"Hm," came the princess's voice.
"Mm-hm."
I followed the response with another step and a torrent of fire, smashing through the wall in what should have taken my opponent out of the fight—or at least shocking her.
Except Azula was already gone.
I threw myself into a roll and lashed out with my blade. The flat of the sword struck something solid, and an angry hiss sounded from above. The princess had used the force of my flames to launch herself into the air and tried to drop straight onto my head—but instead she flew right into a blow across her legs.
Overall, things were unfolding exactly as I'd expected. The girl was good. Excellent technique, polished movements, superb reflexes and an impressive ability to adapt. Unlike Toph, her style wasn't athletic. Azula had clearly been trained in a practical, ruthlessly efficient combat school.
But that was also her greatest weakness. She had been taught, rather than having learned through hard experience and real combat. Now I understood Piandao much better when he emphasized the importance of practice as he finished my training. For Azula to become a true Master, there was only one final detail missing: genuine battlefield experience. In every other respect, she was nearly perfect.
Nearly.
"Fsssh!"
An angry hiss accompanied twin streams of blue fire as she blasted at me with both hands while simultaneously using the flames to propel herself backward and widen the distance between us.
I had to slide backward on a jet of my own fire as well to avoid being roasted by the princess's jet of flame. Then I heard the all-too-familiar crackle of lightning.
Taking advantage of the space she'd created, this lovely young lady had decided to hit me with lightning and was already finishing the Chi-separation phase. I had absolutely no desire whatsoever to practice redirecting lightning under such conditions, so I simply threw my training sword at her.
The one-kilogram chunk of metal reached Azula a fraction of a second before she completed the technique and smacked into her hands, disrupting the process. Then I was right behind the sword.
Pure reflex took over.
I ran through a temporary Chi-blocking sequence on the startled princess—four light strikes to the correct points, reinforced with a measure of my own life energy—and for the next half hour she wouldn't just be unable to bend. She wouldn't be able to move her arms at all.
Only afterward did I realize I'd gotten carried away.
I stopped my fire-wreathed fist just in time, already halfway to the girl's face.
Silence settled over the room.
I remained frozen in place, idly reflecting on the passionate nature of firebenders and its deep, mystical connection to finding trouble in the most spectacular ways possible. The princess stood motionless as well, her arms hanging limply at her sides, her gaze fixed on the fist that had stopped a mere inch from her nose.
"Well then..." the royal personage was the first to break the silence. "You truly are powerful and worthy of your title, Herald."
"Thank you for such high praise, Your Highness." I lowered my hand and inclined my head slightly in acknowledgment of the compliment.
"Hm." The girl frowned, her expression impossible to read. "Now that the test is over, would you be so kind as to return mobility to my arms?"
The acidic edge that occasionally crept into her voice was, oddly enough, rather charming.
"Oh, yes. Of course."
A couple of light strikes later, sensation returned to her limbs—including the hands that had been thoroughly bruised by the flying sword.
"Fsssh..." Rubbing her hands, she grimaced irritably. "Throwing a sword. It takes a special kind of person to come up with that."
"You set the terms of the duel yourself. And a victory remains a victory, regardless of how it's achieved."
She gave me a very strange look.
"You really do have an interesting approach to life... With that mindset and that kind of strength, you could start a war that would shake entire nations."
An alarmingly enthusiastic expression spread across the princess's face.
And, in a way, she'd just opened up to me...
If I failed to appreciate it—or worse, started condemning the idea in any fashion—her wounded pride would probably spend the rest of her life itching for opportunities to make mine miserable.
"Oh? That sounds suspiciously like a proposal to find new horizons for Fire Nation expansion!" I stroked my chin, feigning deep contemplation. "I'm afraid that would be no simple undertaking... Perhaps Your Highness would care to bring such a war to a triumphant conclusion? As it happens, I know of one promising possibility."
I smiled as I met her eyes.
"Is that so..." She sank into thought again. "Very well." Azula shook herself and once more became cold and focused.
"Now that I no longer have any doubts regarding your competence, we can discuss our plans for the Earth Kingdom. I'm sure Father will have additional instructions for you, but as far as my part is concerned, the directives are as follows..."
***
Some time later.
The plans laid out before Azula were nothing short of Napoleonic.
First, Ozai had apparently decided that his daughter was fully prepared and that it was time for her to "smell powder."
Well, it was difficult to disagree with him there.
Her combat training was superb. The only thing she lacked was genuine battlefield experience, and this journey could provide exactly that. She would be getting her first taste of war through engagements with remaining Earth Kingdom garrisons, intercepting reinforcement detachments, raiding supply caravans, and enjoying all the other little pleasures that came with raiding operations.
Familiar territory.
Though up until now, I'd generally been on the side tasked with dealing with those raiders.
(End of Chapter)
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