章 98: Chapter 98
She woke up with only a gasp this time, her limbs remaining still in the darkness. It was a marked improvement from screaming and flailing about.
Suki got up and quickly remembered where she was before calming her nerves. She was on a soft bed, not a hard stone floor. There was no lancing pain anymore. There was no pang of starvation.
There were no Dai Li.
She rose up to a sitting position and let her eyes take in what they could in the darkness. The window just to the side of her provided comforting starlight to help with that. She saw the outlines of her fellow Kyoshi Warriors on their own, luxurious beds.
Okuni had wrapped herself in a blanket, preferring the stuffy but soft comfort over exposing herself to cold air ever again.
Kana had a leg hanging over the edge of her bed, a subconscious comfort to remind herself that she was not locked up in a dingy stone cell.
The other girls were sleeping peacefully enough as well, the communal sleeping environment going a long way to help them overcome their fear of the dark and closed spaces.
Brazier light leaked in through the door's gap on the other end of the room, reminding Suki of her guardians outside.
It took spirits knows how many days for her and her sisters to reach this point, and it was thanks to the people Suki had once considered dreaded enemies. After their rescue, the Kyoshi Warriors were treated with a gentleness that Suki could only appreciate in hindsight, after the worst of her…trauma had receded.
She knew that right now, there were a pair of soldiers, women of the 11th, standing guard. They were on rotation, and would swiftly enter the room should any screaming or breaking furniture be heard. They had held Suki down and calmed her many times already, and they tolerated the violent outbursts of anxiety from the Kyoshi Warriors with sympathetic understanding.
If Suki called for them now, they'd come in and do their best to fulfill any request she made. Food, water, a short walk out in the gardens… The women of the 11th went out of their way to accommodate the once-tortured warriors like doting elder sisters. They also served to carefully filter the rest of the world.
It dawned on her recently that ever since they were carried from Lake Laogai, Suki had never seen a male soldier or servant. Every encounter with the 11th or their staff were with women, from the soldiers who guarded them, to the staff that tended to their baths and meals, and the Water Tribe healers that came every afternoon to provide much needed motherly advice.
"Xing's orders," Captain Ping explained as gently. "After what your group endured, he thought that you'd appreciate some privacy for the time being."
A part of her felt insulted at the gesture, but Suki also conceded that maybe he had a point.
The closest encounter Suki had with the opposite sex was just a week ago, when she saw some soldiers walk past in the distance as the Kyoshi Warriors enjoyed a quiet walk in the garden. The group were far off enough that it was hard to make out the details of their face, but still the Kyoshi Warriors froze, particularly at the sight of the green-dressed Earth Kingdom general.
It'd taken the comforting voices and pats of their guards to break the sudden lock of nerves and spike in violent urges, and for San-Niang to unclench her fists and stop her broken nails from carving up her palms. The girls had talked about their experience afterwards, with the sagely Elder Kilin banishing the shame they felt.
"The first step to overcoming an obstacle is to acknowledge it," the elder had advised. "There is no shame in coming to terms with your affliction. It took me a while as well."
It had surprised the warriors to find that the Water Tribe healer had endured similar abuse, though hers was a longer ordeal that lasted for years before Xing and the 11th came to rescue her.
"How…how did you survive for so long?"
The ancient waterbender shrugged. "After a while, it all became numb. I was broken to the point where I didn't have anything left to break. From there, things could only improve."
Kilin chuckled hoarsely. "Mind you, I still took a while. But Lidai, the old colonel back then, was a kind soul. Under him, and with Xing helping, the 11th were patient with me and others like me."
One of the guards watching them chipped in, and from her Suki learned of Captain Ping, back then Lieutenant Ping who served under a different regiment, who had suffered in silence from the vile predations of her peers and superiors simply because she was the sole female officer.
Lidai had somehow realized the fact and had challenged the Ping's colonel to Agni Kai without hesitation. "Colonel Lidai won, and the lieutenant was transferred to the 11th," the woman said simply, but then smirked viciously. "Misfortune struck the 26th after that…apparently their officers got too distracted by their colonel's loss that they all got careless. Their colonel and several captains fell off their ostrich horses the next day and broke their necks, while the other captains and lieutenants tripped and fell onto carelessly strewn blades…several times."
For some reason, Xing's face flashed across Suki's mind when the guard finished the tale.
"The 11th has a thing for looking after certain people," Kilin added with a sly smile. "Under Lidai, they were very considerate jailers. A very good man, one who values kindness over honor. Under Xing, they became very considerate hosts, so much…." The waterbender's expression suddenly darkened for a flash of a moment before she shook it off. "So much so that many of us, those of us who have no home to go back to, have chosen to stick around."
Kilin glanced at the guards with them. "Though I'm told we'd be given amnesty?"
The other guard nodded. "The col- prince wants to offer the 11th's 'prisoners' a chance to serve and settle in Ba Sing Se." The woman exchanged a conspiratorial smile with Kilin, one that Suki couldn't decipher. "He just has to deal with the paperwork apparently."
