A beautiful young woman walked along a road through green fields. Her rich attire and armor were in black and red, with golden embroidery. The woman's black hair was styled into a practical knot, secured by a narrow golden ring adorned with flames. This was the most popular hairstyle in the Fire Nation, its intricate details revealing the wearer's social standing based on the ring's value. The chosen style spoke of practicality, keeping her vision clear for both combat and daily life, with only two strands framing her face.
"I was pleasantly surprised by your restrained behavior with that woman and her child," the spirit began, speaking to Azula as they left the city and set off down the road indicated by the kind stranger.
"Do you consider me a monster?" the princess replied with feigned calmness, attempting to appear indifferent to the topic, though she was anything but. Azula was a skilled liar, adept at manipulating her voice to convince anyone of anything.
"Cluck?" the hawk, still none the wiser, chirped, thinking they were addressing him.
"No, not at all. Just a foolish girl who doesn't know what she wants and was unfortunate in her upbringing. Honestly, I feared you might destroy that mother's life on a whim. She was so kind and helpful, describing the way in such detail that we didn't even get lost in the city. It would have been a shame if something had happened to her by your hand," the spirit reasoned calmly.
"You don't need to pretend you know me," Azula said, allowing a hint of irritation to color her voice.
"I do. I know you better than you know yourself. And forgive me for 'foolish,' I meant something else entirely and didn't intend to hurt you or diminish your genius," the spirit's voice now carried a hint of regret.
"And how do you know me? More spiritual knowledge from the spirit world?" But instead of an answer or his usual deflection, the spirit asked her directly.
"What do you want, Azula?"
"Don't you understand yet? I had a better opinion of you."
"What do you want, Azula?" the spirit calmly repeated, ignoring her unsatisfactory answer.
"Power. I was born for it!"
"You were born to die, like all humans. Kings, emperors, rulers, farmers, merchants, beggars. All will die, from old age, sickness, an arrow, a sword, poison… it will inevitably happen after a short time," the spirit replied with irritation, displeased with her answer.
"Did you bring this topic up for no reason, or do you have something to offer?" Azula changed the subject, guessing the reason behind the spirit's words.
"Of course, I can offer you one of the ways to achieve immortality," the spirit explained calmly, but Azula's next words threw him off balance.
"I'm not interested," she replied indifferently, shocking him.
"Oh! Hmm… I see. Of course, you are young, full of strength, but with time all that will pass. We will return to this topic, though not anytime soon," the spirit responded confidently after a brief silence.
"I'm not interested. I'm not cowardly enough to run from an inevitable future," the princess stated firmly.
"Wow. Well, I'm impressed. But will you be able to say the same in old age? When youth begins to fade and your skills and reactions rust and deteriorate? In any case, let's return to the previous topic. What do you want?" the spirit asked the same question for the third time.
"I've already answered you. Power. I want to become the first Fire Lord in history! I want to rule the world! The entire world!"
"Cluck? Cluck?" the hawk, pretending to be part of the princess's armor, vocalized. Such a strange mistress made him nervous, but he was trained and, for the most part, held steady.
"And how? Will you be happy once you achieve it? You are already a princess. Your brother has been removed from the line of succession and disgracefully exiled. You are the heir, the first person in the country after the Fire Lord. I think you have already achieved considerable power, and… how? Do you feel happy? Content with what you have? Do you feel needed? Loved? Is there anyone who understands you? What did you have to go through for such success, for such a reputation? How much did you have to sacrifice for such power? Has your power filled the emptiness in your heart? I don't think so," the spirit continued while Azula interrupted him.
"Stop talking as if you've known me your whole life!" Azula was growing angry, disliking the spirit's tone and the topic he'd brought up.
"Cluck! Cluck!" The bird, startled by her loud voice, flew into the sky.
"Hey, come back!" the girl shouted after it, but the bird had no intention of returning to such a terrifying and abnormal mistress, flying higher and higher.
"Why do you constantly belittle your servants? Do you vent your accumulated stress on your subordinates? You are constantly forced to restrain your emotions, to behave like a worthy heir. To meet others' expectations. To endure limitations. You don't even suspect other ways to relieve stress besides sparring. And you dare call this power? If you possess power, why are you forced to do so many things against your will, just to meet others' expectations? And if you truly want even more power, yet don't feel happy having achieved what you have, aren't you lying to me? To yourself? To others?" the spirit continued to pressure the girl, provoking more and more angry and aggressive feelings within her.
