War of Change | Book 3

15: Commander Aoshi

Art: Artist Not Found

"I hear you don't want to talk," a voice Kida had nearly forgotten spoke from the entrance of the room.

She used what little energy she had to raise her head and look at the Fire Nation princess in front of her. She wanted to make a snide comment about being graced by royalty in her humble torture cell, but she figured a better way to irk the girl was by not saying anything at all.

"You're my brother's ex-girlfriend," Azula mused as she stepped closer. A laugh trickled out of her mouth. "He's going to be so disappointed when he finds out you're not with the Avatar." Kida straightened her body the best she could on the taut chains.

Azula brought her hand up to look at her sharp, manicured nails. "I doubt he even cared about... 'peace' or whatever he said he was leaving for, he just wanted you." Her eyes went back to the waterbender as she smirked. "You must do wonders in bed."

Kida thrashed in her chains, snapping her jaw at the girl. After all, Biting was about the only thing she could do to inflict damage with the number of restraints they had on her limbs. She couldn't actually do anything, though. She probably just looked more like the savage that they called her.

"Did I hit a sore spot?" Azula asked softly with a wicked smile on her lips. "Well, if you aren't going to talk, I could just talk about Zuzu. I'm sure I have plenty of stories you would love to hear. Like right after you left Ba Sing Se, I may have spied on his little date with Mai. It was quite interesting. He seemed to have forgotten all about you in one evening."

"Telling me petty stories about my ex isn't going to make me talk," Kida hissed.

"Oh, but... isn't that what it just did?" Azula noted. Kida's eyes widened as she realized her stupid mistake. "He really is your weakness, huh?" She crossed her arms behind her back. "Pathetic," she hissed, slowly rounding on the girl, "you were his, too."

Azula vanished from her peripheral as a whimper escaped Kida's lip. Her knees weakened, and her arms stretched out above her. She could only hang for a few seconds before she felt her muscles begin to press against her lungs and the air cut off from her throat.

The princess came back into view, eyeing the waterbender as she put weight back onto her feet. "I'm not here just to tease you about my brother, though. I want to offer you a deal."

***

Ever so slowly, the blackness turned to a fuzzy taupe color before everything began to focus. Although she could make out shapes and determine she was in a brightly lit stone-carved room, she still didn't know where she was.

She didn't know where she was....

A gasp flew through the air. It took a moment for Kida to register that it had come out of her own mouth. Panic had settled into her chest like a livid fire. She sprang up straight in the hard bed, whimpers of terror escaping her mouth as she frenzied to push herself into the corner and protect her backside from any potential attack.