"Of course. Well, it's better than having him nag me to take a boat to the North Pole again." Kilin turned to Suki with pantomimed annoyance. "The stupid boy had the gall to ask me to go spend my last years with a bunch of sexist pricks, can you believe that?"
Suki greatly appreciated the time spent with the women of the 11th, soldiers and prisoners alike. With their help and advice, the Kyoshi Warriors stood straighter, and lost a lot of their skittish nerves sown during their dark capture. With their help, Suki could go back to the comforting dreams of the pincer protectively pinching around her neck, and the baleful eyes of green-robed men no longer jolted her up awake in cold sweat.
Rubbing her neck with some affection in the darkness of the Kyoshi Warriors' bedroom, Suki quietly got up and snuck to the door. She opened it slowly, peeking to see the faces of her guards looking at her curiously in turn.
"Do you need anything, Suki?"
"I'd like to go train a bit."
Neither of the women asked her why, and instead one of them led her to the garden while the other kept by the door. There, under the flickering light of lanterns and braziers, Suki went through the familiar stances of the sword and fan, falling into a meditative trance as she reacquainted herself with the motions. She savored the sense of security from wielding weapons again, and was eager to return to top form again, so that she may further hone herself to ensure that she would never be caught off guard again.
A sudden movement from behind her immediately snapped Suki out of her movements, and she whipped around to find a familiar face. Crown Princess Azula stood by with an appraising look, dressed in a modest dress with her arms behind her back.
"I'm glad you've made such a remarkable recovery," she said, the cold, pre-dawn air carrying her soft words across clearly.
Suki bowed, her hands still holding onto her weapons. "Princess Azula."
"Don't mind me. I was just taking a stroll."
"This early?"
The princess' eyebrow quirked up. "I could ask the same for you."
"Point."
Azula slowly walked over with a harmless smile. "Anyway, how are you and your fellow warriors?"
"Thanks to the Fire Nation's hospitality, we've healed up a lot," Suki answered as she headed towards the nearest rack to put away her weapons.
"Mmhm… Not that I wish you gone, but have you girls given thought to my offer?"
Suki paused for a moment to sigh before turning to the princess. "We gratefully accept the arrangements to send us back to Kyoshi Island. Though, if it's alright with you, I wish to remain."
Princess Azula looked a bit surprised. "Oh? Mind if I ask what you'll do on the continent?"
Suki straightened as she took in a slow, steadying breath before she answered. "I'd like to stay in Ba Sing Se, and offer what aid I can. Xing…Prince Xing saved us, so as leader I will work to repay the debt as best as I can. I…We owe him that much."
Azula frowned slightly, but kept thoughtfully silent for a while. The crackle of fire and the low whistle of a cold wind became all that Suki heard for several long seconds.
"I see."
"Xing did say he had plans to employ us," Suki added with a nod. "After all he's done, it'd be disgraceful if the Kyoshi Warriors were unable to offer a minimum of our support."
Azula's frown deepened. "You're selling yourselves short. I've been briefed about what you all went through…" The fabric of her dress fluttered prettily as she shuddered in revulsion. "I doubt many could've held on as long as you Kyoshi Warriors have…myself included."
The princess gave a single, strong nod. "Hm… Even if it's just you, your services here would be much appreciated. I'll convince Xing."
"Convince?"
Azula huffed as she rolled her eyes. "My fiance is a brilliant schemer, but he also has a soft spot for…abused victims. And for some reason the fool feels some guilt for your capture. Pfft. As if he can control what the spirits tell him. Anyway, he probably has it in his head that it's best if you all went back and recovered for a few years before the Fire Nation makes contact with Kyoshi Island again."
At Suki's expression, Azula smirked. "Yeah, my Xing can be surprisingly…dense at times. He assumes that the people he has plans for are all fragile porcelains. Whatever plans he had for the Kyoshi Warriors, he's scrapped because he didn't want to keep you all here to endure whatever torment he thinks you'll endure."
"I…see?"
Azula snorted good-naturedly. "Don't worry, I'll see if I can talk some sense into him…or maybe I can do a little practice." The princess gave a disturbingly hungry grin as she said the last bit, sending a tingle of unease up Suki's spine.
Still, she was speaking on her behalf, so Suki bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, your highness."
Azula waved the formality away. "Just Azula is fine. Your remarkable resolve deserves some respect. But Suki?"
"Yes, Azula?" Suki replied, and almost jumped as the princess' eyes sharpened into a cold glare.
"Xing is mine. You can ogle. You can pine. You can wish. But I trust you to keep your hands off claimed property, understood?"
The Kyoshi Warrior nodded quickly at that. "Y-Yes, Azula."
The glare lifted, and Azula was smiling again as if nothing had happened. "Excellent. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like a quick spar? I hear that you Kyoshi Warriors have some interesting techniques, and I'd like to think I have some surprises of my own that you might find useful."
Suki almost didn't notice dawn breaking, and the surprisingly pleasant sparring with Azula came to an end. The princess left to wake Xing up, but not before extending an invitation to an outdoor event in the afternoon, if Suki and her girls felt up for it.