"I see the estate. It's time to stop talking about nonsense," Azula said curtly, signaling that she would not continue this foolish conversation.
"You don't need to tell me. Just think about my words. Power won't make you happy; you understand that yourself. Just… just think about what you will do when you achieve your goals, what you will feel when you become the Fire Lord. I'll tell you what: loneliness, the exact same loneliness you feel right now and have felt your entire life!" the spirit had the last word.
The princess stood for a moment, waiting for the dragon hawk to return. The brief wait coincided with her thought processes, though the spirit could only guess what the girl was thinking. Having waited for the bird to land, she continued on her way as if nothing had happened.
Azula silently continued along the road that led through the vast meadows toward the master's estate. Her mood was foul. The spirit always knew how to annoy her, but now he had reached a new level. She just wanted to vent her anger and irritation somewhere. But she had to restrain herself. She didn't even take his words seriously, fully convinced of her own righteousness.
The estate itself was not far from the city, perched on one of the cliffs. It took only about an hour to walk a little over five kilometers to see it. A large, white stone castle surrounded by a high wall stood amidst the cliffs and plains. The estate looked harmonious, clearly well-cared for and maintained. Every detail blended perfectly with its surroundings, from the color of the stone to the red slate roof.
"Harmonious. Piandao has taste. I like it," the spirit shared his opinion as Azula walked toward the small gates of the castle.
Approaching the massive red and gold gates, Azula examined them closely. Red doors, gilded trim, and a golden circle in the center, depicting a white lotus. The handles were shaped like golden turtle-lion heads.
"What are those demon faces? They look like very hairy demons," Azula commented, ignoring the spirit's remarks and reaching for the ring to knock.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Well, are we acting according to plan? Try to be more modest and kind," the spirit said cheerfully, observing the girl's actions.
About a minute passed, but no one opened the gate. Azula knocked again.
"Knock, knock, knock, knock."
"Maybe the gatekeeper stepped away?" the spirit suggested. Ten minutes had already passed, and this disregard greatly displeased the imperial lady.
Starting to knock again, she didn't stop, as if venting her accumulated anger.
"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!.."
"Perhaps no one is home?" the spirit's next idiotic suggestion was ignored. Azula didn't even pause her actions, continuing to drum on the door. She was angry and hated wasting her time.
"Maybe we should climb over the walls?" the spirit offered a sensible idea. Azula even stopped, considering his suggestion and estimating the walls' height. Suddenly, a creak sounded, drawing the girl's attention to the opening gate.
"How may I help you?" A man with a large belly and a balding head, adorned with sparse gray hair, easily opened the huge gate. His face expressed great peace and indifference to everything. He was completely unshakable and calm. His bored gaze briefly scanned the arriving girl, but the man seemed unimpressed and showed no emotion.
"I've come to speak with the master," Azula instantly regained her composure, speaking to the man as calmly and confidently as possible, wishing to hide her true emotions.
"Do you know that Master doesn't accept new students? Do you think he will accept you?" the gatekeeper asked, rubbing his fingers together and extending his hand slightly, clearly hinting at something. However, the girl didn't quite understand what was expected of her. She had never encountered such directness and audacity in her life.
"It's a bribe! How cliché and direct. Astonishing impudence. Give him a gold coin, and if he's greedy, kick him in the balls. It's simple," unlike the princess, who had never given such direct bribes and only suspected what was expected, the spirit immediately understood.
Azula looked at the man's indifferent face, then at his outstretched hand, where he gestured for money. She wanted to unleash all her anger on him, but she had to stick to the plan and control herself. She could do that best, so she reached for the purse hanging at her waist. Taking out a gold coin, she placed it in the stranger's hand. The man looked at the gleaming coin with a dispassionate gaze. Weighing the coin in his hand, he performed a disappearing act with the money.
He sighed heavily, lowering his gaze as if to say, "Is that all?" After a brief sigh, he replied, "Fine. You can speak with him." Letting her in, the man closed the gate and began to silently and imperturbably show the way.
