The Fire Princess [Avatar : TLA] [OC]

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What if Zuko and Azula had an older sister? One who didn't agree with their father about the future of the Fire Nation
Chapter 1
Location
USA
Chapter 1

"I'm sorry Uncle, Father made it clear I cannot give you any more assistance than this." I said sadly as I watched the last of the supply crates being loaded on the small ship.

"Nonsense Princess. Your help is greatly appreciated. If not for you, we would have needed to ration our food carefully before we reached the colonies." my Uncle Iroh said kindly. "I'm sure your brother appreciates it as well."

"Half-brother." I replied. I shifted my gaze to the upper deck and watched the figure of my half-brother Zuko shouted orders at those around him. Every time I saw the thick bandages covering the left side of his face, my heart clenched. It was a reminder of how little power I had, and my failure to change the fate of my family.

"He made it clear yesterday that I should keep away since he doesn't need the pity of someone else unable to inherit the throne."

Uncle Iroh hummed while he stroked his beard. "Prince Zuko is very unbalanced right now, Princess. Do not let words said in anger come between the two of you. I know he still cares about you, and will apologize once he calms down."

"Of course being banished, it's not like you will see him anytime soon." Another voice says behind us.

"Hello Azula, Mai. Shouldn't you two be in class?" I greeted my younger sister and her perpetually miserable attendant.

Mei bowed to me with a mumbled greeting, but Azula just waved me off. "Come now Sister, it's not everyday you get to see a member of the royal family being banished. Why, this is history in the making! I just had to see it for myself."

"A black history, certainly. Future generations will remember the time the crown prince of the Fire Nation was banished for the terrible crime of caring for his people." I stated dryly.

Our conversation was interrupted by a loud horn coming from the ship.

"The ship will be leaving soon. I must leave now." Uncle Iroh said. He bowed to me, right fist under left palm in a Fire Nation salute. "Goodbye Princess, I will send word when we reach the colonies and decide on our destination." He repeated the action to Azula.

I wanted nothing more to run to him and hug him. But I could not afford the breach in decorum with so many people around us. Instead I returned the bow. "Take care, Uncle. Try not to bother Zuko with your proverbs too much?"

"Yes, Zu-zu's brain might not be able handle it." Azula commented from the side. "Have fun chasing ghosts, do let us know if you find anything interesting."

"Azula, mind your manners." I said sternly as Uncle Iroh walked back to the ship.

"What? You know this is a fool's errand. The Avatar hasn't been seen in nearly a hundred years. If he hasn't been found by now, he won't be found by one ship led by a disgraced prince and a fat, failure of a general." Azula said in that sure tone only an eleven year old can produce.

"Fool's errand or not, mocking someone for their circumstances is the mark of a weak person. Not to mention, as usual, Father has managed to weaken the position of the Royal Family in the eyes of the rest of the nobility."

"Weakened us? But he showed he was decisive and merciful to everyone. He didn't favor his family over a breach in etiquette and spared Zu-zu's life after he disgraced himself by refusing to fight!" Azula seemed shocked I considered a show of power the wrong move. "How could that weaken us?"

I watched the ship Zuko and Uncle Iroh were on slowly slip out of the dock while I considered the best way to answer. I had made some progress over the years curbing Azula's more sadistic qualities, mostly by ensuring there were consequences when she acted out, but it was clear she valued our father's approval more than my own.

"He showed that he would seek the maximum punishment for a minor outburst." I said slowly. "While Zuko speaking out of turn was an insult, normally it would be resolved by a reparation gift or at most a spar. Not an Agni Kai.

By scarring Zuko even after he refused to fight, he showed he will also not forgive a slight, for any reason. Even if it speaking out against a truly stupid idea."

Zuko's ship had cleared the dock and started heading out to sea. I judged there was no point standing here anymore. I turned around to face my younger half-sister and her friend, motioning them to follow me.

Azula dutifully followed next to me. Though from the corner of my eye, I could see Mai stare after the ship a little longer, before surreptitiously wiping a few tears from her eyes.

Ah right, she had a crush on Zuko.

"Well, shouldn't that just make everyone else not make mistakes then? Isn't that a good thing?" Azula asked, jerking my attention back to her.

"No, it will simply make everyone afraid to admit making a mistake. Because if the Crown Prince was disfigured and banished for speaking out of turn, what happens to a captain that loses a battle? What about a garrison that loses a town? Or perhaps more simply, a mining town that cannot meet the demand requested? These are ultimately the responsibility of the nobles in the area, so when they report to Father about the state of the war do you think they will be truthful if things are not going well?"

"Of course! How could they dare to lie if they are so worried about the consequences?"

I sighed. Maybe that was the wrong argument to take.

"What about you, Mai? Do you think they would be truthful?" I asked.

Judging by the wide-eyed expression Mai was not expecting me to include her in this conversation. It was probably a little mean of me to do so, but this would be an important lesson for Azula.

"It should be natural for a leader to take responsibility for their failure, Princess." Mai said, neatly sidestepping my question, but falling right into the trap I laid out.

"You see that Azula? She couldn't give me an answer one way or the other without potentially offending one of us. So she gave me a non-answer that sounds nice, but doesn't address the problem."

Azula glared at her friend, realizing Mai didn't agree with her answer.

"Don't get upset Azula." I chided. "That's what happens when people are afraid to speak the truth. They say what the person in charge wants to hear or something pleasant, but empty."

"They wouldn't lie if they were scared enough." Azula pouted. She looked adorable and I had to stop myself from pinching her cheeks in response. "And if they did their jobs right, they wouldn't have to worry. Father won't punish people for doing their job."

"He absolutely would." I said sadly, still resisting the urge to pinch Azula's cheeks. "In fact, many nobles will think he did just that to Zuko."

Azula looked confused. So did Mai, in fact.

"Many nobles believe it is the duty of the Royal Family to guide the Fire Lord by advising him from multiple points of view. While Zuko was wrong how he did it, it could be seen he was doing his job as a member of our Family. It's partly because of this Father makes sure I'm never around during big meetings. So to them, Father punished a boy who made a mistake the first time he was asked to do his job."

The two young girls were silent as we walked through the streets of the capital. Lost in thought as they digested my words.

I also let my thoughts drift. The fallout for the prince being banished was starting to be felt as alliances among the nobles started to shift. As usual, Father ignored the growing chaos. Content to wait for the new lines to be drawn before terrifying everyone to fall in line with him.

If I was lucky, a few would join my bloc but it was unlikely. I was already struggling to keep hold of the nobles that supported Uncle. With him leaving, they would be harder to convince to stay on my side.

"But if Zuko…" Azula started hesitantly. Only continuing at my encouraging nod. "...if he was bad at his job, shouldn't he be replaced? That's what happens to the firebending instructors when they don't teach me right."

"Just because someone does a job the way you don't like, doesn't mean they are bad at their job." I said. "And just because you don't agree with what they say doesn't mean they should be replaced."

Azula looked skeptically at me. We were pretty close to my destination, but I guess I could try to fit in one more lesson.

"Azula, you learned the fourteenth firebending set this week, did you not?" I asked, seemingly at random.

She nodded. "Please demonstrate it for me. No fire though."

She still looked confused but seamlessly went through the forms like it was easy as breathing for her. She truly was a genius when it came to firebending. And I could say without doubt I was proud of how far she had come.

She finished the form with a straight right punch, her left fist cocked above her head, and her right foot forward.

"That was beautifully done." I said, and Azula looked ready to preen at the praise. "But wrong."

"What!? No it wasn't! Father himself said I did it perfectly the other day!" Azula screeched.

"I'm sure he did." I said placatingly, waving my hands to calm the flustered pre-teen down. "The thing is though, the fourteenth set ends differently depending on if you use the Northern form or the Southern one. Father uses the Southern one, so to him it looks perfect. In the Northern one, the final move is a vertical sweep that leaves your right hand by your right foot, and your left arm straight back." I demonstrated the pose. "So to me, the form is wrong."

I straightened up and looked at my half-sister with a soft smile. "In the end, neither one of us are wrong. But if the best firebending master from the south told me I did the form wrong, should I have him replaced? After all he didn't agree with my version of firebending."

I'm pleased to see both girls giving my words some thought.

"You don't have to give me an answer." I told them. "Just keep in mind people have different opinions than you. And just because you don't agree with them, doesn't mean you should throw them away."

I clapped my hands suddenly making the both of them jump.

"Now then, you two should get back to class. I believe you owe Ty Lee an apology for covering for you."

The two of them looked around before realizing I had led them back to the gates in front of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. The headmistress standing at the entrance glaring sternly at them while a sheepish Ty Lee waved awkwardly nearby.

Leaving the three of them to the not-so-tender mercies of the headmistress, a woman I had personally discovered had no problem disciplining a princess, I made my way back to my estate.
 
Chapter 2
Chapter 2

Returning to my estate I felt my mood return to the bleak state it was in when I was saying goodbye to my Uncle.

Despite the amusement I felt talking to Azula, the loss of both Zuko and Uncle Iroh was a great dampener on my spirits. Uncle Iroh was my biggest support in political circles and just pleasant to be around in general. He was also one of the few people safe to drop the mask of 'princess of the fire nation' around. I would miss the easy conversations where I could confide in him that I wasn't confident in my plans and vent my frustrations without opening myself up to some subtle manipulation further down the line.

Zuko, on the other hand, was an interesting case for me. When we were children both he and Azula followed me around like baby turtleducks. Constantly looking for the attention of either myself or Lady Ursa. I was thrilled to have a loving family again, even if it meant putting up with Father, so I constantly tried to give them someone to look up to. I played the part of a dutiful daughter and tried to make sure his harsh perfectionist manner didn't affect my half-siblings too much and that they knew I cared for them.

