Chapter 21: Infiltrating the Party

"Earth!"

"Fire!"

Sokka and Aang sat down on the ground, cross-legged, playing a short game as they waited for Katara and Toph to return from the dressing room. Aang smiled, realizing he had won that round and proceeded to flick Sokka on the forehead, as per the rules of the game.

Soon, the door to the dressing room finally slid open, revealing a freshly pampered Toph and Katara; the two of them wore silk-like robes, and the gentle fabric softly draped over their frames. Holding a pair of stylized fans in each hand, both girls giggled at the frozen faces of the boys in front of them. They had been in that room for the past few hours, but the sudden change in their appearance was still surprising.

"Wow, you look beautiful," Aang fawned with an infatuated gaze.

Katara opened her mouth to respond to the airbender but was immediately stopped by Toph's folded fan covering her lips.

"Don't talk to the commoners," the blind girl instructed with a firm voice.

"If this is how you guys will enter the party, how will we get in?" Sokka asked, gesturing to himself and his bald friend.

"Don't worry. We'll find a way to sneak you two in. Otherwise, you can just dress up as waiters and enter that way," Toph replied, although the second half of her statement sounded like a joke.

For the next few minutes, the teens talked about the remaining details of their plan, but the time for the party to begin was slowly closing in. Eventually, the four of them left the house and quickly caught a carriage as it headed to the Earth King's palace; passing by the blocks of populated streets on their way there, the teens couldn't help but feel excited at attending such a high-profile party. The carriage dropped them off at the front walkway to the palace before it turned around and headed back onto the main street. Staring up at the absolute majesty of the Earth King's palace, the four friends took a moment to take in the size of the building.

Toph was the first to speak up upon seeing the line to enter into the party; dozens of people were waiting patiently in front of the entrance, all gossiping and talking with one another. Heading to the back of the line, Katara and Toph waited until it was their turn to enter.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Ba Sing Se…

Azula and Ty Lee quietly snuck through the back entrance to the Earth King's palace; although they were already dressed in the Dai Li uniforms, they still tried to keep their presence hidden, at least until they got into the party.

"Uhhh, Azula," Ty Lee whispered, prompting the princess to slightly hum to indicate she was listening.

"Why isn't Accelerator going with us?" she asked, curiosity adorned her face.

"Like I said, my reasons for not bringing him is of not concern to you," Azula shot back.

"Well, yeah, but I thought we needed him to cause a distraction in order for the plan to work," Ty Lee continued.

"Change of plans," Azula said, "You're going to be the distraction."

"What?! Me?!" the girl screamed back.

"Shhhh. Quiet down," Azula shushed, with a finger over her lips.

"But, Azula, I….I can't do that. If I get caught, there's no way I can fight all of those Dai Li agents by myself," she said, resuming her whispering voice.

"You don't have to fight them," the Fire princess stated, "you just have to create some sort of commotion that distracts them from protecting the Earth King."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Ty Lee begged.

"Figure it out," Azula spat.

Ty Lee lowered her head in defeat and nervousness, "Why are you being like this?" she said, allowing her words to linger in the air for a moment.

"What did you say?" the princess angrily asked, turning around to face Ty Lee.

"Oh, uh, Nothing," the scared girl said, putting her hands up in defense.

Azula merely looked at her with an expression of lasting irritation even as she turned back around; continuing along the path that led up to a large entrance, the two girls walked into the reverent abode of the Earth King's palace and wandered down its halls.

Azula's gaze was set ahead of her, but in truth, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going; her mind was wandering, and she passively let it do so.

What exactly was her reason for cutting off her ties with the white-haired esper? If she considered everything he had done in their time together, hardly any of it was worth severing his connection with her, and to that extent the Fire Nation itself. Truthfully, there was nothing he had really done 'wrong', it was actually quite the opposite – he was the most helpful and trustworthy person she had ever met, at least in battle. He was fearless and ruthless, two traits that she valued highly and were almost impossible to find.