His bored expression spoke volumes. Who knew how many potential students he had seen off to the master in this manner? Azula only knew for sure that Master Piandao no longer took students, but surely many had tried to become his apprentices. The girl continued to follow the old man, examining the castle from the inside. It was harmonious, the turtle-lion sculptures were appropriate, and the many white lotus motifs on the decorative items led to certain thoughts. This flower was special to Master Piandao; Azula quickly realized this, but she didn't know why or even guess.
"It's even better inside than outside. I wouldn't mind living in a place like this, only the constant fields… I'd probably get bored of such sights quickly," the spirit continued to comment on everything Azula saw herself.
Walking through the castle, the princess noticed stables, a forge, many other rooms, and several other castle residents. She also saw a rock garden through the windows. After wandering through the corridors of the lonely fortress for a while, the old servant led her to the large doors of a room. Opening the doors, he politely let Azula enter.
Inside, the room lacked excessive luxury. A couple of carpets and lamps with candles. The room resembled a small hall, with a large window in the wall offering a beautiful landscape of the sky and green cliffs. Opposite the window stood a low, wide table, at which sat a younger man in richer black clothing with gold embroidery. He had black hair tied in a knot and a small beard. He paid no attention to the newcomers, continuing to transfer the beauty of nature onto a paper canvas with a brush. A sword lay next to the man, hidden in a gilded scabbard.
A true master never parts with his weapon.
"Master," the princess instantly recognized the stranger as the man she was looking for.
"My name is Tai Li. I wish to become your student," Azula spoke in a respectful voice, bowing her head before the master and introducing herself by her childhood friend's name. However, Piandao didn't even look up from his work, continuing to paint.
"A girl, and a Li… " the master mused, as if tasting Azula's false name.
"Many like you have been here before. Young men, young women, many with the name Li. Let me guess, you traveled hundreds of miles from your small village, where you were the best warrior and often defeated soldiers. Now you are here. Do you think you are worthy of learning the art of swordsmanship from me?" the master spoke, continuing to work with his brush. Azula decided to raise her gaze, inadvertently looking at the painting.
"Wow, what a landscape. The guy's got talent. I wish I could paint like that. But let's not dwell on that. Focus on our plan, or, for that matter, you can add to the plan by praising his talent," the spirit remarked on the beauty of the art being created before the girl. Although the painting was not yet finished, the scene depicted outside the window breathed with life and was an exact replica of nature.
"No, I arrived here by ship, and my journey was easy and short," Azula replied, feigning hesitation and trying her best to appear sincere and uncertain.
"Well done," the master replied dryly, continuing to paint.
"It's time to confess. Try to follow our plan. We didn't think it over for nothing," the spirit prompted.
"And… also… I've never held a sword before," Tai Li confessed honestly, her voice timid and uncertain, her gaze lowered.
"Hmm?! You're not doing a very good job of presenting yourself. You want to become a student, and I am a fencing master," the master said, surprised, even interrupting his painting to look at the girl.
His calm gaze of dark eyes swept over the girl, noting the slightest details of her appearance: her eyes, hair, facial features, figure, exquisite armor, rich clothing, quality boots, and the precious hair ring. Everything about Tai Li suggested she came from a wealthy family that had no financial concerns.
The master continued to gaze at the girl in silence, giving no hint that he recognized her as the princess of the country.
"I wish to learn everything you deem necessary to pass on to me. I've never seen such a beautiful painting before, and I wouldn't mind having such a talent..." Tai Li continued to speak sincerely, not lying in the least.
"Where I come from, I am considered a master of firebending and hand-to-hand combat, but I'm still not sure if I'm strong enough to defend myself. I have no real combat experience, and even a sparring match with you would be a very useful lesson," Tai Li concluded, keeping her head bowed and demonstrating her uncertainty in her position through her demeanor.
"Hmm… curious. Well then, let's see what you're capable of, Tai Li," the master took the sword lying nearby and headed for the exit. The girl raised her gaze, noticing that Piandao had finished the painting during their conversation.
"Follow me, Tai Li. We'll have a sparring match in the stone hall."
"Yes, Master..."