In fact I thought I was pretty successful until the death of our cousin Lu Ten and Father's subsequent usurpation of the throne. With the death of Fire Lord Azulon and my step-mother's banishment I was forced to try and shield the two of them from political vultures looking to take advantage of the natural chaos following a change in Fire Lord. But there was only so much a thirteen year old girl was capable of doing, even if she was a princess, so I desperately decided to go to my Father and request he keep Zuko and Azula away from politics until they could fend for themselves.

Father agreed to help.

Of course, he didn't do so out of the goodness of his heart. In exchange for keeping my half-siblings away from court machinations, I would move out of the imperial palace and into the city.

An obvious move to get rid of an obstacle since it was known I supported Uncle Iroh more than I did Father, but there was no reason he could banish me without angering all the nobles backing Uncle Iroh. Especially since many of them didn't support banishing Lady Ursa, suspicions of treason or no. But it was an offer I had to accept.

So within a few days Zuko and Azula lost their grandfather, cousin, mother, and I was forced away to only see them on occasion. Father wasn't exactly the caring sort either, so it was little surprise we grew distant.

Azula latched on to our time together, desperate for the affection of family even as Father tried to mold her in his image. Zuko on the other hand seemed to view my departure as a betrayal of sorts. I tried repeatedly over the next two years to try and mend the gap in our relationship and explain why it was necessary but little came of it.

Since he departed without even seeing me, I doubt he forgave me even now.

With those dark thoughts on my mind, I made my way to the back gardens. The artfully kept trees and flowers helped raise my spirits and release some of the tension I was feeling. Watching the lotus flowers float through the pond was always relaxing to me, I spent a lot of time imagining them as my problems and just letting them float away.

Although it seemed like I would not get the chance today, as minutes after I sat down on one of the stone benches a maid came walking up to me with a nervous expression on her face.

"Hello Liu Yun, is something the matter?" I greeted her.

Liu Yun bowed low. "Greetings Princess, I am here to announce Trade Magistrate Zheng is here to speak to you."

I frowned. He wasn't supposed to meet with me today.

"Very well, bring me to him."

-o-​

"Greetings your Highness." An older man in his fifties saluted me. Like many of the officials in the Imperial City, magistrate Zheng used to be a member of the Fire Nation Army. Even in his old age, he retained the lithe build of a warrior.

Though years of inactivity had softened his frame and his hair had long turned grey, he still had the look of someone who had been very imposing in his prime.

"Greetings, Magistrate." I returned, walking over to a low table with some writing implements on it and taking a seat on one of the cushions and gesturing him to the seat across from me. "Can I interest you in some tea?"

Magistrate Zheng took the offered seat but raised a hand to stop Liu Yun even as she poured me a cup. "No thank you, Princess. I will not be staying long."

"I see." I accepted the cup from Liu Yun and took a moment to appreciate the aroma. You did not grow up around Uncle Iroh without learning how to appreciate tea. "Then how can I help you, Magistrate? If I recall we were not supposed to meet for another three days."

Magistrate Zheng shifted uncomfortably and I started to get a bad feeling.

"Yes, our meeting… Unfortunately, I will be unable to make our meeting. Head Magistrate Zun has called a meeting in three days, so I came by to inform you." he said, not meeting my eyes.

My bad feeling got worse.

"I see…" I said slowly. "...if it's necessary, we could move our meeting to the following day. As you know, we only have another week to draft a proposal against the new taxes on the colonies."

"...my apologies. My schedule is very busy these days, I don't know if I will be able to find the time." Magistrate Zheng said, while shrinking in on himself.

So that's how it is…

I set my tea on a provided saucer.

"Of course...is there anything else, Magistrate?" He flinched at my noticeably colder tone.

"N-no, Princess."

"I trust you can see yourself out then."

Magistrate Zheng quickly stood up at my dismissal. He bowed and saluted me, then turned on his heel and briskly walked out.

I held my temper for all of a minute. Just long enough to be sure Magistrate Zheng was not in hearing range.

"RHAAAA!!" I slammed a fist on the table, ignoring the way it cracked as a plume of fire erupted from my hand and burned everything on it. I sat there huffing furiously until slight movement out the corner of my eye drew me out of my thoughts.

Liu Yun sat huddled in a corner hiding behind her serving tray, staring at me in fear.

The sight of her like that drowned out my temper and replaced it with an intense feeling of shame. I hated having the servants tiptoeing around me like one wrong move would be the end of them.

"Liu Yun, I…" I reached out to her but stopped when she flinched away from me. I sighed and waved a hand. "Go prepare a bath. I will be along in a little while."

I turned back to the ruined table and tried to pretend her swift departure didn't hurt my heart.

-o-​

Lounging in the warm water, I idly played with a flower petal while I thought about the past few days.

Father had once again made sure I was unable to attend a scheduled war council. As the First Princess, there were several nobles I needed to appease by attending inane parties to ensure they felt important and continued to happily support the Royal Family. Especially when the Fire Lord had other things scheduled and was unable to attend himself.

Since there had been no major operations coming up, I was unable to justify not going as well, since it was supposed to be a minor meeting. So I was forced to attend the birthday party of some random official whose name I hadn't bothered to remember in his place. It was just bad luck this was the one time Zuko managed to convince Uncle Iroh to let him sit in on a council.

Zuko managed to draw Father's ire during the meeting, so when I returned to the Palace ready to give Father the well wishes that followed a member of the Royal Family attending an event in place of the Fire Lord, I was greeted with the sight of my half-brother being treated for severe burns while Uncle Iroh watched over him.

Then barely two days later, almost the instant Zuko was released from the medical center, Father banished Zuko and Uncle Iroh decided to go with him.

They had just barely left and already Uncle Iroh's allies were cutting ties with me.

I closed my eyes and reclined against the side of the tub. Magistrate Zheng was one of the most influential officials that supported me and Uncle over the years. For him to suddenly distance himself from me when Father proposed taxing the colonies more just after Uncle leaves the country…

It seems he was no longer a supporter. Time would tell how many followed in his footsteps.

I realized my hands were clenched and I was shaking. Letting out a long breath, I allowed myself to slip under the water. For a few seconds I allowed myself to just… be. No worries about the future. No heartache about the present. I let the tension just bleed off into the water.

I only surfaced again once my lungs started to burn from lack of air and stepped out of the bath.

Two maids followed me to a lounge chair where they dried me off and began brushing my long midnight black hair. I idled about and played with a hand mirror admiring my reflection as the servants dealt with any knots or tangles. I especially liked how the light reflected in my bright golden eyes.

Fifteen years later, it was still almost unbelievable I had been reborn after all I suffered.

I had been the eldest daughter in my previous life as well, but rather than being the beautiful daughter of a high ranking family, the Royal Family even! I had been born to a mid-tier noble house. I would not say I had been ugly, but I certainly wasn't much above average either. I was also not a firebender, so I was expected to marry well and secure an alliance between my first father's house and my husband's.

Unfortunately, my uncle at the time had been jealous of my first father's position and had tried to steal it from him. In an attempt to assassinate my father and inherit his title, my uncle was discovered after successfully poisoning my father and killed in the resulting struggle.

Not that it mattered. Father never really recovered after the poison and spent the rest of his days bedridden and practically mad. My younger brother spent every hour at his side learning how to be a proper noble even as the rest of my family slowly bled us dry of money and property.

When father finally died, they stopped all pretense of caring for us and banished my brother from our estate at the young age of twelve before locking me in a small house to quietly rot away. I spent years growing weaker as food became worse, the house became more worn, and a sickness took root in my body.

The last thing I remember from that life was a pair of glowing white-blue eyes that entered my room as I finally succumbed to my illness after more than a decade of imprisonment. But rather than join the spirits of my ancestors like I expected, I found myself in the body of an infant in the same room as a man and woman.

At first I had assumed it was just another fevered dream that had plagued my weakened body, so I just watched in silence. The woman had collapsed on the ground in front of the crib I was in and was begging the man to know why he had killed her daughter.

The man took pity on her, and told her that the second prince had been ordered to marry the granddaughter of Avatar Roku by the Fire Lord. Since she was currently the second prince's wife, Prince Ozai had ordered the two of us killed to make sure the union could proceed without issue.

At the time I had just figured it was my mind imagining a tragic story that mirrored my own circumstances somewhat and allowed myself to drift off to sleep. When the hysterical screaming of the maid sent to check on the room woke me up and I saw the butchered body of the woman in her bed, I realized I had somehow transmigrated into my current body after the assassin had killed the original inhabitant.

Remembering what the assassin said the previous night I realised, once again, my own family wished me dead for selfish reasons and broke out crying.

At the beginning, I decided that I would get revenge for my murdered mother and the original owner of this body, but after the birth of Zuko and later Azula that changed to just protecting them as best I could. I promised myself that our family would never be split up if I could help it, even if that meant abandoning revenge on the man who killed my mother.

To do so, I had strove to excel in every area and build a support base independent from my new Father. I was praised as a genius and for a while it was considered a huge tragedy I was removed from the line of succession since Father was not married to my mother when he took the throne. Thankfully those whispers died down once Azula began to display her own talents, even if it annoyed her to constantly have her progress compared to mine.

For fifteen years I tried to ignore my murderer of a father for the sake of a happy family.

Today, he managed to separate me from nearly all of them. And I am done trying to appease selfish people as they drag my home closer to ruin for their own ambition. Now I am going to fight back and reunite my family.

Even if it means tearing the throne from the hands of Fire Lord Ozai himself.

-------------------​

A/N: How long can I go without giving the MC a name?!

Answer: Not much longer!

So yes, as some people commented the princess is much too well put together to be raised purely in the Royal Family. She in fact lived a previous life XXX years in the past as a minor fire nation noble before being robbed of her house, family, and freedom by her relatives. As a non-firebending girl, she was not expected to actually do anything other than marry and have a kid. So when her relatives overthrew her brother, she was pretty screwed being a young girl around 13~14 with no skills.

