are almost certainly slightly fake, or rather, very highly exaggerated. Look at his face.
— What's wrong with his face?—she flipped through the pages again, finding the one with the hand-drawn portrait.
— There are no scars, no wrinkles, no gray hair or masculinity. He's just a sweet boy who was sitting in the rear, using his father's position. However, it's possible the father himself contributed to this, worrying about the safety of his only son. When you familiarize yourself with a case, you don't take into account all the information; every word in this folder matters, no matter how insignificant it may seem—I allowed a hint of disappointment to creep into my voice.
— What are you trying to say?
— He has no experience, no service record, he's never been in a real battle, he's too young. A spoiled brat who got in through connections isn't suitable for the role of your ship's captain. I'll remind you, we are going to visit places that even the most experienced military men would be afraid to step into. And we won't be opposing just anyone, but the strongest bender of all the nations. And most of your candidates are useless crybabies who are often pampered and spoiled. In the end, something like your brother grows out of it.
— Hmm!—she frowned unhappily—We wouldn't have to be doing this if you hadn't killed Bruce Lee!
— Oh, here we go. Let's not repeat ourselves. Let's leave the past in the past.
— If you're going to criticize, then offer a solution!
— Oh-h! I'm glad you asked. To start, let's go back to the personal files of the contenders for a cozy spot next to you…—after that, Azula began to carefully examine the candidates for the role of the princess's ship captain that I suggested.
This took some time. Azula didn't understand many of my criteria, and they were extremely strict and numerous. Our goals partially coincided, as without Zula, it would be much harder for me to become alive again. Therefore, I took the crew selection very seriously. I had to explain a lot to the princess, who had never really assembled subordinates for herself, using only the ones her father provided. The search for the right candidate was quite long, but we came to a compromise and found one who met all our requirements.
— So, we'll settle on him...—she once again examined the personal file of the chosen candidate. The choice fell on a man aged thirty-eight, with extensive experience, high rank, a firebending master, and who was also placed in reserve under very strange circumstances.
— It would be better to personally talk to the man before making the final decision. To be absolutely sure of the correctness of our choice. He is the best candidate we have at the moment; it would be a shame for such talent to go to waste. And if you extend a helping hand to him, he will remember it forever and will be especially loyal to you personally.
— Sounds... tempting—the girl smiled predatorily, understanding my hint correctly.
— Uh-huh, we've decided on the captain. How about a few well-specialized masters, like the archers of the Yuan?
— I don't think they'll be useful—the girl said with doubt.
— Azula, you are a princess, you should have a proper retinue. You don't have to do everything personally; as a future ruler, you should know how to select people for positions. And archers are never useless—I replied in a didactic tone.
— A retinue, yes...—the princess mused—A couple of people just came to mind. They will be by my side, and that's not up for discussion. I trust them almost...—she stammered, probably remembering the recent incident with her father—no, I trust them more than anyone else in the world.
— Childhood friends, right? I have no objection to them. Both have excellent skills that are only getting rusty. But there are still a number of vacant positions that need to be filled for the full crew...—I replied to Zula after a little thought.
It didn't take me long to remember who the girl meant. It wasn't difficult. With such intonations in her voice, she could only be talking about them: Mai and Ty Lee. There was nothing surprising in Zula remembering them when the conversation turned to her personal retinue. They were the only ones with whom she had any kind of relationship that was a little deeper than it might seem at first glance.
We returned to the discussion of recruitment. After choosing the future captain, things went much more smoothly. That same evening, all the invitation letters were sent to the chosen lucky ones. Each letter was individual, written by Azula herself for each candidate. After familiarizing ourselves with the personal files of the people, we quickly composed eloquent and pretentious messages, with a call to help the homeland in its time of need. However, not everyone needed extra motivation to accept the decision we wanted. Someone saw it as a last chance, someone the end of a boring routine, and someone an opportunity to earn more money. All the right people were interested in the opportunity that had arisen.