"We're making our first public announcement by the palace gates. You'll be standing safely behind us. The generals will be kept at a reasonable distance, if you'd like. You don't have to be Kyoshi Warriors, just show up as yourselves. Having more people in the background that's not in Fire Nation uniform adds to the air of legitimacy for us."
Azula's honest intentions got Suki to at least consider the offer, and as she returned to her room, she found herself trying to convince her sisters to join her. It'd be a measure of how much they recovered, to see if they could stand a crowd. Their appearance could also be seen as a small repayment for the Xing and the Fire Nation's hospitality so far.
So, biting down their nerves, the Kyoshi Warriors made themselves presentable, settling on fully green dresses and staying away from the yellow-greens of the Joo Dees, or any fashion styles associated with them. Suki herself added on a red sash around her waist, keeping her short hair loose but neatly combed.
None of the girls wore bracelets or socks, donning ornamented slippers or sandals taken from the palace. With the helpful suggestion of their guards, they also kept daggers under their dresses. That little consideration really did make a big difference in how safe the girls felt.
When afternoon came they headed to just outside the palace gates, climbing up to a lavish earthbended stage and keeping to the back edge of it. As Azula promised, the Earth Kingdom generals and their people were on the opposite corner, looking resigned and uncomfortable as they milled about.
Seeing the heart of the city for the first time, Suki took in the sight of clean white buildings with their yellow tiled rooftops, and the various trees and ornamentation sticking out of walled compounds. Even before Xing and Azula appeared there was a crowd gathering, kept at a distance by Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation soldiers. Several Fire Nation metal vehicles, their infamous tanks, were also parked at junctions, the passengers of the roofless vehicles keeping a watchful eye of the growing assembly.
Suki also spied some soldiers with bows lurking on the rooftops, somehow managing to hide themselves amidst the shiny yellow tiles. It tickled her brain at figuring how they managed that, and how none of the cityfolk seemed bothered to look up at the archers.
The sound of horns announced the arrival of Ba SIng Se's new prince, and Xing walked up with Azula beside him, flanked by their impressively armored bodyguards. He was draped in a red robe of noticeably fine quality that was plain save for the black scorpion with dragon pincers sewn onto the back, while she wore a dress that had gold dragons woven into them at various places.
Xing gave Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors a glance, and Suki fought down her quickening heartbeat as their gazes met. As Azula had mentioned, Xing's eyes held a deep guilt, as well as genuine relief. Suki liked to think that the smile he flashed was directed only at her, but she remembered Azula's words and offered a quick nod in reply.
Behind the couple, an old, stout man walked along with a serene smile. He wore the same sort of rich, gold-threaded robes like Azula, though the patterns were more reserved. Behind him were Kilin and her waterbenders, an old Earth Kingdom warrior leading a group of soldiers in a green-dyed variant of the 11th's armor sans the helmet, and a girl about Suki's age who wore surprisingly little considering the occasion, riding on a…bear.
Just a plain bear.
Weird.
It was a rather interesting bunch that stood between the Kyoshi Warriors and the Earth Kingdom generals and watched the backs of Xing and Azula as they addressed the crowd.
Xing raised his arms to silence the crowd and gain their attention.
"People of Ba Sing Se. As you might know, I am Prince Xing. The new administrator of this great city on behalf of the Fire Nation, after its abandonment by the former Earth King."
Suki quickly began to tune the words out, and felt a growing sense of nervousness at standing in the back like this. She briefly met the gaze of the girl on the bear, who smiled cheerily at her, but it did little to calm her antsiness.
"Kinda reminds me of our village festivals," Luqi muttered softly. "Remember how long Oyaji's speeches took?"
Suki smiled at the happy past being brought up, while her sisters muttered beneath their breath to add to the light-hearted grousing.
She was about to join in about that time with the Unagi ruining the communal feast when something caught her eye.
It took her a while to figure out what was wrong as Suki scanned the crowd, but eventually, after squinting hard enough, she saw it: A familiar brown mop of hair standing around the third row, resting on a familiar scowling face of a boy wearing a familiar outfit.
"Jet?" Dark foreboding bloomed in Suki core as she identified the boy, and the other Kyoshi Warriors also went silent when they heard his name.
"Where?" Okuni whispered sharply, but Suki was already moving, slowly pushing her way in front.
One of Xing's bodyguards stopped her, though he regarded her with concern rather than annoyance. "Is something wrong, miss?"
"I know him," Suki said, nodding in Jet's direction as subtly as she could, not wanting to accidentally set off a trap.
"Trouble?" the bodyguard asked, and Suki nodded.
The armored warrior nodded back and gently pushed her back. "We'll take care of this, miss. Thank you."
Suki wanted to rage at the polite dismissal, but she saw the man flash a hand signal to his peers, and ever so slightly the bodyguards around the couple shifted.
Then one of them glanced up to the sky and suddenly pounced forwards, pushing Xing and Azula back as he sent a bolt of fire up to incinerate a falling arrow, which promptly erupted into a small but sharp explosion the moment the flames enveloped it.
The crowd had a second to gasp before larger explosions tore open the nearest buildings and violence erupted, and chaos promptly ensued.
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