If this was a perfect Xanxia trope, a super powerful/knowledgeable spirit would have taken over her body and gotten revenge on the relatives for the slights her body received, but in this case the MC wakes up in the body of a just finished being smothered body of an infant. So instead of super secret techniques that go against heaven the MC gets the memories of a normal childhood, being betrayed by power hungry relatives, and sitting in a room slowly dying for 10 years. Oh yeah! She also knows dear old, new Dad wanted her dead cause grandpa told him to marry someone else and he didn't want to deal with divorce.
 
Chapter 3
Chapter 3

'I hate meetings like this.' I thought as the Head Trade Magistrate spoke passionately about how increasing the tribute demanded in the colonies would ensure the prosperities in the homeland.

Over the years I learned people like Head Magistrate Zun spoke of how everything was 'for the good of the Fire Nation' yet his proposals always seemed to ensure more gold went into his pockets.

Like this increased tax he was arguing for. A simple demand that the colonies provide more gold to the homeland to help cover the increasing war costs to keep them safe from Earth Kingdom raids.

On the face of it, it was beneficial but only if you ignored the way many of the colonies functioned.

Most of them had very little in terms of physical money. That wasn't to say they were poor, but most of the time it just circled inside of whatever town it was traded in since unless a caravan passed through people were not traveling much due to the war.

It should have been obvious that demanding more was going to hurt the colonies but Head Magistrate Zun was greedy and Father didn't care as long as it didn't affect the war effort.

Head Magistrate Zun finally stopped stroking his ego in front of the rest of the officials and bowed to Father signalling the end of his proposal.

The flames that surrounded Father's dias crackled softly as we waited for him to return to his seat. Soon after Father addressed the rest of the room.

"Are there any who would argue against this proposal?" Father asked, sounding rather bored with the whole thing. He never did like listening to something that didn't directly relate to the military.

I glanced at the other magistrates, holding out the vain hope someone else would speak up against the Head Magistrate. Magistrate Zheng looked everywhere else except in my direction and two of my other 'allies' gave me apologetic looks.

My hands clenched in anger. Seems like there had been some last minute shifts in my alliance and no one was willing to side against the Head Magistrate.

"I have some things I would like clarified, Father." I said, rising from my seat at the end of the table, about as far from the Fire Lord you could get and still be included in the meeting. A rather unsubtle message that despite being the princess, I did not have my father's favor.

"Princess Azura, I didn't realize you had advanced so far in your economic studies you could argue against a Magistrate who has been doing such things for two decades." My Father drawled as the tension in the room suddenly ratcheted up.

"Of course not, Father." I smiled lightly. "But surely Head Magistrate Zun can easily settle my concerns about his plan. After all, I'm sure someone as qualified as him wouldn't mind a few simple questions." I looked at the man in question. He was lightly sweating at the position I placed him in.

He could easily dismiss my concerns, especially since Father pointed out I wasn't exactly the most knowledgeable about the minor ins and outs regarding economics like he was. It was precisely this reason I had been relying on the other magistrates to make this argument for me. But if he did so, then he was practically admitting to the other officials in the court his plan was flawed and it would make any future negotiations much more expensive for him.

Either choice could weaken his position so it was unsurprising he chose to deal with me in the short term rather than risk losing more gold long term.

"I would be happy to dispel any concerns you have, Princess." the elderly man said bowing respectfully to me.

I took a moment to collect my thoughts.

In truth I had very little to gain from preventing this proposal from going forward. As a princess, troubles in the colonies would only become directly my problem if they revolted and somehow invaded the imperial city. Until it reached that point nobles like Head Magistrate Zun were free to try and squeeze every copper piece from them to fill their pockets.

But they made a mistake. They forgot as a member of the Royal Family the citizens of the Fire Nation were mine. I had already lived through one home being ruined by the greed of others. I would not allow it to happen again.

"Forgive me for the questions, Head Magistrate. As Father mentioned, I'm not as well studied in economic matters." I began. I hated that I couldn't just jump to the point, but I needed to sway Father to my side since his decision was the one that mattered. And that meant appealing to his sense of theatrics. "You want to increase the tax tribute in all of the colonies, but can you be sure they even have enough wealth to give?"

Head Magistrate Zun smiled indulgently, "The colonies are rich in untapped resources and raw materials. We could increase the tax by double and they would still have barely scratched the surface of what value lays in the surroundings."

"I see, and what about the unrest the increased tax will cause? Unless the colonials are significantly more generous than even our own citizens, they will not like paying more." I asked, keeping my voice pleasantly inquisitive.

"Easily handled, Princess. While it's true we will likely see some troublemakers initially, we can deploy more troops to these areas until things settle down. For instance, the garrison in Danba alone can easily deploy over a large area of the colonies to prevent any unrest."

I clasped my hands behind me and walked past him, nodding as I moved down the low platform in the middle of the room. I also used the opportunity to sneak a glance at Father to judge his position so far.

The everpresent wall of flames hid much of his features, but even through those I could see the amusement he was feeling at each of my points being so 'easily' countered. I swiftly crushed the annoyance that gave me, since it meant I was holding his attention.

"Of course, our soldiers would be more than enough to keep order." I replied in the same pleasant tone I'd been using since I began. "Though it does make me wonder what this increased amount of gold will be used for…" I trailed off.

"Naturally it will be used for the betterment of the citizens of the Fire Nation." the old leech happily stated. "More gold in the homeland will allow us to ensure our citizens can properly experience the rich culture enjoyed by their ancestors over the years. More donations can be used for the arts, performers paid to educate and entertain the young, and of course the increase in money will ensure historians remember our glorious Fire Lord for making it possible." he bowed lightly in the direction of Father.

Seems like the old man wants to end this little discussion. Fine, I should have enough to work with.

"I have just one more question then, Head Magistrate." I stopped walking as I reached the end of the platform and looked up at Father's dias. The shadows hid his face, but I could tell he was looking forward to my 'defeat' in this discussion. Never let it be said that Fire Lord Ozai was a subtle individual.

I was fairly confident he wouldn't recognize a subtle move if it walked in here wearing bright pink robes and slapped him with a fish.

I had to push that thought aside or risk breaking out into laughter and giving the game away.

With a dramatic whirl, I turned to face the Head Magistrate and jabbed an accusing finger at him. "How long have you been a traitor to the war effort and using your position to line your own pockets?!" my voice lost its pleasant tone and became harsh and demanding. I felt the flames behind me flare higher at Father's surprise. The others would think it was because of his anger since he would never admit to losing control like that, but I knew better.

"I, -traitor, w-what?!" Head Magistrate Zun sputtered looking completely taken off guard by the sudden accusation.

"Yes, a traitor." I pressed, advancing angrily on him. "Inciting unrest in our loyal citizens by unnecessarily increasing taxes, then weakening our defensive line by forcing our troops out of Danba right as an Earth Kingdom strike force is preparing to strike at the city. Then you try to hide your crimes by saying it is for the good of the Fire Nation people!"

"N-no, I swear Princess! I-I had no such int-intensions!" The old man was visibly sweating and looking at the other magistrates trying to convince one of them to speak up for him. I wasn't going to give him the time.

"So you admit to using the war effort to line your pockets!" I declared, internally smirking with glee as the other officials refused to meet Head Magistrate Zun's pleading eyes. "You would make the Fire Lord look weak and foolish by forcing more gold out of the colonies, and even mock him by saying historians will honor him for such a move?!"

This time the fires flared higher with anger.

"No! No, please! I j-just m-meant that more g-gold would mean m-more luxuries for our people!"

"So you're saying you aren't malicious, just incompetent!" I practically roared at him as I loomed overhead.

"YES!" the fool screamed out before realising what he had said. He sputtered about with more denials, but I paid him no more attention.

I got what I needed.

I turned back to Father and saluted him, making sure to bow my head slightly, "Father, as you heard, this proposal will only harm the Fire Nation. I plead that you listen to wisdom and reject such a foolish action. And I beg forgiveness on the behalf of Head Magistrate Zun. Even if his idea was heavily flawed, his heart was in the right place."

Judging by the height of the flames, Father had not calmed down after my little tirade. Now to see if my plan worked.

"Thank you, Princess Azura. It seems I was almost about to make a rather costly mistake." The already tense atmosphere went up another level at the Fire Lord's tone. "I will have to make an example out of him for this transgression."

Father scanned the room before grandly sweeping an arm out to the side. Seriously, him and his need for dramatics. "Guards! Remove him, I have no need for a Head Magistrate that would drag the prestige and honor of the Fire Nation through the dirt with his failings. From this day forward, He. is. Banished!"

I made a light coughing noise and bowed towards Father again.

"You have something to say, Princess Azura?"

"Apologies, Father. It's just, only last week you were forced to banish your son, Prince Zuko. If you banish another noble so soon, people might think you were giving out unjust punishments due to grief."

As if. Father only cared about his personal power. A snake grieved more than he did.

"Yes, that would be troublesome." Father mused, running a hand down his beard. "I suppose you have an idea what to do with this fool?"

"Head Magistrate Zun has served the Fire Nation for many years now. Perhaps it would be best to resolve this issue as a mistake brought about by age and allow him to quietly retire? It would certainly show the other nobles even in your grief, you are a fair and just Lord."

Father contemplated my words for a while. Head Magistrate Zun practically had a puddle forming under him due to the amount of sweat rolling off of him. The rest of the officials did their best to blend into the background and avoid drawing anyone's attention.

"Very well. Remove him from the palace." Father eventually declared. The ex-Head Magistrate alternated bowing to me and Father as he was led out of the room, blubbering his thanks the whole way.

"Now then…" Father said after the guards had removed the old man and I returned to my seat. "It seems we are in need of a new Head Magistrate of Trade. Let's discuss his replacement…"

I sighed and propped my chin up on a hand. If there was a downside to successfully arguing ex-Head Magistrate Zun's proposal, it was definitely being stuck in a longer meeting listening to more stuck up officials arguing for his job.

