Chapter 2

Chapter 2 After returning to what was left of my ship, I ordered my soldiers to round up everyone who worked at the resort. I should destroy them all for giving Iroh and Zuko a safe place to hide, but I will hold off for now. They may come in handy, especially if I offer a little added incentive. I created a poster with images of Iroh and Zuko. Then I stepped from the ship and addressed the gathered employees of the resort, holding the poster high above my head. "Anyone who harbors these two traitors will face the wrath of the Fire Lord!" I announced, rattling the poster for extra effect. The crowd let out a gasp. Good, just the kind of reaction I wanted. They fear me and they fear Father. It is now only a matter of time before the fugitives are firmly in my grasp. I consulted with my advisers, two wise old women, Lo and Li. They sat in lotus positions on either side of me as I contemplated my next move. "When tracking your brother and uncle, traveling with the royal procession may no longer be an

回到船上的残骸后，我命令士兵们把所有在度假村工作的人都抓起来。 我应该把他们都毁掉因为他们给艾洛和祖寇提供了一个安全的藏身之处，但我暂时不会这么做。 它们可能会派上用场，尤其是如果我提供一点额外的激励的话。 我用艾洛和祖寇的照片做了一张海报。 然后我从船上走下来，把海报举过头顶，向聚集在一起的度假村员工发表讲话。 “任何窝藏这两个叛徒的人都将面临烈火王的愤怒！”我宣布道，并把海报拍得更响。 人群倒吸了一口气。很好，这正是我想要的反应。 他们怕我，也怕父亲。 逃犯被我牢牢抓住只是时间问题了。 我咨询了我的顾问，两个聪明的老妇人，罗和李。 他们坐在我的两侧，我在考虑下一步的行动。 “当你追踪你的哥哥和叔叔时，随王室游行可能不再是一个问题

option," Lo stated. "It may no longer be wise," Li added. "If you hope to keep the element of surprise," Lo and Li said together. Wise words indeed. The pomp and grandeur of this huge ship, this royal procession with all its luxurious trappings, are my birthright. But in this case they may serve as an early warning signal to Zuko and Iroh that I am close at hand. Two individuals traveling light will have stealth, secrecy, and speed on their side against all this dead weight. If I want to catch my prey I must be agile and nimble. I must change my approach. I will leave all this behind. I need to enlist the help of a small, fast, elite team of operatives whom I trust completely. We will move swiftly and silently, and trap the fugitives when they least expect it. It's time I visit some old friends and recruit them to this all-important task. My first stop in the search for my team was a circus. I was looking for an old friend from childhood. Ah, there she is. It's been years since I've seen her, but she looks the same. Slim, athletic, and full of

选项，”罗说。“这可能不再是明智的，”李补充说。 “如果你想保持出其不意的话，”罗和李一起说。 真有智慧。这艘巨轮的富丽堂皇，这支皇家队伍的豪华装饰，是我与生俱来的权利。 但在这种情况下，它们可以作为一个预警信号，告诉祖寇和艾洛我就在附近。 两个轻装旅行的人将会有潜行性，保密性和速度来对抗所有这些沉重的负担。 如果我想抓住我的猎物，我必须灵活灵活。 我必须改变我的方法。 我将把这一切抛在脑后。 我需要一个我完全信任的小型，快速，精英特工团队的帮助。 我们会迅速而悄无声息地行动，在逃犯最意想不到的时候抓住他们。 是时候拜访一些老朋友，让他们来完成这项重要的任务了。 我寻找团队的第一站是马戏团。 我在找一个儿时的老朋友。 啊，她来了。我已经好几年没见过她了，但她看起来还是老样子。 苗条，健壮，充满活力

energy. She is working as an acrobat in the circus. What a dreadful waste of her talent—it is a disgusting, unpleasant place. What could she possibly see in all this filth? But it doesn't really matter. The next phase of her life, in which she serves her nation and her Fire Lord, is about to begin. I am sure of it. "Ty Lee, could that possibly be you?" I ask politely, knowing the answer. She turned and looked right at me. "Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed excitedly. Then she untwisted herself out of the pretzel-like pose she had been in, and bowed respectfully to me. Even though we are old friends, it is good that she knows her place—and that she realizes exactly who she is dealing with. "It's so good to see you, Azula!" "Please don't let me interrupt your… whatever it is you're doing," I said, glad that she was so enthusiastic to see me. She will prove to be a valuable ally. Ty Lee went back to her stretching as I wondered what she was doing here among the smelly animals and circus performers. She is, after all, the daughter of a nobleman, and she attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, just as I did. I'm certain her parents would not want her to end up in a horrid place like this.

