The Officer and the Princess: The Flames Of War

Chapter 21

The air was warmer inside the factory than it was outside of it. Dark black metal made up its construction. The only color being from a series of red torches that dotted the hallways. As they carefully made their way through the building Azula couldn't help but worry about Sung, she had noticed since the two of them had reunited after so long apart he rarely if ever smiled, and if he did it was a false smile, no joy to be found behind the expression. She thought back to what Ty Lee had said about him, how he had a black Aura around him. Azula didn't believe in Auras any more than she believed in that Goddess Sung was always praying to but she could tell something had changed in him.

Every time there was even a mention of Kurns name she noticed his facial muscles would twitch ever so slightly, anger would flash across his face. The Sung she loved had never been quick to anger and if he did on the rare occasion raise his voice it was for a good reason. But Sung now was confrontational, the argument he had with Ty Lee about what it meant to be a Warrior was proof of that. Before he would have disagreements with people that was just human nature but Sung now took it to the extremes.

He had changed so much in five years that she barely recognized him any more, and that hurt. She knew someone she knew deep down that her Sung was still in there somewhere but a cloud had formed around him and wouldn't allow that light to shine through, it was almost like his mind was in a constant state of being ready for battle now, before he had been able to turn it on and off but now he constantly had a look in his eyes like he was expecting to fight. She swore after this that she would talk with him, she meant to make good on that promise. When they were far away from these Fire Warriors.

They traveled down a long hallway with doors on one side of the hall and windows with metal shutters on the others behind these doors were offices. Azula could think back to a time when she had been Princess of the Fire Nation, she was thirteen years old, a new factory not too dissimilar to this one had been constructed on one of the Fire Islands. It had been so long ago she couldn't remember where but she could remember it was a factory that made body armor for the Military. As a formality her father had ordered her to go on an inspection tour.

She could recall she absolutely didn't want to go, she had wanted to anything other than that. But being the "perfect" daughter she was back then she had obeyed her father, going somewhere she hadn't wanted to go and doing something she hadn't wanted to do. She could remember the factory foreman throwing tons of technical terms at her that she to this day didn't understand. The foreman had proudly boasted that his factory was able to produce over three hundred suits of body armor a day.

What Azula lacked in mechanical knowledge however she made up for in organizing. The second she had walked through those door she saw that factory could produce more armor if they took the metal scarps they had been discarding and throwing them back into the reforging process. Upon her "recommendation" the number of armor produced when from three hundred total to three hundred and seventeen. It may have been only a minor increase but it had made a difference. She had been so proud of herself that she had told her father expecting to be praised for her achievement. But instead he had just brushed her off, like he always did.

Pulling her mind back to the here and now they reached a four way hall way, the hallway on the left leading to a door that would surely take them back outside, the hallway directly in front of them being  continuing for some fifty feet before winding right, and the hallway on their right going straight. It would have been a needle in the haystack situation if it had not been for the helpful sign that hung from thin chains above their heads. Left was the emergency exit, straight ahead lead to administration and a canteen, and the right lead to the factory floor.

They of course went right, following that hallway for well over fifty one or more yards before they reached metal double doors. Sung kneeled down next to the doors and pushed his ear against the metal. He held this pose for a few moments before carefully placing his hand on the right door handle and slowly pushing outward. He then put his head near the crack he had created he peered through, turning his entire body so he could see through more of his small opening at one time. "It's clear as far as I can tell." Sung whispered before standing up. She heard him exhaling before he pushed the door open the rest of the way and they filed in.