— The Princess has been poisoned! Waa-hoo-waa... — the acrobat answered me, immediately bursting into tears on my chest.
What?
Poisoned? With what? How? Where were the guards? Her friends? How bad is it? Is Azula alive? And many other questions rushed through my head in mere moments, as I processed the received information, supporting my materiality on reflex.
Ty Lee's sobbing was audible nearby, while I was in a state of shock. It was so unexpected that I couldn't put it into words. Like a brick falling on my head, no, not even a brick, but a full-fledged meteor. Somehow managing to overcome my surprise, I calmed down almost immediately. Panicked thoughts were replaced by absolute composure. Panic certainly wouldn't lead to anything good right now. I needed more information.
With these thoughts, I focused my attention on the girl still crying in my arms. Somehow, without realizing it, I had hugged her, but that wasn't important now.
It seemed only a few seconds had passed since the acrobat opened the door; I had to hurry!
— Can you help her? Sniffle. The poison is unknown. Sniffle. She lost consciousness in a minute. Sniffle. My only hope is you! Sniffle. I beg you, save my friend, Yoaru! — the girl raised her head, and an imploring gaze, full of desperate hope and tears, met mine.
She wasn't joking; this was very serious.
Silly Lee, you don't need to beg me for this. I will do everything in my power to save her life, but... I need to rush. I need to hurry a lot!
— Ty Lee! Get a grip right now! Where is Azula?! Everything else is unimportant! — I commanded the girl in the Princess's familiar tone. Perhaps this was a little rough, but now was no time for girlish hysterics.
My commanding tone worked, and the acrobat calmed down for a moment and was able to give me a clear answer.
— In the mayor's mansion. In one of the guest rooms. The one that is best guarded. Everyone there is on edge right now. Mai stayed in charge, — the acrobat answered me, forgetting her sobbing.
— Clean yourself up and go there. I might need your help. I'm going to her immediately, — I turned and headed towards the wall, pausing briefly at the girl's renewed sniffles.
— Lee, don't worry, she can't die from something like this, — I decided to calm her with a small lie, and then immediately passed through the wall, soaring high into the sky.
I didn't want to look at the crying Ty Lee. I didn't even want to know if my lie had worked or not. I myself didn't believe my own words, perfectly understanding that Azula was just a person. A brilliant, strong, attractive, sometimes cunning, sometimes lucky, but very fragile and suddenly mortal person. As painful as it was to realize, the Princess, whom I had grown accustomed to and attached to, could suddenly die from poison. But there was no time to think about who or why did this; I had to rush; every moment distances me from the life of a person important to me.
Once above the city, I instantly found the right mansion with my gaze.
The wind whistled in my ears.
I myself seemed to become like the wind; the distance to the house was covered in one breath. The building was large, and there were many people in it; I only knew Azula's approximate location. I had to concentrate and spend spiritual energy to use my spiritual vision. With its help, the walls of the mansion became somewhat transparent to me, and the auras of the people glowed especially brightly against their background. Looking around, I almost immediately noticed the weakening light of a familiar aura.
Finding the Princess by her aura was not a problem, but what I saw in her aura made me even more worried.
Ignoring everything, I rushed straight to her, flying through all the material obstacles and paying no attention to the scurrying people. My spiritual form instantly entered the girl, immediately starting to feel stifling heat, as if I were in a steam room. Azula was simply burning from the inside, trying to burn the poison out of her body with her own power.
Merging with Azula, I immediately began to transfer my spiritual energy to her, supporting her life and helping to slow down the effect of the poison. At my actions, the girl arched and groaned painfully. Forgive me, but it was necessary.
Soon, a picture of her body and all vital systems began to form in my mind: skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous... thanks to this, I instantly found the black muck that was slowly spreading through the girl's body. There it was—the poison tormenting the Princess's body.
Only my level of medical education was not high enough for me to figure it all out. Medicine... I would have to fill the gaps in that knowledge. But calm down, Yoaru, you can do this; you just need to remove the poison from the body.