----------

A/N: Despite the name Princess Azura is still not a SI. Azura just happens to be what I named my Diablo 3 female wizard character and since that character is what I'm basing this Azura's looks off of, might as well use the name.
-Fun fact- Both Azula and the wizard are voiced by the same person!
 
Chapter 4
Chapter 4

When I finally left the dark interior of the meeting room, I was nearly blinded by the bright afternoon sun. Despite the large amount of fire used to light the meeting room this never failed to happen.

Going by memory rather than sight I made my way to a bench in a nearby garden and sat down as I waited for my vision to return to normal. I was half certain the previous Fire Lords designed the meeting hall with a lack of windows just so that when long annoying meetings dragged on they could laugh at the politicians as they blindly bumbled their way around once they were dismissed.

Soon enough I was able to look at my surroundings without squinting just in time for the newly appointed Head Trade Magistrate to walk by. I didn't know much about Magistrate Weizhe. He was fairly new to the court and hadn't made any moves to stand out among officials. And while he no doubt had the skills to do his new job, I was fairly certain the only reason he got it was due to him not being firmly attached to any existing power circle.

I would have to investigate the man later to see exactly what I dig up about him. If nothing was too out of place I could try winning him over as an ally. If not…

Well I'm sure someone else would be available for the job.

"Already planning for this one to lose his job, Sister?"

I looked over to see Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee walking over to me.

"Hello girls." I greeted. "What are you doing over here?"

"Father thought it would be best to avoid another situation like with Zuko and had us watch from a hidden guard station to learn how to behave in a Court meeting." said Azula.

I sighed. Father was truly unsubtle about his favoritism.

"It was so boring." Mai complained, "Just a bunch of old men arguing about how important they are."

"I enjoyed your part, Princess Azura!" Ty Lee chirped, clapping her hands together. "You were so dramatic! Building up till the end and then just sweeping everything away with a passionate speech! It was just like something out of a play!"

The commentary made me smile. It always was entertaining to see the two extremes between Azula's friends. Mai would find just about anything boring or pointless, while Ty Lee was an inexhaustible fount of cheer.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it then. Most meetings aren't nearly that entertaining. So what did you think otherwise? Learn anything?"

"Not really." Azula said. "Father told us he predicted you making a move to deny the former Head Magistrate's proposal. Everything else was just aimless blathering."

I let out a soft snort at the idea of Father 'predicting' anything. I hadn't exactly hidden my preparations against the proposal. In fact I wasn't supposed to speak against it at all! I had approached several other officials to speak out in my place. But with Uncle leaving and my support base splintering because of it, my initial plan was useless and I had to improvise.

"Well if anything, you learned how to present information in a way that makes you sound wiser than you actually are." I scoffed, enjoying the confused faces on the three preteens.

Still cryptic statements had their time and place, and I was tired after being in a mostly pointless meeting for a good portion of the morning.

"I have been organising against the new tax proposal for several weeks." I explained to them. "If Father was unaware of my stance until now he would be nothing more than a figurehead ruler, there was no prediction about it. Even so, did he mention what his response was likely to be? I figured since I was against a new tax he would be at least slightly in favor of it."

I focused on Azula because, even as close as Mai and Ty Lee were to her, she was the only one who could really speak about the relations between the Royal Family and not have it potentially used against her.

Both of them straightening up and looking elsewhere meant they knew it too. Smart girls.

"Father mentioned that you were mostly over reacting." Azula stated. "But he didn't say his thoughts on the matter."

I wasn't surprised. For all Father's ruthlessness, he rarely committed fully to anything himself without a guaranteed outcome. Shame that he didn't let any bigger opinions slip, but it wasn't an issue.

I got what I wanted and actually a bit more than I planned.

I never imagined my plan to stop former Head Magistrate Zun's proposal would lead to him being removed from his position and almost being banished from the Fire Nation at the same time. I suppose Father really didn't like the possibility of a major stronghold falling in the name of greedy nobility. Now I had a bit more time to consolidate my own power base since ex-Magistrate Zun's own allies would be looking for new alliances and the other officials should be more interested in snatching the unattached officials rather than try poaching the ones still in an alliance.

A shrill cry attracted my attention.

I looked up just in time to see a messenger hawk pass overhead. Not an unusual occurrence. With the amount of officials that gathered it sometimes was easier to direct messages here rather than a home or normal workplace. No, the thing that drew my attention was the black ribbon attached to the bird's harness.

"A black level message, a priority message to be directly reported to Father and his council immediately. I wonder what happened?" Azula wondered. Unknowingly mirroring my own thoughts.

"Maybe the rest of the old guys screwed up and lost us the war?" Mai commented, causing Ty Lee to gasp.

"That can't happen, right?"

"I wouldn't put it past them."

"Oh please, if there was any major problem in the colonies we would have heard of it way before now. The worst that could have happened is some raid somewhere." Azula pitched in.

The girls continued to speculate, but I ignored the conversation for the most part. Black level messages were rare, yes but they didn't often require much action from the capital. They mostly tended to be urgent requests for new orders after something unexpected popped up that affected a larger plan one of the generals made. Such as when a group of earthbenders managed to sneak behind an offensive and block a mountain pass before they were resupplied.

The lack of a supply route meant that even though the army managed to take the town, they needed to pull back when they were cut off from the rest of the frontline.

I wonder which general had a plan ruined by a competent enemy?

Anyways, not my problem.

I turned back to the other three and started moving the conversation towards less dangerous topics than the failures of the military while they were surrounded by high ranking military officers.

Simple topics like how had the academy taken a princess running off in the middle of the day with no warning. How their training had progressed in the week since I had seen them. And if they were planning on visiting the circus that was passing through the capital at all.

In order, the headmistress still didn't care if you were a princess and had all three of them writing an apology to their teacher for worrying her when two students disappeared and another lying about where they went. Azula was given an additional punishment and had to write an essay on how it was irresponsible for a princess to vanish without a word. Good to see the old hawkbat was still as strict as ever.

Training was going smoothly for all of them. They were all very advanced in their chosen form, and Azula was apparently going to start getting introduced to the basics of lightning bending pretty soon. Not that she knew that, but since I was being trained in that as well I recognised the beginning forms.

And they hadn't actually known about the circus. Of course now that I told them about it they were all excited to see the shows and started making plans on what they wanted to see first. Naturally Mai was interested in the knife throwers and Ty Lee wanted to see what professional acrobats were like, but Azula surprised me by saying she wanted to see the exotic animals that tended to accompany the show. I had figured she would have wanted to see the fire performers. She had always liked similar shows in the past.

When I commented she gave the incredibly vague answer that she didn't want to get exposed to any bad habits.

More likely Father said something about performers being third rate firebenders in general at some point and Azula latched onto the idea.

Despite Azula using me as something of a measuring stick for how a princess should behave, she craved Father's approval more than anything. Either parent really, but Lady Ursa tended to keep a certain distance from Azula. She was never neglectful. If anything she went out of her way to make sure none of her children wanted for anything. Even me, which was surprising considering how children from previous wives tended to be… set aside… when a new wife married in.

But while she was polite with me, and practically doted on Zuko all the time, she seemed to treat Azula like she was about to explode if handled the wrong way. Being carefully disapproving while never really offering a better outlet for Azula's behavior.

And she needed an outlet.

Zuko and I were easy for Lady Ursa to mother. Zuko was a gentle soul and wanted nothing more than to make his mother proud. And I had already lived through one childhood. I wasn't exactly going to beg for attention and play children's games. So we fit in easily with the day-to-day life of a noblewoman. A tea ceremony here, a flower arrangement gathering there. Normal leisure activities.

Azula liked to fight.

To be fair, I did as well. Firebending was somewhat addicting when you spent one life unable to. But I never liked sparring those my own age because it felt too much like picking on, well, children. Nevermind that there were several who were just as good as me at the time. Azula though, she took to fighting like a salamander to a campfire. She just seemed to belong in a fight. Much like our Father really. And because of this Lady Ursa was constantly trying to correct her behavior. 'No Azula, girls don't act like that.' or 'You need to spend more time on your calligraphy Azula. It's more important than firebending.' Simple things that weren't actually wrong really, but always discouraging Azula from being active. It obviously chafed, but I was at least able to reduce the stress by offering alternatives. Usually by including her in my own practice or playing more physical games like tag. The disapproving looks remained, but the comments stopped.

"Princess Azura?"

I turned to see a messenger bowing to me.

"Yes?"

"The Fire Lord has summoned you to the council meeting chamber."

I blinked.

Well, this was unexpected.
 
Chapter 5
Chapter 5

The council meeting chamber was much more conservative than the one I had been in earlier.

This was the meeting place for small groups where most of the court posturing took a backseat to actually resolving a situation. I had been in this room maybe a handful of times since I started taking active interest in the politics of the nation.

Turns out Father didn't want dissenters in his inner circle, who would have thought?

As I walked through the doors I saw Father up on the dias, naturally apart from the others as Fire Lord. Besides him there was a Colonel from what looked like one of the Southern fleets and General Shinu at the low table and an open place where I was clearly intended to sit.

"You joined us at last, Azura." Father commented disapprovingly as I took my seat.

I paid no attention to the rebuke. Even if I ran the entire way over he would have just made a comment about me being disheveled or something similar.

"Apologies Father. I was in the front gardens when the message came. Although I wasn't told the purpose for the meeting or why my presence was required?"

Father motioned for General Shinu to begin. I guess he didn't feel like making a production of chastising me since there were so few people here. Even the initial barb seemed more for form than him actually trying to find fault with me.

The general stood and started pointing out different positional markers for our garrisons and fleet deployments in the south.

