Chapter 86: Deal Fulfilled
Firebase Kaze was a fist of black iron and dark stone driven into the mountain's sternum. There were no banners, no grand archways, only functionality. Watchtowers bristled with ballistae, their cold iron bolts aimed at the passes below. The air was thin, sharp, and carried the constant, low thrum of machinery and disciplined footsteps. It was the perfect place to bury a secret, or a person.
The column marched through the main gate, the rhythmic clatter of armored boots echoing in the cavernous entry yard. Commander Ryo, his posture rigid with a newfound, grave importance, strode at the head, his voice cutting through the alpine chill as he snapped orders to the garrison.
"Secure the perimeter! Double the watch on the eastern ridge! I want every approach covered!" He was a man elevated, entrusted with the Crown Prince's most vital prize, and he would not be found wanting.
Prince Zuko walked a pace behind him, a study in controlled power. His gaze swept over the fortress, not with admiration, but with cold assessment. He noted the sightlines, the choke points, the storage of blasting jelly near the outer wall. He was not just seeing a prison; he was calculating the dimensions of the coming explosion.
Princess Azula followed, her expression one of profound, theatrical boredom. She examined her nails as if the entire fortress, the captured Avatar, the triumphant return, was a tedious provincial play. But beneath the lacquer of indifference, her mind was a coiled spring, cataloging every interaction, every subtle shift in authority. She watched Zuko delegate, watched Ryo preen, and stored it all away.
The prisoners were the heart of this grim procession. Aang was half-carried, half-dragged by two firebenders, his small form lost in the cruel weight of the chains. Katara and Sokka walked with their hands bound, their faces set in defiance, though a cold dread was settling in their guts. Teo was pushed along in his chair, the vibrant boy who had touched the sky now earthbound and broken.
"Take them to the primary containment cell in the lower level," Zuko commanded, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "The one reinforced with platinum alloy."
Ryo nodded sharply. "At once, Your Highness." He gestured to a squad of his most disciplined men. "You heard the Prince! To the brig. Gently with the Avatar, he is not to be further injured."
As the soldiers moved to obey, Azula let out a soft, derisive laugh. "How considerate, Zuzu. Such tender care for our... guests." Her eyes, sharp as daggers, flicked to Katara. "Especially for the one who warmed your bed. Tell me, does she get a silk pillow to go with her chains? Or was her service not that exceptional?"
Katara flinched, her cheeks burning with a mixture of shame and fury. Sokka strained against his bonds. "You shut your mouth!"
Zuko didn't even look at his sister. "Control your petulance, Azula," he said, his tone flat and dismissive, as if swatting away a fly. "It's unbecoming of a princess. Even a disgraced one."
The insult was deliberate, precise. He was needling her, reinforcing the public narrative of her instability, pushing her towards the reaction he needed.
He turned his attention back to Ryo as the prisoners were led away towards a heavy, iron-bound door that led into the mountain's heart. "They are to be kept together. I want a guard on that door at all times. And Commander," Zuko paused, ensuring he had the man's full attention, "the waterbender is not to be harmed. She is the key to the Avatar's compliance. Her safety is paramount to my strategy."
Ryo bowed. "Understood, Your Highness. No one will lay a hand on her."
Azula watched the exchange, her smirk not fading, but tightening. She saw the game he was playing. He was building his legend: the strategic, clear-headed prince, while painting her as the volatile, emotional liability. He was laying the groundwork, placing his pieces on the board for the confrontation he was orchestrating.
Oh, brother, she thought, the words a silent, venomous whisper in her mind. Play your little game. Give your orders. Build your fragile house of cards. I will be the wind.
She drifted away from them, seemingly aimless, but her path took her to a vantage point where she could watch the prisoners be ushered into the dark mouth of the brig. Her eyes lingered on Katara's retreating back.
He thinks he's protecting his leverage, Azula mused, the plan crystalizing in her mind with cold, brutal clarity. But he's just showing me which string to pull to make his whole world unravel.
As the heavy door clanged shut, sealing Team Avatar in their cold, dark cell, the two master manipulators stood under the grey sky of the mountaintop, each believing the other was their puppet. The fortress was the stage. The prisoners were the bait. And the final act was about to begin.