So what was her reason for leaving him alone? It wasn't for any practical reason, that was for sure; he was practically the definition of a 'Trump Card' – overwhelmingly useful in almost every situation. No, her reason for doing so was rooted in something else. But what?

Azula's eyes slightly widened as a single consideration crossed her mind.

It was what he said to her the night prior, when he called her 'beautiful'. Of course, the simple act of complimenting her wasn't anywhere near enough for her to cut him off, but it was definitely what sparked her to take such an action. When he said that, in all honesty, she questioned his motivations; what reason would he have for telling her that? – other than the fact that it would allow him to get into her good graces. Maybe he only complimented her because he knew it would benefit him in the long run.

Azula shook her head in a blatant attempt to rid herself of such thoughts; these things were irrelevant – the only thing that was important was the mission at hand. Continuing down the hall, Azula and Ty Lee suddenly slowed to a stop upon seeing a Dai Li agent emerge from a room to their right. Turning his head in their direction, the agent proceeded to walk towards them, getting closer with every stride.

"Azula, what do we do?" Ty Lee whispered.

"Shhh. Keep quiet. Let me handle this," the princess shot back.

While in the midst of walking, the Dai Li agent decided to speak up, "Hey, you two, what are you doing over here? The party is going to begin in a few minutes, and we need everyone in position as we bring the King out."

Azula bowed to the man in silence, signifying she understood his 'orders'; the man gave her a blank look and studied her for a second before he turned back around and headed down the hall.

"Follow me," he commanded, prompting the two girls to reluctantly quicken their pace in pursuit.

As they walked, Azula stared intently at the man's back; he hadn't said much, but the look he gave her was enough for her to become slightly suspicious. Almost as if moving in single file, the three of them walked into a large, spacious room that was the size of a moderately sized courtyard.

Covering the majority of the room were rows upon rows of tables, each one covered with an expensive-looking linen cloth; candles were set up in the center of them, although they had not yet been lit. Wide columns shot up from the floor and stretched to the ceiling, emphasizing the hugeness of the room even further. As Ty Lee and Azula continued to follow the Dai Li agent, they were surprised to see a line of other agents that were positioned against the wall, all of which were facing the room.

"Here, you two shall wait in position until it is time to bring the Earth King out," he said before turning around and swiftly leaving the room once more.

Azula slightly turned her head, just enough to get a view of the Dai Li agents she stood next to; there were about 10 of them that stood motionlessly against the wall, as per their orders. It's like they were a row of mindless dolls – totally devoid of soul and character. Azula would've been creeped out a little, if not for the fact that her very own Fire Nation soldiers displayed the same type of mechanical devotion.

The situation was becoming much too complicated; she didn't expect that she would be expected to do things like this – it was messing with her plan. Now, she had to be careful not to break character, or else her cover would be found out. The only thing she could do now was to just stay put until the party began.

Within the next few minutes, some people began to enter the large room and sit down at their designated seats; at first it was somewhat unnoticeable, but very soon more and more people started to show up and take their seats. The sounds of social mingling began to gradually increase as the attendants engaged each other in casual conversation and friendly banter. Pretty soon, the whole room seemed like it was full of people, and the echoes of murmuring filled the entirety of the space.

Caterers were also present, walking up to people and presenting them with the impressive spread of horderves that covered the plates. Some of the guests held glasses of wine in between their fingers as they laughed and cheered over whatever topic of conversation interested them.

As she watched the events of the party unfold in front of her, Azula's attention was quickly grabbed by the sudden approach of a man who walked up to the center of the room and ascended atop a stage-like platform, turning to the group of people.

"Dear invited guests," the man began, holding his arms out in a welcoming fashion; the volume of the room lowered to a respectful hush as he spoke.