"We just received a black level message from our southern territories. Recently the remnants of the Southern Water Tribe have stepped up their harassment raids on the colonies and patrols here, here, and here." He said pointing at each location in turn.

"While they are an annoyance they normally fail to cause any major damage before they are driven off, but two weeks ago several infiltrators snuck into one of the larger trade hubs, Danyuan. From there, they incited an unrest from the populous which resulted in a brief rebellion from the locals. It was suppressed by a fleet patrol in the area but several instigators escaped in the confusion."

"I see." Well, I saw the reason this was a concern. I still had no idea what Father wanted me here for.

"The instigators have not made any over moves since, but from the increasing disruption throughout the city they are clearly coordinating with each other." General Shinu continued nodding at the so-far silent Colonel off to the side, "The Colonel has more details but it's clear this is a problem."

Taking the motion as permission the Colonel began to speak, "Our reports say there have been multiple acts of sabotage among the garrison. Armor coated with dung, ship parts damaged, lone soldiers ambushed and beaten, and the governor was just exposed for having several affairs with local women, married women, whose husbands happened to be owners of several trade caravans. Morale is at a low point and if nothing is done we will need to forcibly suppress the population."

"That… certainly seems like a problem." I cringed internally at how hesitant I sounded. Showing any perceived weakness in front of Father was a bad idea. Especially when I couldn't get a read on his goal. "Though I'm not certain how I can help."

"You can 'help' by ridding the area of these saboteurs." Father finally spoke. "Danyuan will endure, but these pests have made themselves too irritating to ignore. You will represent my will and root them out until they are not an issue anymore."

My eyes widened. He couldn't be saying what I think he was saying.

"You mean, you want me to lead the hunt for the saboteurs?"

"Yes. The 201 recon division will be under your command. I do not expect you to return until this matter is dealt with.

Spirits, he actually was.

Father left shortly after that. I was left behind to coordinate with General Shinu about introducing me to the captains of the three ships I now controlled.

Details were laid out, plans were made, and after another hour the meeting broke up entirely. I started walking back to my estate in a daze. All those long nights planning, all those meetings securing alliances, and Father pulls this?

I needed to make it home before my composure cracked.

Walking through the entrance to my estate I waved a hand at one of the maids. She quickly scurried over and fell in step behind me.

"Start preparing my traveling clothes and other things for a trip to the colonies. It seems I will be spending quite some time abroad."

The maid went to fulfill my order and I fought both the feelings saying that invoked and keeping my face straight until I was away from prying eyes.

Quick steps carried me through the estate until I reached my private bedroom. None of the servants entered this room without my permission and I wouldn't be bothered while I was inside. I threw open the doors and hurried inside.

Finally. I was alone and-

"Hello Sister."
A muscle in my cheek twitched. Correction, Azula was on one of the lounge chairs with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.

"Azula, what are you doing here."

Her eyes twitched at the tone of my voice, but she remained impassive otherwise.

"I heard from Father that you were being sent to the colonies. Something about dealing with rebels. I thought you would be upset so I decided to pay a visit." She gave a small shrug. "And it's not like the servants could really stop a princess from going where she pleases."

"Hmm. Well yes, once the details are finalised I will depart for Danyuan. From there, I will have to get more information from the locals."

Azula set her chin down on her knees in a pout. "It's not fair. Zuzu gets banished and Uncle leaves, now you are leaving and I'm stuck in the Academy for another year."

"I'm sure you will survive." I said dryly.

With a dramatic sigh, Azula stretched out over the lounge chair. "Can't you take me with you? The Academy is so boring! We hardly ever do anything fun."

"You're there to learn the basics of how to behave as a noble, not have fun." I raised an eyebrow at her. "And no, I'm not taking my twelve year old sister into a city filled with insurgents. You will just have to suffer through the Academy like I did."

I walked over to a shelf and started making my way through the books and scrolls there. The trip there would take a few days so best take some reading material to entertain myself.

"Tch, fine. Go off to the colonies and play with your toy soldiers. Father will have all the idiots straightened out before you get back."

I turned to see Azula storming out of the room with a scowl. She always did have issues with people not paying attention to her.

That random thought was the one that cracked my composure.

My shoulders started shaking with the effort to not make a sound until I'd let Azula get far enough away to not hear.

The exact same day I managed to collapse the power base of one of the higher ranking officials in the capital Father took the first chance to send me as far away from the officials scrambling for new alliances.

I saw the stacks of notes with detailed plans outlined that were now completely useless. Only the spirits knew how many hours I had spent tweaking little details trying to get the most out of each one that now served little purpose. I bit down on a knuckle to try and keep the emotions roiling inside of me under control but it was a losing battle.

A strangled sound clawed its way out of my throat.

It was just so absolutely….

Perfect.

I burst out laughing.

I couldn't help it any longer. Father decided to do me such a large favor by removing me from the Capital and even gave me a military force? How could I not be ecstatic?

I had spent months trying to figure out how to get a foot into the military, but besides Uncle Iroh's group not many in the Capital were willing to swear service to an unfavored princess when it would mean the end of any advancement in their career. Even Uncle's circle only listened to my ideas out of respect for him, not out of any true loyalty to me even if I was slowly working on that.

Now Father just handed me a fresh opportunity to start laying the foundation for a faction that was truly my own.

Political allies helped get your point across, but without military might to enforce those points they were just as smoke. It might deter those similarly without power, but the foolish, brave, or more powerful would just brush past it.

My laughter died down into soft chuckles.

I bet Father thought removing me would prevent me from pulling the now unattached officials into my sphere of influence, but I never planned on approaching any of them in person.

Not only were they beneath such an effort, doing so would ensure someone else felt slighted I did not visit them in person or before the other party. Now I had the excuse to work through intermediaries since I wouldn't be in the Capital at the time.

True I would likely pull less of them to my side than if I handled each of them personally, but if I had to physically be here to ensure they were on my side they were useless for my plans.

I finally had myself back under control as the last bit of laughter slowly died out. The only thing I didn't like was Father using Azula as a scout to judge my reaction. It seems he was starting to groom her as a useful tool.

I would have to be careful not to do anything to hurt her while I figured out how to lessen Father's influence with her.

I pulled one of the rope bells to summon one of the maids. After directing her about what I needed packed I headed to the dining room. So many changes in one day, I think an early dinner was in order. I would probably spend the rest of the day investigating the captains serving under me, so keeping my energy up would be important.

Maybe see if the chef knew the recipe for Uncle's favorite roast duck? I mused to myself as I hummed a little tune.
 
Chapter 6
Chapter 6

"But Princess, these are meant to be delivered to the Feather Pavillion tomorrow! It would be a scandal if we were unable to deliver their order on time!"

"That is not my concern." I replied coldly. "I am leaving for the colonies today. I do not have the time to wait for supplies from elsewhere. Now either step aside, or I will have you removed by force."

The warehouse manager smartly chose to stand off to the side after that. Even if he continued to wring his hands in worry as workers continued to empty out the insides. I had one soldier keep an eye on him to ensure he didn't cause trouble before dismissing him from my thoughts.

Crate after crate of goods were moved from storage and onto the three ships waiting in the harbor. I was taking far more than what was needed for the journey, but that only meant I would have some trade materials on hand for any on site negotiations I needed to do when I arrived.

That this was giving me a great deal of catharsis was irrelevant.

Only a handful of crates were left in the entire warehouse when someone started making a commotion outside. The two soldiers at my sides accompanying me as an escort stiffened up and began to maneuver themselves between me and the source of the noise.

"No need to get worked up. This is just a sideshow." I waved them back and moved towards the door. They dutifully fell in step behind me. It was somewhat cute how seriously they took their job, but if this was how clingy they would be in the colonies I foresaw this being a much bigger pain than it was worth.

Outside I saw a few of the sailors had stopped moving the crates onto the ships and were being yelled at by someone in rather fancy robes for this area of the docks. I allowed myself a small smile before forcing my expression into something neutral and making my way over.

The sailors caught sight of me and started shifting uncomfortably, casting glances between myself, the man yelling at them, and each other.

As I got closer, I started listening to the diatribe being hurled at the sailors.

"...will have you permanently assigned to the South Pole you incompetant idiots! Now get these supplies back in place and drag your idiot of a captain in front of me before I call the guards." The man finished just as I came up behind him.

"Is there a problem here?" I asked innocently, finally making my presence known.

The man jumped at the sound of my voice, spinning around to let me get the first look at Magistrate Zheng since his visit to my estate a few days ago. He looked...disheveled...to say the least. His face was pale and gaunt, and even his hair looked thinner than from when I last saw him. A lack of sleep and stress no doubt. His robes were noticeably messy as well. He probably rushed down here as soon as someone reported something happening in his warehouse.

I remained silent while he gaped at my seemingly sudden appearance.

"Princess Azura," he eventually managed. "No, no problem. Just some sailors that have been taking supplies from the wrong warehouse. Nothing you need to bother yourself with."

"Oh? Sailor, have you been taking things from other places than I ordered?" I addressed the two Magistrate Zheng had been berating.

"No, Princess." one of them dutifully replied.

"Then continue loading. I don't want any reason for delay." I dismissed them with a smile.

The two of them saluted before turning, picking up the crate they had set aside, and quickly left for one of the ships.

I watched them leave while the Magistrate gaped on. After a bit, I nodded at him and started walking off. My departure seemed to restart his brain, as he quickly followed after me.

"Princess, wait! What did you mean you ordered them to take those crates? What is going on?"

Hmm seems like he is not caught up on the latest gossip. Either he hasn't kept up with the latest news or the courtly gossip network is moving slower recently.

"I will be leaving the capital soon for the colonies." I said calmly. "My father gave me an urgent task so I was unable to gather supplies through the normal means, but this warehouse happened to contain everything I would need. If you are worried about reparations, I will make sure everything taken is replaced by the crown within the two month time limit."

