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Throw Her Overboard - Chapter 1

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Bow

The first problem came up five minutes into the mission, and Sokka was okay with that timing. He had prepared for the ship suddenly springing a leak, the crew getting hit with the fastest and worst case of homesickness in history, a storm magically forming in the sky above to strike the ship with lightning, and an iceberg containing the 'Anti-Avatar' popping up from the ocean depths and smacking against the hull, among other things.

Just about the only thing he wasn't prepared for was Princess Azula walking out onto the ship's main deck and saying, "So, what's our first stop?"

Five minutes into the mission, Princess Azula walked out onto the ship's main deck and said, "So, what's our first stop?"

Standing up at the bow of the junk taking a sighting, Sokka blinked in order to give himself time to think. It sure seemed to be Azula, wearing just a simple black tunic that couldn't have been protecting her at all from the frigid South Pole air. But how could she have gotten aboard his specially commissioned ship? It had been under guard at the docks, and he had looked the whole vessel over before shoving off. Yet he seemed to have a crazy, exiled, crazy, dangerous, racist, crazy, Firebending-capable, crazy enemy of civilization on his ship, and she was smiling, and that meant either she was about to kill the entire crew or she was having visions of dancing bears again. He looked at her across the deck, directly meeting those piercing golden eyes, and found her gaze focused right on him.

She wasn't staring at a dancing bear that wasn't there. In fact, her eyes were steady, steadier than he had seen them in a long time. It was like before Sozin's Comet, when she had some kind of control over her madness.

He wasn't sure if that was good news or bad news.

So he drew he sword and motioned for the rest of the crew to take out their own weapons. "Azula!"

"Yes?" She smiled at him.

"What do you want?"

"To help, of course." She said it like it was the most reasonable thing in the world, and not a set of words that had Sokka looking around for a dancing bear that only he could see.

Having confirmed that there were no prancing ursine interlopers on his ship, Sokka looked back to her. "I'm sorry, could you say that again?"

"I. Am. Here. To. Help." She arched her eyebrows, and finally looked around at all of the Water Tribe warriors standing on the deck pointing knives and swords at her. "Is this a bad time? I wanted to sign up back at the docks, but I thought it likely that I would be attacked by an army if I did so."

Sokka motioned for everyone to stay steady. Violence had yet to happen, and maybe he could keep it that way. "What exactly do you think you'd be helping?"

"The pirate hunt, of course." She motioned to everyone around her. "That's your mission, isn't it? You have a list of areas suffering from pirate activity, and as a goodwill gesture on the part of the Southern Water Tribe, you're leading a mission to hunt down raiders and make the shipping lanes safe for the world again."

Well, if Azula thought that was full extent of their mission, they had one bit of good luck. "Yessssss, that's right. But why-"

"-did I decide to join?" She turned her right hand to examine her nails. "As you might have noticed- although given your behavior sometimes, I really do question your observation skills- I have dedicated my life to aiding my brother and making him a proper Fire Lord."

Sokka took a step forward, and when Azula didn't immediately start setting things on fire, continued walking on a slow approach to her. "I noticed. First you tried to teach him that ruling through fear was better than not being a complete monster. Then you had the whole scheme to convince him that Fire Nation people are genetically superior to everyone else. After that was the intrigue with trying to get yourself appointed head of the Fire Nation's military, as though that would have last more than five minutes even if you had succeeded. Oh, and let's not forget the big thing around you stealing the flowers from the center of the Iblis Vortex because you thought it would restore the Fire Nation's true destiny. After that-"

"Yes, yes, good, you've proven that were paying attention." Azula clapped slowly. "Well, considering the unreasonable way my brother has been reacting to my genuine efforts to help, I thought it might be time for a more indirect strategy. A strong Fire Nation needs powerful but subservient allies, and with the Earth Kingdom constantly looking for an excuse for retaliation, that makes the Southern Water Tribe our most reliable partner. This mission is important to your people, on the stage of world politics, and I intend to see that it's a success." She looked around at all the warriors on the deck, and gave a friendly wave. "Hello, everyone! You all seem very professional. I look forward to working with you."