Poison... damn it, it had reached her head. I had to act now! Calm down and act. I just need to get the poison out of her system. What could be easier?
But no. First of all, I need to cool down her head, lest she cook her own brain, and then remove the poison with my own powers.
You can do this; don't think about the bad!
It will work... it will definitely work.
With these thoughts, I began the treatment. Cooling Azula's head was child's play. My knowledge of firebending, specifically heat control, helped me with this. I simply redirected the girl's heat from her head to the rest of her body. Following that, I immediately began to delay the spread of the poison through her system. But it needed to be expelled from the body. Just how? This filth had spread literally everywhere!
Very soon, the answer presented itself! I could remove all the poison from her body through sweat. The girl was simply burning; sweat was streaming from her. I just needed to help the Princess's body get rid of the foreign muck. That's exactly what I decided to do. I began assisting the girl's immune system to fight the infection, first and foremost in the vital organs. Along the way, I had to direct the poison to the nearest exit from the body through the skin. There was a lot of work. I didn't even notice how I began commanding the girl's immune system, correcting the situation. Gradually, the spread of the infection stopped; death began to retreat from the girl's life. The poison was leaving the system, and Azula was starting to feel much better.
Time passed like this; I had to exert enormous effort, controlling every minute detail in Azula's body. The mental strain was so intense that I began to experience phantom headaches. But a little pain was worth the Princess's life. I could endure worse. The main thing was to take care of her.
I have always had excellent control over any energy, whether spiritual or bodily. I had to work hard on such a skill, and now it was saving me like never before! It was thanks to this that I gradually began to cope. The poison, mixing with Azula's and my chi, was retreating and exiting the body along with the sweat, forever leaving the girl's body.
Time... I don't know how long it lasted, but when the last drops of poison were removed from her body, I felt squeezed like a lemon. I urgently needed to replenish my strength. Recharging energy from the Princess was dangerous for her life. The girl was completely exhausted. All our strength was required to defeat the poison. Her heart was beating so slowly; I was afraid that if I left her, she would die.
An exit... I needed a way out of the current situation. There was one; I believed it. I just had to think, to remember...
(***)
While Yoaru was relentlessly fighting for the Princess's life, next to the sick chamber, Ty Lee was indulging in dark thoughts.
The acrobat was sitting on her haunches in the corridor right next to Azula's quarters. Leaning her back against the wall, the girl placed her knees under herself and bowed her head. The acrobat paid no attention to anything. She just sat and waited for a miracle, tormented by dark thoughts. It was beyond her power to get rid of them.
The Princess's guards didn't object to her presence, but they refused to let her into Azula's room without the proper command. And even that was a great allowance. They stopped and interrogated strangers, or even restrained them for further clarification of the circumstances. The best friend could only wait, wait and hope for the best. But doubts tormented her soul no less than the most evil spirits.
— Lee? How long have you been sitting here? — raising her head with eyes red from tears, Ty Lee saw her perpetually calm friend.
— Mai? Probably an hour now. Finished with your duties? — the not-at-all cheerful acrobat replied dryly.
— Yes. I somehow managed to calm everyone down. All the people have clearly gone mad with this assassination attempt. It's a shame the killer got away with death; alive, he would have saved me from most of the problems. Well, never mind the bad stuff. Did you do what I asked? — Mai spoke calmly, without unnecessary emotion.
— Yes. Thirty-two minutes have passed already, — Ty Lee replied, lowering her head again.
— Where does such precision come from?
— Counting the seconds... — such an answer from the acrobat made Mai raise an eyebrow in surprise.
The melancholic girl glanced at the locked door. The door behind which her friend, and the Princess of the entire Fire Nation, was currently fighting for her own life. Mai had fulfilled all the unexpectedly imposed duties and dealt with all the problems that fell to her lot, or almost all of them. If Azula didn't survive and died from the poison, many people would lose their heads. And she couldn't say for sure how long she would live if Azula unexpectedly died. However, for a perpetually reserved and calm girl, such consequences were not a valid reason for concern. Mai had done everything possible within her power and authority, and worrying about what you have no control over was foolish to her.