能量。她在马戏团当杂技演员。 这是对她才华的可怕浪费——这是一个令人厌恶、不愉快的地方。 她能在这些污秽中看到什么呢？ 但这并不重要。 她生命的下一个阶段即将开始，她将为她的国家和她的烈火王服务。 我对此深信不疑。“泰·李，会是你吗？”我礼貌地问，知道答案。 她转过身来，直直地看着我。 “Azula !”泰·李兴奋地叫道。 然后，她从像椒盐卷饼一样的姿势中挣脱出来，恭敬地向我鞠了一躬。 虽然我们是老朋友了，但好在她知道自己的位置——她清楚地知道她在和谁打交道。 “见到你太好了，阿祖拉！”“请不要让我打扰你……不管你在做什么，”我说，很高兴她见到我如此热情。 她将被证明是一个有价值的盟友。 泰·李继续做着伸展运动，我在想她在这群臭动物和马戏团演员中间干什么。 毕竟，她是贵族的女儿，和我一样，她也上过皇家女子消防学院。 我肯定她的父母不会希望她在这样一个可怕的地方结束。

"Ty Lee, I have a proposition for you," I said. "I'm hunting a traitor. You remember my old fuddy-duddy uncle, don't you?" "Oh yeah, he was so funny!" Funny! What could she possibly find funny about that pathetic old man? My face tightened. Sensing my displeasure, Ty Lee quickly and nervously added, "I mean, what a shame he's become a traitor." Good. She knows when she's crossed the line with me. "I would be honored if you would join me on my mission," I continued. "Oh, I would love to, really," Ty Lee replied. "But the truth is, I'm really happy here. I love this life." I was not expecting her to say this at all, but I don't show my surprise. Her mind will change soon enough. "Well, I wouldn't want you to give up the life you love just to please me," I said, knowing that she eventually would. Ty Lee bowed. "Thank you, Azula," she said respectfully. "Of course, before I leave, I'm going to catch your show," I said sweetly. "Um, yeah, sure, of course," said Ty Lee, as a look of confusion crossed her face.

“泰·李，我有个提议，”我说。 “我在追捕一个叛徒。你还记得我那个老土的叔叔吧？”“哦，是的，他太有趣了！”有趣!她能从那个可怜的老头身上找到什么好笑的？ 我的脸绷紧了。觉察到我的不快，泰·李迅速而紧张地补充道：“我是说，他成了叛徒，真可惜。” 好。她知道她对我越界了。 “如果你能加入我的使命，我会感到很荣幸，”我继续说。 “哦，我很想去，真的，”泰·李回答。 “但事实是，我在这里真的很开心。 我喜欢这种生活。”我根本没料到她会这么说，但我并没有表现出惊讶。 她很快就会改变主意的。 “嗯，我不希望你为了取悦我而放弃你热爱的生活，”我说，我知道她最终会这么做的。 泰·李鞠了个躬。“谢谢你，阿祖拉。”她恭敬地说。 “当然，在我离开之前，我要去看你的演出，”我温柔地说。 “嗯，是的，当然，当然，”泰·李说，脸上掠过一种困惑的表情。

Later that evening I entered the circus tent for Ty Lee's performance. I was shown to a private area, and was seated in an elaborate chair that resembled a throne. Proper respect for the princess of the Fire Nation. I was pleased to see it. The circus master came hurrying over to me and bowed. "We are deeply honored to have the Fire Lord's daughter at our humble circus. Please tell us if there is anything we can do to make the show more enjoyable." "I will," I replied. I watched Ty Lee perform with confidence, high up on a tightrope. With the palm of one hand planted on a board that was balanced on a cylinder, she lifted her body straight up, her toes pointing toward the top of the tent. It is good to know her remarkable skills have not dulled with time. If anything, they have improved. "Incredible!" I exclaimed to the circus master. "Do you think she'll fall?" "Of course not," he replied, without taking his attention away from Ty Lee. "Then wouldn't it make things more interesting if you removed the net?" He looked at me, obviously shocked by the suggestion. But I could see that this useless circus

那天晚上晚些时候，我进入马戏团帐篷观看泰·李的表演。 我被带到一个私人区域，坐在一张精致的椅子上，看起来像一个宝座。 对烈火国公主应有的尊重。 我很高兴看到它。马戏团的主人匆匆向我走来，鞠了一躬。 “烈火王的女儿来到我们卑微的马戏团，我们深感荣幸。 请告诉我们，如果我们能做些什么，使演出更愉快。” “我会的，”我回答。我看着泰·李在高空的钢索上自信地表演。 她把一只手掌放在一个圆柱体上的平衡板上，笔直地抬起身体，脚趾指向帐篷的顶部。 很高兴知道她非凡的技巧并没有随着时间的流逝而变得迟钝。 如果有什么不同的话，那就是他们已经进步了。 “不可思议!”我对马戏团的老板喊道。 “你觉得她会掉下去吗？”“当然不是，”他回答，并没有把注意力从泰·李身上移开。 “那么，如果你把网移走，事情不是会更有趣吗？”他看着我，显然被这个建议吓了一跳。 但我能看到这个无用的马戏团