[center][b][u]King's Palace, Upper Ring Ba Sing Se[/u][/b][/center]

"Yes that will fit nicely, hmm, maybe a little more taut here..." the attendant muttered to himself as she ran her hands all over the gaudy gold robes that hugged against An's frame in an incredibly uncomfortable way. An attempted to move his arm to perhaps get some feeling back into it, but bending his elbow any further than the ninety degree angle at which they were seated seemed to risk ripping the robes, and the attendants quickly warned him how that would not do. An grumbled as they returned to tying and pulling and pinching.

[color=a36209]"Is this thing really necessary?"[/color] he asked as a massive crown was placed upon his head, making him appear as if he had a multi-tiered temple for a head. The attendants seemed shocked that he would even ask.

"Yes my King, the crown allows the spirits to see that you are above all others, the jewels show your wealth and power, and the gold represents your courage and honor, like that of the brave armadillo lion," the attendants said reverently, clasping their hands and staring off into the distance with satisfied looks on their faces. An sighed as he twisted and curled his toes within the gold slippers that contained them, he couldn't wait to be out of here.

"My lord!" someone called from within the castle.

[i]Oh thank the spirits.[/i]

[color=a36209]"Come in, I'm in my wardrobe,"[/color] An called out as a ceremonial blade was placed in his lap. He heard the door pushed open and the hurried steps of the messenger as he smashed through the attendants' make-up platters and clothing hampers, much to their chagrin and much to An's pleasure. The red-faced messenger fell to his knees in front of An, kissing the floor in front of him for a short second before hastily pushing himself to sit upon his feet as he spoke.

"My king, there's been a breakout in the 8 Path Prison, we are unsure as to the specifics but-"

[color=a36209]"Oh yes! Finally, something to do other than sit in this chair! Get me out of these robes, I have to go fight!"[/color] An yelled, throwing himself from his chair and beginning to tug at his robes. The attendants quickly mobbed him and forced him back into a seated position.

"My king, we need to finish dressing you! We can't delay the coronation any longer!"

[color=a36209]"But I wanna go fight!"[/color]

"My king please, this is far more important than some criminals breaking their cages."

An sputtered and pleaded but the attendants refused to budge even an inch. Finally An sighed and allowed them to continue.

[color=a36209]"Send General Fang and a unit of earthbenders, don't let them get out of the prison; the gates are opening so that the lower classes can see my coronation, and I'd rather not let a bunch of dangerous criminals jump onto my doorstep,"[/color] he said dejectedly. The messenger nodded and quickly left the room, leaving An once more at the mercy of the attendants, who began pouring water on his face. An sputtered and coughed out his displeasure but they continued a few seconds longer. Finally An had enough air to speak, and he coughed out the most pathetic "why?" he'd ever heard.

"We need to prepare your face for the paints! Speaking of paints, that beard's gonna need to go!" the attendants said in chorus, beginning to menace him with a number of pairs of scissors.

An screamed internally.

[hr]

"General Fang, you're ready?" Fang's batman asked as Fang finished clicking her armor into place.

[color=fff79a]"Saddle the Ostrich Horses, I want to get there as fast as possible."[/color]

The batman nodded and fled the tent.

Fang only had to wait a short time before the batman returned.

"Your horse has been saddled General, the men have already begun mounting up." the batman informed, clasping his hands behind his back. Fang rotated her wrist and strode over to the flap of the tent.

[color=fff79a]"Stay with the tent, I won't need you."[/color]

Fang left the tent slowly but purposefully, striding over towards the rest of the group with puffed chest. She mounted her ostrich horse and turned it back towards the gathered soldiers.

[color=fff79a]"You all know who I am and why we're here, so I'll skip the speech, but be assured, if even one of those prisoners gets away, you'll answer to me,"[/color] Fang said, deepening her voice as she spoke. [color=fff79a]"I'm sure you won't let them, that would just disappoint me,"[/color] she said with a smirk on her face. With a kick to the side of her mount, she took off towards the prison, riding through the streets of the capital with her unit in tow.