The following days of waiting for the ship to be fully staffed and prepared for the long journey were little different from one another. Training, rest, intellectual games, short conversations with her father and daughter about politics, even shorter conversations with officials and military men, and other routine duties of the princess. In the evenings, we read the replies to the sent letters; as expected, no one refused, or almost no one. There was no reply from Ty Lee, most likely because the girl's circus was moving throughout the Fire Nation and all its colonies. The mercenary, whose bending I was very interested in, was on a mission. Besides them, everyone sent their positive replies.
Observing the unusual life of the royal person, I increasingly noticed a certain duality in the princess. With me, she spoke a little differently than with anyone else. With others, she was the same old Azula, or almost the same. Still, my influence on her was making itself known; the girl did not go too far with her strictness or harshness and tried to act a little more fairly toward her subordinates.
Only these were drops, if not in the sea, then in a lake. Azula still loved to feel her superiority over others, and it was difficult for me to change that in her. After all, she significantly surpassed those around her and had a proper sense of self-worth, and she justified her strictness and a certain harshness with high demands, sometimes even convincing me of its necessity. Azula still remained the same Azula, who had only just begun to change. And, of course, these changes were not noticed by her subordinates, who, as usual, were humbly resigned to their mistress's strictness. I still had a lot of work to do to make the princess wiser, unless of course, she herself instilled her views of the world in me.
Time flew by. Soon the first invited guests arrived at the palace to see the princess.
— Princess Azula, a guest you mentioned has arrived. I have done everything as you ordered since yesterday. She is waiting for you in the designated chambers; may I show you the way?—one of the palace servants hurried to address the girl, distracting us from our training.
— Lead the way—the princess replied, finishing our training only halfway. This wasn't critical. We had already learned to use the resonance quite effectively, so the training was more for maintaining our form and skills.
"I wonder who it could be?"—I asked in the meantime, as Azula followed the man to the desired chambers.
— Hmph, of all the letters sent, there were only two girls, and only one of them hasn't replied—the corridor was empty, and the servant was far enough away not to hear the princess's barely audible whisper.
"I know. It was a rhetorical question. I'm coming out"—and, without waiting for the girl's reaction, I left her body. Zula, as usual, didn't feel any discomfort.
Azula reached the right room, glanced at the guards at the entrance, opened the door, and entered. In the room was one of her childhood friends, who had stopped eating fire flakes as soon as the princess entered. The bowl of flakes was placed on a table, on which there was already a letter with the princess's seal.
— Mai—Zula began coolly.
— I hope your message isn't some kind of joke—the girl greeted her just as coolly, giving a respectful bow with a face indifferent to everything in the world—otherwise I'll seriously consider suicide. Life in this country is so boring.
The princess approached, they met each other's eyes, and a second or two later, they were laughing. After all, despite the acting that the princess never stopped in front of any outsiders, the girls were quite close friends. Although, only Azula thought so; as for what Mai thought, I could only guess. The princess's friend didn't even notice me drifting behind Zula. Well, there was nothing unusual about that.
— I'm glad to see you, Mai. You surprised me; I expected you to arrive a little later—Azula began, after a brief hug with her childhood friend. Yes, they were so close that the princess herself went in for a hug, although she did it quite awkwardly and somewhat stiffly.
— It was horribly boring at home, the wind was favorable and so here I am, full of hope for something interesting—the girl replied in a voice that seemed devoid of all emotion. Yes, everything is known by comparison. Even Azula shows more feelings; here, it's as if you're talking to a glacier.
— I'll need your skills. We're going on a trip to inspect the Fire Nation and our colonies, and we'll also stop at a few other interesting places. I need trusted and professional people—Azula decided to remind her of what was already written in the letter.
— It doesn't matter where or why; the main thing is that it will be more interesting than my time at home. My decision won't change; I agree—the girl replied with a face full of calm, as if she didn't care at all. However, Zula and I remembered that she did have a very calm, even somewhat depressed character.