Leaning against the wall next to her friend, she indulged in her own thoughts, looking at the entrance to the apartments, which the imperial guards were protecting. The conversation with Ty Lee ended on its own; both girls decided to wait and believe in the best. They had nothing else to do.
— Huh? — Ty Lee unexpectedly raised her head, starting to look toward the entrance to the room.
— What is it? — Mai began to look around, but only saw the six guards continuously protecting the entrance to the Princess's room. — Lee?
But Ty Lee didn't answer; she continued to stare at the empty space, shifting her gaze slightly. As if someone visible only to her had sharply approached the girl. However, why "someone"? Mai knew who it might be. No, she was certain who it was. The girl thought for a moment and decided to wait, giving Yoaru and Ty Lee time to talk. Knowing her emotional friend, she would know what happened to Azula by her reaction alone. And if Lee wasn't yet dissolving into tears, it meant the Princess was alive. But at the same time, Lee wasn't showing joy...
— Mai, I urgently need to be alone with Azula, — the acrobat's voice pulled Mai out of her own thoughts. Ty Lee's eyes, which were burning with hope, were looking straight at her.
— As you wish, — the girl replied, quickly figuring out what was going on. Then she addressed the door guards. — Open the doors!
The imperial guards were forced to obey and let the girls through. They went inside. There were no windows in the room; a dim chandelier with candles illuminated the room and the four guards inside it. The very sight of the menacing warriors made one feel uneasy. And while Ty Lee instinctively hid behind her friend when looking at the soldiers, the menacing warriors failed to make an impression on Mai.
— Vacate the room, — Mai ordered coldly, looking at Azula's pale face. Her chest barely visibly rose and fell in time with her quiet breathing.
This time, the guards were in no hurry to carry out the order. One of the soldiers stepped forward, blocking the path to the sickbed.
— Do you understand what you are asking of us? The Fire Lord himself will take our heads if something happens to the Princess, — the soldier replied in a husky bass, menacingly towering over the figure of the short girl.
— Something already has happened. You'd better worry about what Azula will do to you when I inform her of your failure to follow my order, — at Mai's staunch reply, a grinding of teeth was heard from her interlocutor.
— As the Lady wishes, — the guard officer forced out literally, giving the command to leave the room.
Mai calmly watched them, waiting until the four men closed the door from the other side.
— Go on, — the girl said quietly, stepping aside and closely watching all of Ty Lee's actions.
— Huh? Yes, right... — Ty Lee looked at the Princess, but no, she was looking at the spot next to the Princess. As if watching someone lying next to Azula. At the same time, the girl nodded barely noticeably, as if listening to an invisible interlocutor.
— Maybe I should undress? — the acrobat unexpectedly suggested, grabbing her own clothes, shocking the only witness in the room. But Mai was not in a hurry to object or interrupt her friend's actions, remaining an observer.
— Okay, — the girl declared, climbing onto the bed next to the Princess and gently hugging her. — Like this?
Mai said nothing, hoping they knew what they were doing. She didn't have the necessary skills to help her friend, just as Ty Lee didn't. All she could do was be an observer and believe in Yoaru's righteous intentions.
Meanwhile, Ty Lee began to breathe deeply, no, very deeply. Azula's breathing also became more noticeable, and simultaneously the Princess began to toss and turn on the bed, groaning slightly. A slight blush began to show on her pale face. It was obvious that she was getting better and better.
— Ahem, good, — having said this, the acrobat skillfully maneuvered, rising from the bed and changing her pose. Now she was not lying next to the girl, but hovering over her, placing her hands on her forehead and the center of her chest. The healer and the patient again continued to breathe deeply.
