Flames of Destiny

17. THE PIECES ARE FALLING INTO PLACE

I'm back! Did I mention that Crossroads of Destiny is around the corner? I actually forgot there's another corner to turn into before we reach that!

"We have been presented with an extraordinary opportunity, girls," Azula commented as she strode into the room, her golden eyes glancing at her two friends who were still occupied at the gold mirrors, removing the white, red and black makeup that they had worn for the day.

"Mai finally gets to wear make-up that's not totally depressing?" Ty Lee chirped, quickly seizing the opportunity to make the atmosphere in the room much brighter.

Said girl let out a mirthless laugh, signifying her displeasure at being the butt of the joke as she continued - and failing impressively - to remove the make-up that she wore for the whole day. Large, dark splotches of lack make-up dripped down Mai's eyes, making the tall girl look like she had just undergone a major breakdown five minutes ago. Not that she would, since emotions are definitely overrated in her book. The same goes for wearing any form of cosmetic that was beyond simple eyeliner, mascara and some lip gloss.

Heck, just putting those three feels like a hassle for the oldest girl on most days.

Azula, not wanting the conversation to veer off-topic any further than it has, maintained a serious tone. "I'm talking about conquering the whole Earth Kingdom." Two heads whirled around, and the Fire Nation Princess noted the identical shocked looks that her two friends wore. Seeing that neither of them would be interrupting her any time soon, she spun around, not bothering to hide the smug smile forming on her lips while walking towards the window to have a clear night view of the cityscape below. "For one hundred years, the Fire Nation has hammered away at Ba Sing Se from the outside. But now we're on the inside, and we can take it by ourselves."

The firebending prodigy was, of course, referring to the successful infiltration into the Earth Kingdom capital that she, Mai and Ty Lee executed. The trio had - as planned by Azula - entered Ba Sing Se, disguised as Kyoshi Warriors. Following the failed invasion attempt with the supposedly 'indestructible' Drill, Princess Azula and her covert team encountered the actual Kyoshi Warriors, who were protecting the Avatar's sky bison. It was easy to take down the group of 'warriors' (more like Avatar's fangirls), but the beast was able to escape after the Kyoshi Warrior with a distinguishable gold headdress chased it away with fire. No doubt trying to keep the Avatar's pet away from captivity. They waited several weeks before approaching the capital once again, this time donning the uniforms of their captives and claiming they wanted to see the Avatar.

It was laughable, really, how easily all these Earth Kingdom officials bought the story that they were the 'Earth King's humble servants'.

But none was more pathetic than Earth King himself. He just possessed so many flaws. Having his pet bear sitting next to the throne and dressing it like Royalty; slouching while sitting on the throne; publicly discussing internal disputes, which displayed incompetence at being a king suitable to lead the largest nation in the world; King Kuei was the antithesis to every single value that the Royal Family of the Fire Nation had ingrained in every member since birth. Azula was certain even when she's done with two long scrolls she would need another five more before she was done listing down the inadequacies of the man.

No, this boy.

His biggest blunder would be his gullible nature. Within just five minutes of meeting the 'esteemed Kyoshi Warriors', he had spilt more secrets pertaining to Ba Sing Se's weakness than any gossipy grandma would dream of listening. He was completely unaware of the Hundred Year War until recently and casually revealed that the Avatar had approached him with plans to invade the Fire Nation. The plan was foolproof, if only a fool playing king had not unwittingly revealed the essential details to three undercover Fire Nations. But perhaps the best information Azula had managed to obtain was when Kuei shared the attempted coup by his supposedly 'most trusted advisor' and the Dai Li.