6 Words and Thoughts

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Weighing all the risks and positives, after thinking over the proposal properly, she replied:

- 'Okay...I'll take it.

"Great, you can hand over control of your body, I think you'd better sit down though," Azula listened to the spirit and sat down in a meditation pose on the dusty floor.

The dirty floor was the last thing on her mind right now, due to the impending sparring and the war council that would follow, she couldn't think of anything to do but placate the spirit. To keep it from carrying out any of its threats. Sitting on the floor, she was about to put her body under the spirit's control when she suddenly realised a small problem.

- How am I going to do that!!! - Voiced a small problem Azula that she didn't have the slightest idea of what she should do next.

"Ah, right. It's not like I didn't explain everything. Alright, try to relax and do nothing, you'll fall into a bit of a dream state. Keep an eye on what's going on, but don't interfere," despite the suspiciousness in her interlocutor's words, Azula saw no other way out of the situation.

She was far from being a fool. The princess recalled all the details of her strange dreams before meeting him. From the very beginning of that cursed ritual, which did more harm than good. Remembering all the facts that Azula had been able to find out during her acquaintance with the spirit, she had decided to take such an act of trust, fully confident that if necessary, she would be able to regain control of her own body back to herself. Plus, she would watch its actions, as she had done before every time she fell asleep. The only thing Azula was risking in this situation was the grit of spirit trust she could earn by showing him an act of trust. After remembering all of this and thinking it over, she made this decision that it was too late to back out of.

- Okay..." the girl replied, relaxing and leaning against the wall. Having been on her feet for almost two days now, Azula felt the weakness and drowsiness intensify. Giving in to these feelings, she extinguished the flames, closing her eyes.

The corridor faded into boundless darkness, hiding the princess's body...

- Great," After saying this, the princess once again lit the blue flame in her palm.

The blue firelight illuminated the bare walls of the corridor, revealing a smiling princess. Abruptly standing up, not quite Azula, hopped on her feet, after starting to do a little stretching. Sticking her tongue out, tasting the dusty air, behaving not at all like before. Then she began to play with the fire she had created by waving it through the air, flipping it from hand to hand. Her face expressed a slight joy, she was completely engrossed in her game, enjoying every moment of her life.

With her entire demeanour, the other Azula showed vigour and a desire for action, not showing a single hint of fatigue. Without restraining herself, the girl was ready to jump and enjoy even the most ordinary, and in some places even dirty things. If someone were to see her now, that person would have any notions about the princess of the Fire Nation broken. Since most of the time, the princess behaves extremely reserved and not at all like this.

- Indeed, only by losing something can one realise the true value of it. Enough idle musings, I'm getting carried away, how are you feeling? - Azula addressed the bare walls of the corridor in a cheerful voice, having stopped playing with the blue flames.

- ...

No one answered her.

- Ah yes, I guess you're not used to realising you're... in this position. It took me a while to realise how to contact you, being inside you. See... Ahhhh...'' Azula continued, after which she began to inhale a lot of air, as if gathering....

- Apchi!!! - Powerfully sneezes the princess from the dust that rose into the air from her sudden movements. The flame immediately goes out in her hand, allowing the darkness to engulf the girl.

- Apchi! APCHI! Apchi! A-apchi!!! - Azula sneezed again and again, unable to contain herself in the pitch blackness. Grasping the wall, she staggered forwards down the corridor, trying to escape the cloud of dust, still continuing to sneeze. After taking about twenty steps, she stops. Stopping sneezing, she lights the flame again, illuminating the long corridor with blue light.

- It's so dusty in here, anyway, you can regain control of your body. See, it didn't hurt a bit, like I said, I'm getting it back in one piece," the spirit sits down next to the wall and hands back control of the body.

The flame goes out again and Azula rises from the dirty floor, lighting it again. Standing up calmly, the girl immediately tried to shake off the sticking dust and dirt. Realising it was useless she decided to ask anyway:

- Can I count on your mercy?

"No."

A gnashing of teeth was heard. In the blue light, Azula could see her hands begin to shake, with indescribable anger. More than anything, she wanted to strangle the spirit with her own hands. But in vain. Azula took in a lungful of air and exhaled a blue flame. She spoke in a barely trembling voice, still trying to remain calm.

- You are so ruthless to a young girl who made a mistake. I pray you don't disturb me with today, I will do my best to beg for your forgiveness! - Azula continued to try her best, feigning remorse with all her might.

''What did I say about appealing to me? I'll catch your drift, though. I need you to do something. I think now would be a good time to talk about it," a faint ray of hope made Azula forget her anger for a bit and listen carefully to the spirit's words.

- What is it that you... you want to talk to me about? - The lady replies with mild interest.

"There is a sword master in your country, he deserted from the army, hundreds of mages were sent to catch him, but all fell by his sword. I don't remember his name or where he lived, I only know that he is not a fire mage. Have you heard of such a man?" - It took Azula a little while to answer, for the man described was very famous in the circles of the army's top military officials, and many generals' children wanted to learn from him.