"T-two months?!" Magistrate Zheng stopped walking out of shock. "No no nonono, Princess I have trade deals hinging on these goods being delivered on time. Waiting two months would ruin me!" he forced out in a rush as he scampered to catch up with me.

"While it is a shame my task is interfering with your work, I cannot delay my own departure. You will simply need to rely on your own resources in the meantime."

Magistrate Zheng looked like he swallowed a fly and I had to force myself to keep a smirk off my face. Forcefully appropriating goods with the permission of the crown was not a new tactic. It was commonly used to place checks on people who seemed to be gathering large amounts of favors from their allies. A bit of pressure on their business deals forced them to spend favors to meet expectations or lose reputation from failing to meet expectations.

The problem was Magistrate Zheng had cut ties with me to join Head Magistrate Zun's party and naturally cut ties with all those loyal to me in the process. This was already an extremely costly move, the following collapse of Head Magistrate Zun's power base made it ruinous.

He was still cut off from anyone allied with me, but without a significantly powerful backer even those that were not would hesitate to associate with him. He had definitely spent more favors than he could afford trying to get these deals set up in the first place. If things went as expected he would be establishing himself in his new circle. Now he was scrambling to buy himself enough time to find a new circle to join.

I didn't expect he would find one soon. Abandoning one set of allies right before a big meeting, and then the side he joined collapsed in that same meeting? Nobles and officials were a superstitious lot.

Such a shame.

"I have some things to do before I leave. Have a nice day, Magistrate."

With those words I leave the official behind and make my way to one of the ships. Magistrate Zheng continued to yell for my attention but was blocked by one of my escorts.

I wandered around the docks for a bit talking with the dockworkers and trying to get a clear understanding of any issues we run into. I'm not expecting interference with the preparations, especially since this trip is an order of the Fire Lord, but it doesn't hurt to check. I'm finally pulled away from my distractions when someone approaches me.

"Bothering the underlings Princess?" An older man questions.

I turned to see Captain Mako, one of the captains of the three ships I was given and the normal commander of the 201st recon division. He certainly fits the image of a long serving sea captain. He has a wide and solid frame that fits with a career soldier and huge sideburns that stand out quite a bit. He also moves with this quiet intensity that if not for his solid grey hair, you would assume he was in his mid thirties rather than his fifties.

"Of course not Captain. Just ensuring no one is slacking off."

"Like a brat like you would know the first thing about getting ready for a voyage." Captain Mako scoffed "Ya probably finished your little scheme since I saw the guy with the fancy dress crying in a corner on the way in, so grab your milk drinkers and get them outta my boys' way."

If there was one thing that could be said about the captain it would certainly be about his blunt way of speaking. When I met with him and the other two captains the other day he made it very clear he wasn't going to show me any respect for being a noble. Ironically, I seemed to earn it anyway when I told him as long as he followed orders and followed etiquette in public I couldn't care less if he respected me or not.

I liked him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm simply making sure everything is ready by our departure time." I replied. "But I assume if you are here then we are almost ready to leave?"

"Un, those worthless boxes ya insisted on bringing are getting squared away in the holds. Once the last of them is loaded and final checks are complete, we can depart. If ya have any other business best get it done now or we'll miss the tide."

I smiled, "Giving orders to royalty now Captain?" It was infinitely refreshing to see something different than polite scorn or pitiful groveling. I got far too much of both in the Capital.

Captain Mako shrugged and grinned back, "I've had a full life. Might as well take a few risks before I drop dead, 'sides ya seem ta have your head on straight for a Noble."

Now it was my turn to scoff, "Most people want to keep living Captain. Come find me in my cabin when we are ready to depart. I'll leave the final preparations to you."
 
Chapter 7
Chapter 7

After the excitement on the docks was finished it was almost disappointing how smoothly the trip to the colonies was. The weather was calm, the ships had no major issues, and we didn't come across anything on our journey.

All in all, it was rather boring.

So I took the time to practice my firebending forms by making my way through the crew of the ship. When that got boring I started taking them on two at a time. Not because it was much more of a challenge, but because the implied insult had all the soldiers simultaneously training harder privately and using getting out of my training sessions as a gambling currency.

I suppose royalty or not, losing to a fifteen year old girl who spent nearly her entire life in the Capital was making their pride take a beating.

Captain Mako was 'kind' enough to keep me updated on all the gossip going across the three ships. Even going so far as to invite the other ship captains over for meals on occasion to ensure that they knew exactly what was going on on his ship.

Personally I think he was just pushing to see how much entertainment he could get out of seasoned soldiers getting beaten up by a teenager and making sure that everyone got a turn before I called him out on it.

Honestly the way Captain Mako treated the training sessions as exhibition matches between his grandchildren rather than serious training between soldiers reminded me of Uncle. Well, besides the fact Uncle took training more seriously than him. And he doesn't mock the losers for messing up a block. He also doesn't bet on how quickly one person would lose.

… Now that I think about it they don't sound very similar at all? Maybe I just miss Uncle more than I thought and anyone with a playful side, no matter how mean spirited, is making me aware of that.

Anyhow, the trip was utterly unremarkable. When the coast started to come into view quite a few sailors quietly celebrated at the prospect of shore leave and getting to the first bar they could.

I just felt annoyed that pretty soon it would be back to keeping proper appearances and watching out for political ploys. Although I did have to admit the thought of a proper bath was appealing.

-o-

When the ships finally made it into harbor we were greeted at the docks by the mayor and a decent procession.

Ah, the finer points of being a visiting princess. You never get time alone and everyone acts like you are incapable of walking without hurting yourself. Naturally I would disabuse them of that opinion soon. But making a big deal out of it right now wasn't worth it.

So we simply disembarked and were greeted by our welcoming committee. Captain Mako went to organise things with his lieutenant-captains and I boarded the carriage provided by the mayor so we could speak in relative private as we made our way to his mansion.

"Greetings, your highness." The mayor started once everyone had all sat down.

"Now that we are out of the public eye, I wanted to give you a more personal welcome to my city. Danyuan is one of the most impressive cities in the Fire Nation colonies and we take pride in that fact. If you have any requests please be sure to give them to me or my staff and they will get the attention they deserve."

I wanted to sigh but that could be seen as a sign he got under my skin. Not even fully out of the docks and I have to deal with politics. Instead I chose to put on my most comforting smile.

"Mister Mayor, under your leadership not only have enemy forces been free to act as they please, but they have also managed to set up an insurgent cell in the middle of your city that got so serious my Father decided this needed to be handled by me personally." He seemed indignant of that, boo hoo I didn't care.

"So no. I will not be requesting anything from you. You will continue to run the city but if I give you an order it will be carried out immediately."

I think it was that moment it sunk in for the mayor that he couldn't play the normal power games that he had used his entire career. He wasn't the top power in this relationship and I wasn't just some passing official that needed to rely on him to handle things locally.

There were two ways for this to play out. Either he accepts his place or he tries to fight me on this and going by the angry reddening at his collar I had a good idea which way he was going to try for.

Best cut that off now.

I leaned back into my seat and casually inspected my nails, "Of course if you have issues with that arrangement I would be more than happy to go with plan B and go back to the capital." I said casually.

My utter lack of care, a look I had spent a great deal practicing, seemed to shock the Mayor out of whatever he was about to say.

"Plan B?"

I flicked my hand dismissively, "Father only cares that the insurgents are removed from the city. I figure burning them out would work quickly enough. And while rebuilding might take a bit, at least it would give you the chance to build the city right this time." I made a point of glancing towards some of the very distinctly Earth Kingdom style buildings. "I'd be happy to get rid of some of the more… tacky buildings."

"N-no, Princess. That isn't necessary. P-please forgive my words, I simply misspoke." He stammered. "Any orders you have will of course be given top priority."

And just like that he folded. I felt a brief flash of satisfaction for one of the few times I felt I got anything useful out of being a princess.

"Well fine, we can do it the boring way. It doesn't really matter to me. I suppose you might as well tell me about what the insurgents have been up to, since I doubt they haven't made any moves while we were on our way here." I drawled, still keeping up my disinterested air.

As it turned out, the insurgents had been busy. They had set a fire in one of the barracks during the middle of the day, a twist of irony I'm sure, and now there were a couple dozen soldiers overcrowding other barracks and now the local supplies were starting to get stretched tight as the insurgents stole, damaged, or destroyed what they could.

Most of that would be offset by the cargo I had brought with me. The rest could be requested from surrounding outposts easily enough. The biggest problem I seemed to be facing immediately was stopping someone from doing this again.

The Mayor continued to fill me in and the more he spoke, the more I realized this would not be a simple task to complete.

Whoever was leading these people was not an idiot. They stayed away from civilian areas, handed out useful supplies when they could, and kept propaganda to a reasonable level so they didn't come across as crazies looking to burn down the city for a chance to give the Fire Nation a black eye. So instead of a bunch of terrorists, they came off as helpful underdogs even as they caused the very issues they were 'assisting' with.

It was clever, I thought as I listened to one of the schemes they had been running for quite a while now. Their agents would steal from markets and when storekeepers raised prices to adjust for the lost goods, those same agents would come around and sell the goods right back to the civilians at a reduced rate. They found a way to steal from the city and have the people thank them for it.

I would love to have a conversation with the one behind that plan before they were sent off to a prison camp.

My thoughts came to a halt as I noticed the carriage slowing down and eventually stopping. There was no way we had made it to our destination already and by the Mayor's confused expression, this was not a planned stop on our path.

I knocked on the divider between us and the driver. "Why are we stopping?"

"Road block, your Highness. Another carriage's wheel broke. We have some men moving to assist. Please wait in the carriage until we can clear the blockage, Princess."

Wait around with the Mayor longer than I needed to? I think not.