Mai observed all of Ty Lee's strange actions; no matter how suspicious or ambiguous they were, she didn't dare to interfere with the girl and the spirit. It even began to seem to her that the acrobat's hands started to glow slightly with a warm light that was absorbed into Azula. Not being a firebender, a shaman, or another expert on spirits, Mai simply had no idea what was happening. She could only watch as the normal color returned to Azula's face; the Princess was definitely getting better.
All that remained was to wait...
— Ah. Aah! A-a-choo! Oh. Ty Lee? — after a little while, the Princess regained consciousness, opening her eyes and immediately starting to assess where and with whom she was. — What's going on, what are you doing? Get off me!
— Quiet, — the acrobat's fingers gently ran through the girl's locks of hair before closing into a palm on her forehead. — You need rest. Sleep...
— Lee... — the Princess's eyelids became heavy; she slowly closed her eyes, falling asleep.
— That's it, we're done. Yoaru said that Azula's life is no longer in danger, but she needs rest. Once she sleeps it off, she'll be fine, — the acrobat explained to her friend.
— I'm glad to hear that, — the Princess's deputy replied with a barely noticeable smile.
— And, Mai, Yoaru would like to ask you about how this happened, but not here, — Ty Lee added, glancing away from her friend.
— I understand. And now you can get off the Princess; the guards might misunderstand.
— Oh, I forgot. I'm completely worn out. Ha-ha-ha, — the acrobat quietly laughed, only now noticing what position and on whom she was sitting. Yes, the guards definitely shouldn't see this.
The girl got off the Princess, standing next to her friend. Mai called the guards back. The guards didn't ask unnecessary questions, and even if they had, no one would have answered them.
After giving all the necessary instructions to the guards, the girls left. Walking through the corridors of the mayor's mansion, they entered one of the working rooms that Azula's current deputy, Mai, had requested for herself.
— We can talk quietly here, — the throwing-knife enthusiast stated, once the girls found themselves in a small room with a table, several armchairs, and cabinets. It was one of the mayor's working offices. However, Ty Lee merely glanced at the room's interior, focusing on the empty space next to herself.
— Yoaru wants to know how it happened that the assassination attempt on the Princess almost ended in her death, — the girl spoke, turning her gaze to Mai.
— Here, — Mai pointed to a stack of papers that were neatly folded on the table. — Everything the soldiers managed to find out about the killer and his motives.
— Yoaru is tired; he won't be able to interact with the world anytime soon. Mai, please summarize it for him in your own words.
— Fine. It all happened suddenly. A lunatic jumped from the roof and immediately attacked. The young man was killed instantly by Azula, but at the cost of his life, he managed to scratch her. The poison started working instantly; within half a minute, she had already lost consciousness. Everything happened on a crowded street, and the incident quickly became known throughout the city. The Princess had foreseen something like this long ago and ordered the guard to obey me as they would her. I had to command the frightened soldiers. Not the most interesting pastime—so grown up and yet so emotional, but never mind. The subordinates soon found out that the local doctor and all his assistants had been killed that same day, and it was not a coincidence. Little was found out about the killer. He was a refugee whose hometown was burned during military operations. The people who found this information concluded that the young man craved revenge, even at the cost of his life, and might have been well acquainted with the doctor. He borrowed several poisons from the latter, mixing a more dangerous concoction. All the details are in these papers, — Mai finished briefly recounting the events of that day with a calm face and an even voice.
— Anything else? I would like to finish with all this as soon as possible.
— Yoaru is pleased with your work; he says you did a great job and are very smart. He is glad that you performed so well in an extreme situation. His advice to Azula to make you her deputy has fully justified itself.
— So I should thank him for this headache? — Mai narrowed her eyes, demonstrating a slight hint of anger.
— Apparently, yes. Yoaru says to remember how the guards behaved when they learned about the incident with the Princess; you were the best option. Now he is talking about the importance of being able to stay calm.
— Hmm... he's right about something, — Mai replied, pleased that her merits were appreciated, after a moment of thought. — I still have some matters to attend to; if that's all, I will leave your particularly gifted company...