Azula was the ideal princess, a good Firebender, and likely a warrior. Well-bred, educated, intelligent, strong, decisive, goal-oriented, and so on down a very long list. Yes, she showed good results in everything that required thought, decision-making, or a demonstration of strength. But as well as she handled commanding people or engaging in a duel, she struggled equally with the mundane realities of daily life.
No, no one forced her to pitch her own tent. And the Princess was certainly not obliged to cook. The soldiers probably didn't even consider such a thing. Princess Azula's image was simply too far removed from the average Fire Nation male's perception of women.
Azula's problems lay in something else entirely. In the things that the surrounding soldiers would not do for her. For instance, she was completely unskilled at styling her hair. This was strikingly obvious the morning after our first night in the Earth Kingdom territory. If one recalled how she looked before the night's rest, the image in one's head would be completely different. It was as if the person standing before us was not Princess Azula, but merely a girl who resembled her. Azula didn't just struggle with her hair. She clearly had trouble with her overall self-care. Her makeup looked as though it had been applied by a drunkard during a severe hangover. Her clothes were entirely crumpled and, like the hair on her head, disheveled. One got the impression that the Princess's tent was special: much larger than the others, and currently hosting a severe hurricane.
If Lu Ten were alive and here, he would once again needle me that I looked more like an aristocrat than the aristocrats themselves. Especially upon seeing the current Princess Azula. The Prince generally loved to theorize about my origins, never quite believing that I was born in a small village in a Fire Nation colony. This was entirely because of my appearance. By human standards, I was handsome. Tall, slender, with correct facial features, a slight paleness characteristic of aristocrats, and so on. Lu Ten simply didn't believe that a peasant woman could give birth to such a son.
Lu Ten's suspicions had a basis, as it's unknown who my father is… But there was another reason for my handsomeness, one I had no doubt about. I have always been more or less good-looking. And good-looking according to the definition of the world in which I was reincarnated. This was yet another one of my abilities. A soul power, along with infinite reincarnations, receiving general information about the world, and past life memory.
Being born handsome is an absurd, ridiculous ability. But it exists. Yet, it alone isn't enough to be attractive in the eyes of others. You have to know how to take care of yourself. I could manage this even in the field. I learned specifically. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, people are more willing to interact with attractive people. It's easier for them to negotiate and get what they want. Secondly, attractive people are less often killed and more often taken prisoner.
For example, even in this world, the enemies didn't finish me off one time when I was caught in an ambush with a squad during my service under Ozai. Again, they considered me an aristocrat. Meaning someone who could be exchanged for captured Earthbenders or their own aristocrats. This… suited me. I don't like dying on someone else's terms.
Thirdly, my mindset dictates that a person must correspond to their status and position in society through their appearance and behavior. Yes, I was a peculiar proponent of a dress code. This was another reason why I initially disliked Iroh and Lu Ten. Their choice of clothing and behavior didn't match their status.
The soldiers, putting down their breakfast plates, literally gaped at Azula, but she accepted it gracefully, looking down at everyone. As if to say that even princesses sometimes have mishaps. Though I'm sure inside, she was scowling with indignation. After all, according to Princess Azula herself, she must be perfect. She probably regrets not bringing at least one of her handmaidens on the journey.
"Hmm, so none of you are hungry? Should I ensure your appetite with a set of exercises? Ten kilometers of running should do for a warm-up…"
My voice wasn't particularly loud, but the soldiers heard everything perfectly. They heard and understood the hint that one shouldn't stare at the Princess like that. They turned away and returned their attention to their bowls of porridge that the cook had prepared for breakfast.
I stood up myself. I approached the Princess, bowed to her, and politely asked her to return to her tent. Before she could object, for who ever heard of a princess being alone in her private tent with a man, I took her by the elbow and practically shoved her inside.
"What do you think you're doing?" Azula asked quietly, calmly, but from her gaze, I understood that she was furious.
"Allow me to style your hair and apply makeup more suitable to your status, Princess?" I asked her just as calmly, though I was inwardly just as indignant as Azula. I thought that at least she would always look and behave appropriately to her status, and this morning I saw an unpleasant surprise, which greatly disappointed me.
Azula looked at me with skepticism. The anger receded into the background. Interest appeared.
"And you can do that? I read the dossier that Prince Lu Ten and Uncle Iroh compiled on you…" Hmm, so it does exist. Curious. "It said you were a man of many talents, but hair care and applying makeup…"
"Trust me, Princess."
Azula sighed heavily. I was pleased that she, too, wanted to look externally appropriate to the Princess's status. Soon Azula turned her back to me and elegantly sat down on a cushion placed on the tent floor. A small bag was extended to me.
"Everything necessary is here… If I'm not satisfied with the result, I'll first break every one of your fingers, and then your hands themselves. Proceed."