I ignored the protesting of the carriage driver and walked out onto the street. Probably a good thing too, since the second I stepped out of the carriage I felt a whoosh of air behind me. Whipping around with eyes wide, I saw the carriage I had just left had magically turned into a pillar of stone. A glance upward showed that actually no, it hadn't been turned to stone, but launched up into the air instead.

A little dazed I watched as the vehicle I was just in completed a lazy arc before crashing through a stall off to the side of the road.

The loud noise brought me out of my little trance as I quickly started scanning the road for the Earthbender responsible.

Turns out it was a group of three in form concealing cloaks rather than just one Earthbender, as two split off slightly to engage the guards while the one in the middle headed straight for me.

They did a small hop through the air before slamming a bare foot on the ground, causing a small chunk of rock to rise up to chest height. With a warcry of "Death to the Fire Nation!" the now identified as female Earthbender punched forward, launching it at me.

Normally when someone is howling for your death out of nowhere you would feel panicked or scared or something. But as I watched the chunk of rock flying towards me, all I could think was, 'was this the best they could do?'

I lightly sidestepped around the attack and looked at my assailant as the rock flew harmlessly past.

"Was that your best shot?" I asked bemusedly, because otherwise this whole thing was just sad.

"Grr, don't think you can esca - eep!" she was forced to duck behind a small wall of raised earth as I kicked a wave of fire towards her. Spirits, this felt more like bullying rather than an attack.

"Two! We need to pull back!" One of the other Earthbenders called out. He was actually doing a not bad job of keeping two guards busy while his companion kept even more back with more thrown rocks.

The girl in front of me, Two I suppose, angrily broke down the wall she was hiding behind and sent the pieces at me with a series of punches and kicks.

"I can take her!"

I danced between the flying rocks with quick light steps. Not a single one came close to so much as touching me. I got the distinct feeling 'Two' wasn't the best fighter in the world and decided to end this sad display. More out of pity than anything.

A single blast of fire tore through the renewed rock wall as she tried to block. The blast picked her up off her feet and threw through the air until she landed heavily near the other two Earthbenders.

Seeing that their companion wasn't in much of a position to do anything at this point, one of them shifted into a Horse stance before surging his arms heavenward. A cloud of dust kicked up from the ground obscuring the three forms even as the guards got into position to surround them. When the dust finally settled there was no sign of the three of them.

Hrm. That was annoying.

I walked over to where the carriage had landed. The intricately built wooden frame had been reduced to kindling after its short flight. The entire thing had flipped so the wheels (well the ones that hadn't broken off) spun uselessly in the air. Placing my foot on one of the bigger pieces of debris I gave the whole thing a shove allowing a disheveled Mayor to flop out onto the street.

He seemed a bit scuffed up but otherwise fine as he fearfully looked around the area trying to make sure those behind the attack were gone. Good, I would hate to have the city go crazy the week I got here just because he got hurt.

"Now then, Mister Mayor," I started and his head snapped fearfully to me. Spirits, this man was pathetic. It wasn't even that great of an attack. The guards we had were more than enough to ensure our safety after the initial ambush. "I believe you were telling me more about the insurgent's actions? Let's get back to that."
 
Chapter 8
Chapter 8

A couple hours later I stepped out of a borrowed carriage when we pulled up to the Mayor's mansion.

It was a nice enough building I suppose. Solidly built in a sort of mixing of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom styles. While I didn't particularly care for the style I also wasn't about to criticize someone's home to his face. That would be rude.

The coward himself didn't even attempt to exit the carriage until the guards gave the all clear that the surroundings were safe from any intruders. Only then did he peek his head out the door and nervously glance around. Eventually he met my gaze.

I simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ahem, yes. Welcome to my home Princess Azura." the mayor quickly descended the carriage and tried putting on a more noble air. "I will ensure the servants know to follow any direction you give them. Please, if you will follow me?" He made a gesture to follow deeper into the building.

"Of course. Thank you for the hospitality." I deadpanned.

I followed the skittish mayor through the tastefully decorated halls. While not as obviously rich as some I had seen in the Capital, the mayor also didn't try flaunting his status with gaudy decorations or materials. I felt my respect for the man climb off the floor a tiny bit. Usually cowards made up for that trait by shoving their status in your face. This mayor actually seemed respectful of his surroundings despite his lack of courage.

Well, if that actually matched his personality and he didn't just hire a good decorator.

After being shown several rooms and art pieces and making the appropriate noises to ensure I was being polite I was finally shown to my personal chambers.

"And here is where you will be staying." the mayor said as he presented the room. "I made sure that everything is of the finest quality available, but if you have any displeasure with the decor I will ensure it is changed to meet your expectations."

"Geez, can you toady up to her any worse? I don't think her shoes have a mirror polish on them yet." A caustic voice called out behind us.

I turned to see a girl around my age glaring at the two of us. She was a bit shorter than me, with dark brown hair done up in a ponytail. Two shocks of hair framed her face like mine did. She also was wearing clothing similar in quality to the mayor so I assumed family. Not many people openly insulted the mayor in front of a visitor without either severe leverage or being related.

"Song, please behave. That is no way to speak in front of our distinguished guest." The mayor replied nervously, sending fearful glances my way.

I crossed my arms under my bust.

"And who is this?"

"Ah this is my daughter, Chi Song." the mayor quickly cut in. "Song I thought you said you would be on a shopping trip the entire day. Did you find what you wanted already?"

Despite her father's obvious desire to move to a less hostile conversation, Chi Song just gave him a dismissive glare.

"No, the shops closed down after the Fire Nation troops decided to hold the main streets hostage." she said angrily. Then she turned on my. "So yeah I'm the daughter of the mayor. Who are you? No wait let me guess, you're a noble girl who thought it would be fun to lord it over the colonies so you begged your daddy to put you in charge while he relaxes and doesn't fix our problems?"

Well then, she was a spirited one. I might have been insulted if this next part wasn't going to be so much fun.

"Kinda." I admitted causing the mayor to start choking and Chi Song to blank out at my response.

"Kinda? What do you mean kinda!? Our city is falling apart and you just came here to play around?" Chi Song screeched.

"Well I didn't actually choose to come here." I said cutting off the mayor from explaining the situation. "My father decided he needed somewhere to send me for a while so he told me to play around with the situation here for a bit."

"I-, you-, how could-, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!"

Oh dear, it seems I upset her.

I looked over to the mayor who by now was bone white and shaking.

"I don't know. How about you answer that question Mister Mayor."

With the enthusiasm of a man who had just signed his own death warrant, the mayor slowly said, "If I may present Her Royal Highness, Princess Azura of the Fire Nation."

"...oh..."

I tried very hard not to laugh at the face Chi Song was making and limited myself to a smirk. It was rare people didn't recognise me in the Capital, this was a bit of a welcome surprise. I wonder how many times I could use this joke before my portrait started making its way through the colony.

"Yes, oh." I agreed.

Both father and daughter bowed deeply to me. The mayor practically folded in half, while Chi Song jerkily lowered herself looking like she was in pain.

"I beg you to forgive my daughter. I will ensure she is punished accordingly."

I sighed.

And just like that the humor in the situation left me. I can't even play a joke without someone fearing for their lives.

"Oh get up." I commanded, waving a hand imperiously. "I will ignore any insult since in a way this is my fault."

""What?"" Both of them asked.

"Well if it wasn't for the assassination attempt on me and the mayor earlier-" Chi Song jerked at the mention on an attempt at her father's life. "-then my soldiers wouldn't have secured the route here ruining her shopping trip."

The two of them looked like they had no idea what to say.

"And as for those issues you were talking about Chi Song, I came here specifically to deal with the source of those issues." She jerked in surprise. Understandable, not many officials really cared about the cause of a problem in the colonies if it didn't personally affect them. "Once the insurgents are destroyed I'm sure quite a few of your city's problems will go away. Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to take a bath before dinner. Please send a servant to prepare one."

The pair finally straightened up and dismissed themselves. The mayor practically tripped over himself to get away, while his daughter followed stiffly behind.

I let another sigh escape. I hope the girl lightened up some. If I was going to be living here for a few months it would be nice to have a potential friend nearby.

-o-​

The bath was nice, if nothing special.

Dinner was a boring affair since both the Mayor and Chi Song were still on edge from our earlier confrontation. Chi Song especially since she acted stiff enough I was ready to joke she was made of rock to be so unbending.

I did get to meet the Mayor's wife though.

A nice middle-aged woman who tried to make up for her family's awkward behavior by constantly engaging me in conversation.

I learned that she had actually been a Fire Nation native before moving to the area and marrying her husband. She had also been part of her birth family's trading business for a time, before her father retired and sold the trading ship to fund her younger brother's education in one of the Academys.

We had a nice chat about some of the differences in fashion between Danyaun and the Capital, what our preferred blends of tea were, and mild questions into how my journey went.

She must be minor nobility back home, since this kind of subtle information gathering doesn't come naturally often. Still, I learned just as much about the state of the city perceived through her network of housewives. And since gossip continued to be faster than any intelligence report I got to hear how the city was reacting to my arrival.

Thankfully it was mostly positive or neutral responses. There was the odd rumor that I was a demonic spirit who burned a thousand people to ash for standing in my way, but since the source was a senile old man not many were inclined to belive him. Most either were excited at the chance to see a real Princess like the ones out of a story or didn't care as long as I didn't interact with their lives.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

The mayor himself managed to give me some more updates on what the city guard was up to and the lack of any new information about the trio that attacked us.

Chi Song tried to avoid drawing my attention despite being interested in how the search for the people who attacked her father was going and remained mostly silent until we all broke from the meal and she rigidly walked off.

I felt bad that my little joke made her so uncomfortable in her own home. I would have to make it up to her somehow. Perhaps have her accompany me into the city while I inspected it? That might work.

My last task for the day was to meet with the local Commander, a man named Sha Wujing, and get a feel for the resources available to me in the city.