Having the guests' undivided attention, the man continued, "I am Long Feng – personal Chancellor to the Earth King. It is an honor for me to announce that the party shall begin in a few moments; the Earth King himself places a great amount of emphasis on the importance of this gathering and its guests. The peace in Ba Sing Se has lasted for hundreds of years, all of which may be dedicated to the Earth King's rule as well as his predecessor, so it is only right that we celebrate such a momentous achievement by enjoying the bountiful feast that have been made by our finest chefs. So please - eat up, and 'Long live the Earth King'."

The man, Long Feng, concluded the speech as he reached for a small glass of wine on the table nearest to him; after raising it into the air, in a toast-like manner, the man then took a small sip of the golden drink.

"Long live the Earth King!" the crowd of people chanted in unison, following Long Feng's lead as they raised their glasses as well.

Giving his audience a small smile, he then walked off from the platform and made his way to the back wall of the room as the guests resumed their conversations, filling the chamber once again with noise.

Azula straightened her back a little as she watched Long Fend slowly approach the line of Dai Li agents who all waited patiently for him; taking a look at his garments, Azula could tell he was definitely ranked quite high within the Earth King's officers.

One of the Dai Li agents stepped forward, the same one who led Azula and Ty Lee into the room, and he gave a type of salute to Long Feng who merely nodded his head.

"Captain, are your soldiers prepared?" he questioned with an intense stare.

"Yes, sir," the soldier quickly replied, "before the event begins, I have something to tell you sir. In private, if I may."

Giving the Captain a strange look, Long Feng joined with him mere feet away from the rest of the Dai Li agents; as the two of them talked quietly amongst themselves, Azula couldn't help but try to listen in on their conversation. Their words were practically silent as the Captain whispered something to his superior; glancing over at them after realizing that relying on her ears was pointless, the Fire Nation princess decided to read their lips instead. Even then, it was nearly impossible to get anything from the conversation, but something about Long Feng's facial expression made her wonder what exactly they were talking about.

Almost as quickly as they had walked away, they returned – Long Feng regained his composure before he turned back to the Dai Li agents.

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid there's been a sudden change of plans," he began, placing his arms behind his back, "apparently there's been an altercation somewhere in the palace. I require some of you to quickly accompany me to deal with this matter."

Glancing over the row of Dai Li agents that lined the wall, Long Feng then freed one arm from behind his back as he pointed his finger.

"You, you, you, you, and you – come with me," he commanded.

Among the five that were selected, Azula and Ty Lee were surprised that they were both chosen; not having much choice in the matter, the two of them joined the group as all of them followed Long Feng across the room. Coming to an entrance on the far end of the room, the group of Dai Li agents walked into a dimly lit room that cut them off from the bright glamour of the party; the sounds of the guests died down as they walked further into the room.

Azula cautiously looked around the room while the agents in front of her continued onward; she didn't like how thing were going one bit. Glancing back a little behind her, she took a look at Ty Lee who seemed just as concerned as Azula was.

Coming to a large couch that sat at the back end of the room, Long Feng turned to the group as he carelessly sat down.

"You know, I've been a part of the Earth King's cabinet for years now," he said as he slowly opened a bottle of champagne and poured it into a small glass that sat on a table in front of him, "I know practically everything that goes on within this city's walls; the arrival of the avatar was of no surprise to me…"

His voice trailed off as he took a generous sip of the contents within the glass.

"However, what HAS surprised me is something that I'm going to take full advantage of," he said, before pauseing.

"Gentlemen, it has come to my attention that there are individuals who entered Ba Sing Se without me knowing about it; these people are not supposed to be here. And yet….they're standing directly in front of me."

His final words hit Azula like a hammer, and her heart began to quicken.

"There are two individuals in this room right now who must take me for a fool," he droned on with a hint of anger, "however, I only care about the presence of one of them."

"Tell me: did you truly think you could deceive me?..." he leaned in with a sinister smile, "…Princess Azula."

End of Chapter 21

Author's Note: Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! What's gonna happen next? – who cares, how about a poem to calm everyone down:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

If you love your parents,

Then please comment soon.