I untangled some knots of hair on the Princess's head and began to gently comb it. Azula, realizing that my movements betrayed professionalism, relaxed, and I thought she even began to enjoy it. Yes, I was most likely mistaken. Azula was surprised when she felt that instead of the usual topknot, I began to braid her hair, adding a ribbon at the base of the hairstyle and then at the end. But I left the two hanging locks typical of her look.
Anticipating the question, I answered it beforehand:
"A hair topknot is usually worn by peasants in the Earth Kingdom, rarely by military personnel, but certainly not by aristocrats, Princess Azula. The fashion for topknots among the Fire Nation aristocracy started with the Fire Lord. He needs that hairstyle to secure his ornament. In your case, at the moment, such a hairstyle would be inappropriate. On the contrary, it could be harmful. It would raise questions from knowledgeable people."
Azula merely hummed thoughtfully at my explanation.
"Please close your eyes. I will wash off the makeup."
Fortunately, there was water in her tent, and a towel for such needs was found in the bag she handed me.
After a while, I asked the Princess a question, continuing to wash off the old makeup:
"Why didn't you bring at least one handmaiden with you?"
"In the palace, everyone serves the royal family, but they almost always have another master as well… The purpose of our expedition, the assignment the Fire Lord personally entrusted to me, had to remain a secret. The more people, the greater the chance of an information leak."
Incidentally, the soldiers still didn't know where we were heading. Unlike me, Azula hadn't explained anything to them. And she gave me very little information. The necessary minimum so I would be prepared for trouble and understand what provisions and how much we needed. The soldiers were currently theorizing that we were a sabotage squad or, conversely, had come to negotiate peace with King Bumi to later deliver a treacherous blow to Ba Sing Se.
The makeup was applied just as carefully as the hair was combed. But I didn't change anything in it from Princess Azula's previous look. There were no specific norms for it among the women of the Earth Kingdom. Everyone did their makeup as they knew how. Or as their servants knew how.
"Not bad," Azula commented, looking in the mirror. "Next time you fail to secure a position in the Guard, go become a servant. You'd make an excellent attendant."
"Only your attendant, Princess…" I replied, bowing my head.
"Speaking of which," I was grabbed by the neck, and long, sharp nails pressed into it. "You're lucky you burned all the messenger hawks in advance. Otherwise, rumors that the Princess of the Fire Nation was doing something with a common soldier in her tent would have been unavoidable. But you're only lucky for now… Make your soldiers keep silent. Let them forget about today's incident and…" Azula pondered for several minutes. Her grip on my neck noticeably loosened. "And subsequent ones. It would be best if you started waking up early, before all your fighters, to assist me. Although there are guards…"
"They will all be silent. If anyone utters a word about this incident, I will rip out that person's tongue and make him eat it." Azula smiled with satisfaction. "All that's left is your dress, Princess…" She narrowed her eyes with palpable suspicion. "But with that, I will only assist you verbally. I'll give you instructions. You will have to perform the actions yourself. Now, the belt you…"
...
Several hours later, we reached the entrance to the Cave of Two Lovers. We did so in silence. Before, the soldiers weren't very talkative due to Princess Azula's presence, and now, after my threats to rip out someone's tongue for excessive chatter, they generally preferred not to open their mouths an extra time.
We needed to pass through the cave because it allowed us to noticeably cut the path to the desert. Additionally, we used this route because it wasn't very crowded. This was again due to the mystical element of the place and the tunnels. People, even if they didn't believe in mysticism, were simply afraid of getting lost here.
But not Princess Azula. Upon hearing that even if we lost a few days wandering in the tunnels, which rarely happens, she ordered us to proceed to the cave, as the detour would take no less than a week. The route above consisted of winding mountain paths. They are well-trodden. The route has long been known and studied, but it is lengthy and problems can arise along the way. A simple traffic jam, for example, when two merchants traveling toward each other from different ends collide on a narrow section. And Azula did not want to lose even an extra hour. The search for the Spirit of Knowledge's library would certainly not be a quick affair, and the precious resource of time needed to be saved somehow.
Near the entrance to the cave, a wooden plaque with inscriptions was nailed up. It was clearly old. Not as old as the cave itself, but if you touched it, it would surely fall apart. Many read the inscription on the plaque carefully and became visibly nervous. Princess Azula read it too:
"… and if you do not believe in love, death awaits you here. Remember that love is a light in the dark. The most nonsensical rubbish I have ever heard in my life."
I looked at Azula with disapproval, as I had asked her not to anger the spirits unnecessarily. She saw my gaze and scoffed, tilting her nose up. Immediately following this, a fireball flew at the warning plaque, clearly left by some local well-wisher, instantly destroying it.
I inhaled deeply, anticipating trouble. Princess Azula scoffed again. We entered the cave.
————
Read ahead of schedule here → pat-reon(.)c-om/Bluuuxx [remove the parentheses and hyphen]