The Iron door to the brig sealed with a final, resonant boom, leaving the courtyard in a sudden, tense silence. The soldiers, taking their cue from Commander Ryo, quickly found duties to attend to, scattering to the walls and watchtowers, giving the royal siblings a wide and prudent berth.
Zuko turned from the door, his golden eyes finding Azula immediately. She hadn't moved, still standing where he had left her, a statue of cool indifference, but her gaze was now fixed on him, sharp and expectant.
"The prisoners are secure," Zuko stated, the words hanging in the thin air between them. It was more than a status update; it was an opening move.
"Indeed they are," Azula replied, her voice a silken purr. "A fine day's work. The Avatar, captured. His companions, neutralized. Your strategy, it seems, has borne fruit." She took a slow, deliberate step towards him. "You have given me more than proof of a move, Zuzu. You have delivered the prize itself."
He met her halfway, closing the distance until they stood mere feet apart, the air crackling with the unsaid. "I have held up my end of our bargain from the very beginning," he said, his voice low, for her ears only. "I provided the opportunity at the temple. I secured the prisoners. I have navigated every obstacle to place our key to redemption in that cell. Your end of our bargain was contingent on concrete progress. I believe this qualifies."
Azula's lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. She let her eyes drift pointedly around the courtyard, at the soldiers trying hard not to look at them, at the watchful eyes in the towers. "And you wish to collect your… reward? Here? Now? With so many prying eyes? My, my, brother. You're becoming reckless in your victory." She tutted softly, a mockery of concern. "What would the men think, to see their revered Crown Prince, the Dragon of Nan Hai, so easily… distracted by his sister's charms? It might undermine that fearsome new reputation you're so carefully cultivating."
Zuko didn't flinch. He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper that was both intimate and threatening. "Let them watch. Let them see that their prince takes what is his. That my focus is absolute, and my will is law. My reputation isn't built on their approval, Azula. It's built on my power. And part of that power is the fulfillment of agreements made."
"Agreements," she echoed, her own voice a whisper now, a duel of hushed tones in the vast courtyard. "You speak of our deal as if it were a trade treaty. As if my body is just another resource to be managed, like coal for your engines."
"Isn't it?" he countered, his gaze unwavering. "You offered it as an incentive. A currency for my cooperation in restoring your status. The currency has been paid in full on my side. It's time for the transaction to be completed."
She laughed, a low, throaty sound. "So clinical. So… cold." She searched for the right word, her gaze piercing. "You may wear the armor of a Fire Nation prince, but you think like a merchant, a strategist from a different world entirely. You believe everything can be quantified, every outcome predicted."
"Predict this, then," Zuko said, his hand coming up not to touch her, but to gesture between them, a sharp, controlled motion. "I have the Avatar. With him, I can give you everything you want. But my… continued enthusiasm… for this partnership requires a sign of good faith. A reminder of why we're in this together."
He was boxing her in, using her own ambition and their sordid agreement against her. To refuse him now was to risk him withholding the one thing she needed most: the credit for the Avatar's capture.
Azula's eyes narrowed, the calculation clear in their depths. She was not a woman who yielded, but she was a strategist who knew when to advance and when to feign retreat. This was a strategic feint. Let him believe he was winning. Let him believe he was in control.
"Very well, Zuko," she conceded, her voice losing its mocking edge and gaining a flat, business-like tone. "A deal is a deal. My quarters are on the upper level, overlooking the gorge. They are… marginally more private than this parade ground." She turned, her movements once again fluid and predatory, and began to walk towards the inner keep, not looking back to see if he followed. It was an assumption of his compliance, a power move of its own.
"Let us conclude our business, then," she said over her shoulder, the words hanging in the cold mountain air. "And then, we can focus on the far more interesting business of what to do with our new guests."
Zuko watched her go for a moment, a faint, triumphant smirk touching his lips before he schooled his features back into impassivity. He followed, his boots echoing on the stone, the victorious prince on his way to claim his prize, utterly unaware that he was walking directly into the gilded center of her trap.
[A/N: Can't wait to see what happens next? Get exclusive early access and read 90 chapters ahead on patreon.com/saiyanprincenovels. If you enjoyed this chapter and want to see more, don't forget to drop a power stone! Your support helps this story reach more readers!]