- This is Master Piandao, the best swordsman in the land of fire. He is famous for his skill, what will I need to do with him?

''Oh, this is where the fun part starts, I want you to become his apprentice,'' the Spirit replied with a hint of amusement. After thinking over his words, Azula found this request very favourable to herself and her position, as away from the palace and politics, it would be much harder for the spirit to embarrass her. Except that the master under discussion was also known for not taking on any more apprentices.

- If I become his apprentice, will you forgive me? - After thinking over the situation, the princess wondered, thinking that she could find a way to be apprenticed to the old master.

"No, I already told you: I will forgive you only after a poetic apology that touches my heart. But... if you go to Piandao today, I won't interfere with your sparring and war council. You just need to do it today, as soon as possible. You're a smart girl, you'll learn everything quickly from the old master, and then we can go on from there, pursuing our common interests. In advance of your question, we have common interests," the Spirit's speech made me think, but the benefit of his offer was too great, so great that it was even suspicious.

- What if my father won't let me go? - Azula asks cautiously.

'Lie, you already know what you need to do to achieve your goals. The Fire Lord doesn't need to know where you're going. We will stay with this master for a month at the most, after that we will do more interesting and useful things, it will depend on your genius and learning ability. I advise you to prepare well before you meet Piandao," the Spirit calmly explained, saying more than necessary and even deigning to give advice.

Did he misspoke on purpose? And was it a disclaimer? Azula had no way of knowing. There was too little information to know what the spirit was trying to accomplish. It was impossible to know what the spirit was up to. Only to speculate and wander in ignorance.

- Have you already planned everything? - Azula asked a leading question in a wary voice.

''Piandao. Go see him today or I'll ruin your day along with your entire reputation. You don't want to lose face in front of dad, do you? Becoming like Zuko..." Azula shuddered at what he said, "you don't. You will go to Piandao, the only question is what status you will go to him with. Don't make me doubt your intellectual abilities, you've realised all your own advantages from this outcome, or am I wrong?" - Azula took the hint perfectly, the Spirit had clearly managed to get to know her well.

The princess was the first to realise that away from the palace it would be more difficult for the spirit to damage her reputation and she agreed with the idea. She didn't understand why she, who was already a master of fire and close combat, would want to learn cold weapons from a genius. Unless, of course, her reputation exaggerated Piandao's merits. But her answer was not what she had been thinking.

- 'You are undoubtedly right,' Azula said calmly, not showing any unnecessary emotion in her voice.

"When will you stop howling at me? It doesn't matter now, though. I don't want to explain to you the simple truths that you've figured out on your own. Make sure you go to Pingdao for training. The rest of us don't need to know where you're going. You won't? I'll do it. I think it will be easier for an exile to visit some places I'll keep quiet for now," Azula suddenly felt an unidentifiable something begin to stroke her head. It was her hand, which she had lost control of and had no way of regaining!

"You'll be a good girl, you'll get a reward, and if not, then..." - The girl wrinkled her nose at the slight pain.

The spirit that had taken hold of her arm yanked hard on her hair, but she kept her cool, trying in vain to regain control of the limb. She only succeeded when the spirit finished speaking.

- Please don't do that," Azula replied in a trembling voice, whether she was truly afraid or just pretending to be.

"Do we understand each other?"

- Yes..." the spirit's hint was understood very clearly.

"In that case, go, the guilty guards are waiting for you," the spirit was silent after hours of insults.

After standing for a while in the secret corridors of the palace, Azula soon stealthily exited them, going about her business...

(***)

In one of the training rooms of the Fire Lord's palace, three people were preparing to spar. Two adult men and one young girl. Clad in training armour, they looked at each other with tense gazes. Two against one. Unfair... for two delinquent guards that were absolutely certain of their unconditional defeat in front of the brilliant princess.

A moment, another, a second, the next....

The princess's sharp kick was accompanied by a jet of blue fire. The opponent safely defended himself with his golden-orange flames. The two flames met, the shockwave knocking back the defending guardian, stunning him and sending him to the sand of the arena. Azula was prevented from finishing off the vulnerable target by his comrade, who struck again and again at the princess, each one accompanied by a ball of golden-orange flame.

Repelling the attack, counterattacking, the opponent dodged, and then again and again... Azula was quick to note that the opponent was trying to buy time for his mate by circling her. Successfully. Her opponents surrounded her, beginning to close in and no longer attempting to block her attacks with their fire. Did the encirclement add to the complexity of the battle?

Not at all!

Bouncing over two fireballs, the girl does a double somersault in the air, ending it with a foot strike on the sand of the hall, followed by a huge blue and white shaft of fire. The opponent barely had time to dodge. After which he sends a ball of fire at her. His mate supports the attack, but the girl became much faster to counterattack and dodge.