"What an interesting personality; I'd be interested to get to know your friend better. So beautiful and so cold; I wonder what secrets she's hiding"—I noted, flying around the girls and examining Mai, comparing her feminine beauty to Azula's.
— Come on, I'll arrange for you to be housed closer. What's new with you?—Zula ignored my comment, heading for the exit and silently ordering Mai to follow her.
— Nothing, just one continuous boredom and depression…
The princess arranged for her friend to stay near her, in the palace's guest chambers. They talked quite a lot, a lot in Azula's understanding. However, Mai couldn't tell her anything interesting. As the girl herself said, her life was one continuous boredom. She wasn't even interested in the route or the danger of the trip; she simply didn't care. She answered all questions calmly and supported any topic with complete composure. I wasn't even sure if she controlled her emotions so well or if they were simply muted, or even absent.
For most of the day, the girls discussed politics and Mai's family, whose father was very actively climbing the career ladder. The girl herself was not very happy with this topic; she had had more than enough of it at home. Most of her relatives held officer positions and important ministerial and administrative posts. The girl could be called an aristocrat, but there was no such concept in the Fire Nation. There were rich and influential families and even whole clans that differed in their degree of interest in politics. But there was no aristocracy as such under the rule of an absolute monarch. Personal skills played a much greater role than a long lineage. Zuko's example was a clear one for all the subjects of the Fire Lord.
— Mai, I want to see your skills. How do you feel about a little sparring?—after talking about the past and the present, Zula wanted to return to training and check her friend's strength.
— With pleasure. If I happen to die at your hands, tell my relatives that this life is too boring for me—the girl replied without any emotion, habitually uttering a very dark joke. If it was a joke.
During the not-so-serious fight between the beautiful and deadly girls, I was able to observe how the depressed Mai was transformed during the battle. She, like Azula, enjoyed using her skills in a fight. She gladly used her numerous hidden daggers, feeling excitement and pleasure from the battles. The girl didn't even hide her smile and delight during the fight! A surprising contrast to Mai's previously seen character. In short, the girls fought with a spark, although they held back, not wanting to harm each other too much. In the end, after showing off in front of each other, they stopped the fight, satisfied with the time they had spent.
After the sparring, the young girls returned to talking. Most of their topics were uninteresting to me: the latest news of the country, news from the front, and, of course, politics. But something did manage to surprise me.
At some point, Azula started asking her friend about boys. And here I didn't know what to think; I was too shocked by such a surprise. It was a good thing that Mai's love life was so boring; guys didn't even bother the eternally depressed girl, who seemed to scare them away. In general, they spoke surprisingly little and, for the most part, to the point. Not at all like most of the women I knew, who loved not just to talk, but to chatter, and they could do this for hours on end. While having a very "emotional" conversation, Azula and Mai were strolling through the palace and continuing to discuss various things when another guard approached them.
— Princess Azula, excuse me for the interruption—a man's voice sounded from behind them, making the ladies turn around—Captain Jay Chan has arrived at your request. He is waiting for an audience with you in the palace reception room, which is in the west wing.
— I understand you—Azula replied—bring tea for three to that room; I will go there immediately.
The servant bowed and hurried to carry out the princess's order, leaving her alone with Mai, or almost alone, as I was still with the girls.
— My ship got caught in a storm, and we were attacked by a sea serpent; there were losses—she explained in response to Mai's questioning look. And how did I even know she was interested? She didn't even change her expression! It must be because of Zula's memory.
— Do I have to go?—Mai asked.
— Yes. You are part of my personal retinue. And a retinue must always accompany imperial persons; come on, maybe you'll even be interested in his story; there's at least one secret in it.
— It's probably going to be wildly boring—Mai replied in the same emotionless voice with a hint of gloom.
The girls headed to meet the potential captain of the princess's personal ship—Jay Chan…