"Thank you for meeting me Princess Azura. I know late afternoon meetings aren't usually appreciated." The Commander greeted when he was escorted to a meeting room I had decided to commandeer for the evening.

"Of course Commander. No reason not to start understanding the state of the city." I replied easily.

Sha Wujing nodded. "The situation hasn't changed much from the last report. We have small groups causing trouble for trade caravans and theft outside the city proper is slowly becoming a bigger issue. The locals don't really care since stolen goods are filtered back into the city through underground markets but shopkeepers are getting tense since we still have no leads and no informants to give us a clearer picture.

Propaganda papers are also starting to pop up here and there encouraging people to act against the Fire Nation. Nothing radical yet, thank the spirits, but things like providing lesser quality goods or finding ways of malicious compliance.

Naturally our morale is taking a bit of a hit since anything more than arresting trouble makers and throwing them in a cell to cool off for a couple days winds up in the propaganda and used against us."

He paused to rub his eyes.

"Honestly Princess, I'm not sure what you can do to stop this from escalating into a bloodbath."

"Well I have a few ideas to try before we get to that point, Commander." I assured him. "Perhaps take an early night to rest. We can meet in the morning to go over the details."

"Hah! An early night? Like these poor fools could find their boots without me holding their hand." Sha Wujing laughed.

"I could make it an order." I suggested mildly.

Still chuckling the Commander waved a hand. "No, I'll make sure to be rested for whatever you need me for. Thank you for taking the time to listen. Most people I've worked with would just take over and start giving out orders."

"Not to worry Commander," I gave him a smile. "I fully intend to 'take over' as you said. I simply learned from my Uncle that you need to listen to the whole situation otherwise you end up doing the same thing over and over trying to fix your own mistakes."

Sha Wujing smiled back but seemed a little nervous. "Lessons from the Dragon of the West, huh? Well at least we should be in good hands then."

"Only the best Commander. Now have a good night."
 
Chapter 9
Chapter 9

The next morning I went out into the city again to try and gauge the general mood of the commoners. Of course I was required to take a pair of bodyguards, but I also decided to take Chi Song along with me. As a local and civilian she might be able to provide insight my soldiers wouldn't think to report.

It was also a scheme to see if she would eventually relax around me.

Chi Song still held herself in an almost painfully rigid manner any time I saw her, and while I was hoping it was a temporary thing, if it meant I just needed to treat her like the maids back home it was best to learn early.

As expected of a major trade town, the streets were fairly busy even in the early hours of the day. Merchants were setting up stalls for the day, traders were making deals, and sailors were heading back to the docks to prepare for their journeys.

Not much different from the Capital in places. Honestly I feel a bit disappointed that things are so similar in a city an ocean away, but in a way it's reassuring that I don't need to assume everything is different anytime I go to a new city.

I turned to Chi Song. "So what were you shopping for yesterday?"

She jumped the tiniest bit at being addressed but calmed down quickly. "Nothing specific really, prin- *ahem*. I had been planning on finding a new outfit but the merchants are increasing prices so much I'm not convinced it's worth it anymore."

Aimless wandering it is then. And Chi Song remembered not to address me by my title in public for now.

"Anything of interest then? Favorite shops, parks, or things like that?" I asked, trying to at least find a starting point.

"Uhm, one of the open air markets perhaps?" she replies, visibly racking her brain for ideas where to take a princess and her guard. "Or maybe one of the teashops?"

"A little early for the teashops I think. What are the open air markets like?"

Chi Song starts leading your party down the road. "They are a bit more informal than any dedicated shop." She explained. "People traveling through the city can rent a spot in the market to sell just about anything. We often find craftsmen or hobbyists selling odds and ends no one else wanted as well."

When we arrived at the market the first impression was...interesting.

Despite it being a little early, the space was quite full of people out looking to get some shopping done. We weren't shoulder to shoulder by any means, but there were enough people that my guards immediately moved closer and started scanning anyone getting close to us.

Of course the appearance of two Fire Nation soldiers made the crowd shrink away a bit so we had no trouble moving around.

We toured some of the stalls. Just taking in the sights, rather than looking for anything specific. I came across an older lady selling some wonderful looking brass decorations and had a fun time haggling with her. Not a skill I used for simple purchases much. Normally I either set the price with the first offer or they recognised I was the princess and just gave it to me.

Getting the opportunity to properly argue the price was pretty enjoyable.

After the first minute or so I also came to the realisation I wasn't the best at haggling without those advantages. The stall keeper easily wound her way through my arguments and I realised a sliver and five copper coins was the best my novice skill could get me.

Setting the coins on the countertop in acknowledgment of my defeat I continued to haggle just for the practice if nothing else. The lady smiled in recognition of what I was doing and while she continued tearing my arguments to pieces, she lost the gleam in her eye and even subtly nudged me towards some better ones.

I was having fun, which meant something had to happen to ruin the moment.

There was a sound of commotion as one of my guards moved to intercept someone coming up behind us and a loud angry voice cut through the background conversations in the market.

"So it isn't enough that the Fire Nation keeps driving up the prices for everything in the city but now you aren't going to pay until we practically give you everything?!"

I hear Chi Song inhale sharply. Curious, she knows the man.

Turning around I immediately retract my last thought. The boy in front of me is definitely not a man yet. He's still stuck in that awkward langley stage most teens go through.

"What nothing to say?" he barks.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" I ask, confused.

Before he has a chance to answer Chi Song practically jumps between the two of us. "He's no one, Azura. People are getting upset about the rising costs all over the city and are looking for someone to blame. I'll talk to him and we can move on, okay?"

It was obvious Chi Song was trying to de-escalate the situation, but the teen was having none of it. He kept trying to get in my face despite one of my bodyguards practically wrapping an arm around him to keep him back.

"Hiding behind the mayor's daughter? Huh?! What's wrong? Can't give us a reason?" The teen was getting really noisy and it was starting to draw a crowd.

I sighed.

I just wanted a nice morning out before dealing with anything. Oh well, might as well take advantage of the gathering.

"And like I asked, who are you? Or is it normal for citizens here to just start screaming in someone's face without introducing themself?"

The teen's -I was just going to call him Shouty- face darkened either out rage or embarrassment. I couldn't tell which.

"I speak for everyone you keep grinding into the dirt trying to bleed more money for your war." Shouty said loudly.

He obviously wasn't the best at these types of confrontations, and this was probably a passion moment than something planned. But it was also a decent showing on his part.

For an amateur anyway.

His plan probably went along the lines of; enrage the obvious Fire Nation noble, demonstrate that the local leaders had no choice but to bend to my desires, goad me into either an attack or arrest, and use the whole thing to lower the reputation of the Fire Nation more with the citizens.

I blinked, remembering I wasn't in the Capital anymore.

I suppose Shouty could also have just gotten mad and decided to pick a fight. Commoners did that occasionally, right?

"Well obviously it's the thieves' working with the Water Tribe pirates fault." I pitched my voice so it carried to the crowd and tilted my head as if in confusion.

Shouty's face darkens even more, "Thieves?! They are the only reason half the workers can find food sometimes after you rich merchants keep raising the price! Especially with your soldiers just taking what they want from them!"

There are some mumbles of agreement in the gathered crowd.

"Because the merchants have an inconvenient thing like contracts with the Army." I said easily. "They agreed to provide a certain number of goods at a specific time. And while our soldiers are working hard to make sure thieves like that don't steal anything, when they do the merchants need to raise the price to cover costs to not only restock what was stolen but also feed their own families. It's only reasonable."

"If the prices were reasonable then w-people wouldn't need to hope for handouts just to get food!"

Most people wouldn't have noticed the slip, but Shouty was definitely going to say something else. Interesting. What were you going to say, hmm? What exactly do you know about these insurgents?

"So you're saying that merchants should just keep selling at a loss and hope that the thieves leave them alone then? Should the guards take that stance with all crimes? Just tell anyone who was robbed that they should lower their prices so thieves will leave them alone."

That causes all the sellers in the market to scowl. They obviously don't like that idea at all.

"No! The-"

"And what the rest of you should be worrying about is what happens after the thieves and pirates stop playing nice." I directly spoke to the crowd, cutting Shouty off. "When the food merchants close shops because they can't afford to keep having their products stolen will those thieves still provide for you? Once they accomplish whatever goal they have will they suffer with you when the guards need to restore order?

Of course not! They will leave and go to their next destination without a second thought!

I'm sure if they spoke to you they came with kind words and a free meal saying they just want what's best for you all, ignoring that the goods they stole is the reason more and more of you can't purchase them legally. That there is less and less coming into the city in the first place.

It's easy to say you are helping when the aid you provide comes at the cost of someone else, but don't be fooled! I doubt any of them will stay and care about you once their goal is complete."

There are a lot more murmurs from the crowd at that. Now it is no longer a question of is what the insurgents doing right? But can they afford to turn a blind eye until things go wrong?

Shouty is trembling at this point and opens his mouth to yell something else when a taller man places a hand on his shoulder and pulls him back.

Shouty takes one look at the man and pales slightly. "Ba-Sir! I was just…!"

"I think you said enough kid. Come on, we have other things to do today." He turns to me. "I'm sorry for his behaviour, miss. As you saw he has a bit of a temper."

I examine the man. He looks fairly muscular, weathered like a sailor of some kind with deeply tanned brown skin and blue eyes.

"It's fine. Addressing concerns of the citizens is one of the first steps to ensure the thieves are brought to justice." I say with a smile.

"Hn." The man grunts before leading Shouty off into the mass of people.

I catch the eye of a nondescript man in the crowd and make a small motion at the two. My orders are simple and clear.

Follow them.

I turn back to see Chi Song covering her forehead like she has a headache. It seems this outing has been thoroughly unpleasant for her.

"Well that was fun!" I say brightly. "Where should we go next?"

Her answering groan tells me that probably wasn't what she wanted to hear.
 
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