Wiggling around the hall, constantly breaking free from her surroundings, she successfully fought off the onslaught of the two fire masters. Whenever the two men cornered her, she would dispel their weak flames with a confident block, immediately counterattacking. Most of the time Azula preferred to dodge, no matter how assertive the two guards were, they were no match for the princess, she continued to play with them, feeling her advantage and the possibility of ending the fight with her victory at any moment.

The fiery firefight continued....

Watching the three of them throw coloured fireballs, I followed the fight, marvelling at the colossal difference in their abilities. The guards acted straight, too straight, as if expecting to overwhelm with their directness and the power of the flames. They were not very good at it. Azula was more agile: acrobatic tricks and various somersaults in the air with rolls in the sand allowed her to dodge, change position and lightning-fast counterattack her opponents more than once. While the guards could not boast such fast and agile bodies, at times barely managing to dodge the terrifying blue flames.

Yes, I knew before that the girl had a beautiful body that was perfected to perfection. Azula's control of her body was quite deadly and it was obvious, but I was more attracted to fire magic. I was mainly wondering why there was such a difference in their powers and magic. Azula's strength is clear, her flames are due to her genes and better Qi, as well as some control over her breathing and a lot of hate. My pondering was somewhat different. Simple attacks, straightforward, simple fireballs, jets, and basically that's all the guards were demonstrating.

I saw a fire shield being shattered by blue flames. But even so, Azula was demonstrating a lot more than her opponents, who are also considered to be masters of conquering fire. The girl used much more techniques than her opponents, to fireballs and acrobatics she added fire whips, whips, rings, compressed blades that melted sand, fire wheel... Her arsenal of fire techniques was much wider and was based on the control of fire form, which was fuelled by her emotions. For all that, the girl had no problem blocking her opponents' flames. While her opponents acted too straightforwardly.

It's not hard to become a genius here if the title of master is given to such fools. I even wondered how Azula knew so many techniques. I'll have to ask her about it sometime. As well as fire magic in general, she seems to know a lot about it.

As I watched the guards humiliate themselves, I continued to ponder.

As we agreed, I did not interfere with the girl's emotions in the battle, remaining a mere observer. Azula was deliberately touching the edges of the metal parts of the armour, making the guards nervous and afraid, feeling the heat of her princess's flame. Yes, the girl likes to assert herself at the expense of others, I noticed that quite a while ago. The guards were well aware of what would happen to them if the princess's fireball hit their torso or head, there would be more than slight burns. It's not even possible to survive, and if you're lucky, it will be worse than dying with last-degree burns on half of your body.

Azula is really quite a scary person: clever, cunning, strong, ruthless, adaptable... and I've done a good job on her, fraying all the girl's nerves. I'm afraid I'd better not get a body in the near future, it'll end in a hundred per cent betrayal. I could only hope that with time and adventures together I would be able to get the girl to like me enough that she wouldn't at least kill me on the spot.

Was there any other way?

Probably yes, but I'm not a persuasive enough conversationalist to get someone like Azula to do what I need to do through the power of words. Without controlling her body and threatening her reputation, she could just ignore me until the Avatar showed up. Feeling the echoes of her emotions, I quickly realised what the girl feared more than anything else. It was through those same emotions that I could sense when she was lying most of the time. The creepy feelings when the person you're talking to apologises, wanting with all their heart to make you a burnt piece of meat.

It was much easier to get her to do the right thing, but I had to give the girl credit, she resisted to the last. I even had to take control of her body again in great pain, reminding her of herself and her power. I think that will be enough and I won't have to experience that pain again anytime soon. It's too unpleasant a sensation with consequences.

When she went to the library, I got cold feet. Continuing to threaten and taunt her, with the simple desire to say everything I thought of such a princess in the rudest possible way before her demise. The same thing I experienced when Azula visited the temple of the fire sages... what can I say: I was very very lucky. They didn't have any exorcism rituals, but I got a lot of information about the Spirits, and with it, a lot of new questions. I'd have to find the answers myself, but on the whole, my hastily devised plan seemed to be working.

Except.

Am I doing the right thing by sending the girl to Piandao?

Of course, I could have gone almost anywhere instead. I just need time to sort things out and make friends with the girl, so to speak... Or should I say: to turn our relationship into at least neutral co-operation? In any case, she has nothing to do in the palace, will she sit around training with the guards until the Avatar arrives, when she can see the world and learn something useful? And I'll learn with her. It's not a bad plan, with plenty of ideas for the future.

The most dangerous part of this plan is leading the girl to serious knowledge that might give her the strength to stand up to me. The Great Spirit Library, dragons, working with Qi, opening chakras, her uncle... It could all end too badly for me. I'd have to make things right with her first, and I'd have to do better than that, especially considering how much she hated me right now. And the most important thing is not to fall for her lies. And she's a great liar.

While I was thinking about my future actions, and how I will put up with the problem princess, the princess herself finished sparring. It would be worth reminding her of herself, in case she tries to cheat? I can certainly feel echoes of her emotions, but that doesn't make me immune to her lies.

Meanwhile, while I was indulging in reflection, the war council was getting closer and closer....