Chapter 100

Even before anyone had even said a word, Ty Lee knew this argument was going to be the worst one yet.

She, Mai and Tanya arrived in the village where Azula had been fighting a few minutes after the sky bison had disappeared over the horizon, to find Azula standing motionless atop a building, staring out in the direction the Avatar had fled.

They knew she had heard them approaching, and that she had not turned to acknowledge them yet was a silent instruction that they were to wait while she finished thinking. Given that they'd just come back from unsuccessfully capturing the Avatar's friends, and in turn cost Azula her own chance to capture the Avatar, it was easy to guess what Azula was thinking about.

Punishment.

For a good five minutes the painful silence hung between them. Ty Lee briefly entertained the thought of trying to lift everyone's spirits, but fear held her back. The first one to speak would be the first target of Azula's wrath.

Eventually Azula spoke.

"You have failed me." She said calmly. Impassively even, as if she were simply remarking on the weather. She didn't even turn to look at them.

Ty Lee and Mai tensed, looking aside guiltily. Only Tanya held her stare.

"You weren't even fighting the Avatar either." Azula finally turned around, glaring directly at Tanya. It seemed her target for her ire had been chosen; not surprising, given how tense things had been between the two of them lately. "You were up against a peasant who could barely flick a puddle a year ago and a blind girl. Yet you, the feared admiral who conquered the north and has slain earthbenders by their thousands, lost. They didn't just escape you this time. They beat you." She hopped down from the building, landing gracefully in front of them without breaking eye-contact with Tanya for a moment. "Are you going to tell me that this is because of the spirit's interference as well?"

Tanya remained tellingly silent. Her face was cold, but fire still burned furiously behind her eyes.

Azula scoffed. She took a step forward, putting herself within striking distance. "You believe my father placed you here to provide me with advice. Then advise me now. What would you do if you had an employee who, though failing to do their job, caused you to mess up your chance to stop a threat that might one day destroy your entire nation?"

The question hung uncomfortably in the air for a few moments, and Ty Lee clenched a fist so hard behind her back that it hurt.

Finally, Tanya answered.

"I would fire them."

Dread pooled in Ty Lee's gut at the same time a wicked smile flitted across Azula's lips. She made to speak, but the princess beat her to it. "A fine idea." Azula replied, nodding her head. "Just cut the problem out, clean and simple. Yes, I agree."

Azula raised her chin, looking down at Tanya. The golden-haired girl narrowed her eyes in return, but didn't say anything.

"Admiral Tanya." Azula began, her voice taking on the projected, imperious tone of a royal making an announcement at a public event. "For your failures in the line of duty I, Princess Azula, by the power vested in me by The Fire Lord, hereby strip you of your rank and position, and discharge you from the Fire Nation military."

"A- Azula!-…" Ty Lee squeaked, unable to believe what she was hearing! Technically yes, as crown princess it was well within Azula's authority to do this, but she never imagined it would come to this!

Yet if Azula had heard her protests, she chose to ignore them. "You have until the end of the day to gather your belongings from the train." The princess continued, her eyes locked firmly on her rival's. "After that you are on your own: free to choose between returning to the homeland in disgrace, or staying here among the colonies." She sneered. "Let's hope the families of the soldiers you've killed don't recognise you."

And with that Azula walked past her, coming a hair's-breadth away from bashing into her shoulder, and walked slowly away back in the direction of the train.

Ty Lee and Mai looked between the two of them, torn between their duty to follow Azula and their concern for Tanya. "Tanya… I'm so sorry-…" Ty Lee began."

"It's alright." Tanya interrupted, her voice and expression still cold, and her eyes still looking forward: not at Azula, but at the stretch of horizon the Avatar had disappeared into. "I was a fool to not see that this has been coming for a long time. Besides, my ambitions were never to stay in the military forever anyway."

"What are you going to do?" Mai asked.

"What The Fire Lord has commanded of me. Alone, if I have to." Tanya answered. "Once I return home with the Avatar in chains behind me, we'll see what The Fire Lord thinks of his daughter's decision."

"You're going to keep chasing them alone!" Ty Lee exclaimed. "Tanya, that's too dangerous! We're in hostile territory!"

Tanya shrugged. "It's nothing I haven't done before. Besides, I have a plan."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out Zhao's notebook: the one containing the map to the spirit library.

"If there is any record of what the Avatar truly is, I'll find them here." Tanya continued, the muscles in her face tensing as the white hot rage that hid behind her ice cold expression struggled to break free.

"And once I find out his weakness, we'll see if even the universe itself can save him from me."

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I'm really sorry for the short chapter