Sokka was just short of stabbing distance from her now, and held out his sword so that it was pointed directly at her heart. "Azula, I can't let you take command of this ship and go running around looking for enemies to fight."

"Oh, of course not!" She turned back to him, a hint of smirk on her red lips. "I apologize for giving the wrong impression, Chief Sokka." There might have been a glint in her eyes before she dropped to her knees and pressed her head to the deck in a full kowtow. "I am here to serve you. I wish to become a loyal member of your crew."

Sokka blinked.

Azula was bowing to him.

Princess Kazan Yu Azula was bowing to him.

This was insane. She was insane!

So Sokka took the only reasonable course open to him.

"Get her," he said.

Five minutes later, Azula was overwhelmed, chained up, tied in a bag, fastened to a spare anchor, and thrown over the side of the ship.

And so the first problem of the mission was solved with surprising quickness and a satisfying splash.




Hours later, once the junk was past the Iceberg Forest and out on the open sea, Sokka retired to his cabin to make the first entry in his logbook. He opened the door to find Azula sitting at his desk, healthy and dry, writing something in his journal.

Sokka blinked.

"There you are," she said without looking up. "I took the liberty of updating the logbook as soon as we crossed into the Nanpono Seas. Is there anything else you need me to do, or shall I head out to the main deck to take command of the next crew shift?"

Sokka blinked again.

Then he drew his sword. "How did you get back here?"

"Carefully." She sat politely while he aligned the tip of his weapon with her face.

For a long moment, he just looked down blade of his sword at her, running scenarios through his head. Most of them had to do with attacking her, but although he was the deadliest sword in the Southern Water Tribe, he knew she was more than his match. And given the way she had survived her first exit from the ship, she hadn't let her skills soften.

So that left one option. He lowered the sword and shrugged. "If you're going to be a part of this mission, you'll need your own cabin."

She shrugged. "I can make do with a hammock, just like the rest of the crew. I’m not weak."

"Look, I'm not a woman-hating backwards savage like out of Fire Nation propaganda, but there's no way I'm letting you share a berth with a crew of men. Come with me, and I'll find you a room. It might be small, but at least it will be proper."

"Well, if you insist." She stood up and gave a quick bow. "Lead the way, my Chief."

He took her deeper into the ship, where the modern facilities had been installed within the wooden hull, and the homey halls became metal corridors that resonated with the thrumming of the engine. He led Azula down to the bottom level, and opened the door to a room at the end of a particular hall. "Here you go. I think we'll all be more comfortable with you staying here."

She leaned forward to look within, and he shoved hard against her back, shut the heavy door as she stumbled into the cell, and then flipped all five locks. He had some of the crew bring heavy crates full of replacement engine parts and stacked them in front of the door. Then he took the keys for all five locks and threw them overboard. Azula had become a permanent resident of the brig.




He wished he could say he was surprised when he returned to his cabin after dinner and found her sleeping on his bed.

She didn't so much as twitch when he sat down next to her, nor did she react when he let his sword tumble from his hands to the floor.

"You're not staying in here," was all he said.

She smiled without opening her eyes. "My Chief's word is my law."

TO BE CONTINUED
For the second Sokkla Saturdays challenge, a series of prompt-inspired shorts detailing a special seagoing mission that Sokka and Azula undertake together. Chief Sokka is trying to show that his tribe is worthy of being on the world stage, but what happens Princess Azula shows up in all her villainous, oblivious glory?

Next: Memory

Sokkla Saturdays: www.fanfiction.net/topic/16548…
© 2016 - 2024 Loopy777
Comments5
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shorewall's avatar
I admire Sokka's quick thinking.  Each attempt to finish Azula was decisive and unexpected.  Of course, her returns were even more so.

I agree with Sokka on not letting Azula stay with the crew, and not solely for her benefit.  Last thing Sokka needs is to be Long Feng'd.  :D

Gotta say though, I would be such a pushover to Azula.  I'd probaby be dead on th first night.  :P