Ty Lee nearly punches her way past the doula when she hears Azula start to cry. She does not know if it is a horrible sign or a good one. She does not know if Azula is about to reject the child altogether, or if she is crying from happiness. In fact, Ty Lee has never heard Azula cry before, and so she has no idea.
"Azula," Ty Lee says as she stumbles towards her, kneeling on the dirty bed and ignoring that fact. The little one is clean; Zuko did those honors without asking a question or saying a word.
[Ty Lee was a little occupied being restrained by Mai and two healers]
The princess looks at her for a moment, the baby that tormented her mind for nine months resting so gently against her bare skin. The infant is a girl; Ty Lee was made aware of that while she was ready to chew through her own arms despite the warnings that she was adding stress to the room.
"Azula," Ty Lee repeats, the glossy tears against her ivory skin one of the strangest things Ty Lee has ever seen.
The baby girl has Azula's eyes. So beautiful, golden, priceless, those of royalty. Her eyelashes are dark and thick despite being so young, pink and squishy. And as Ty Lee lays eyes on her new daughter this monster wakes in Ty Lee that knows she would fight every type of bear, lion and tiger in order to protect the child, and that she would cut off her right arm for her, even if they have known each other for the extent of two seconds.
"I'm fine," Azula says quietly, her tone cold beneath the crackling of tears.
Ty Lee watches how strangely alert the baby girl is. Watching with those golden eyes, drinking in all of the people eagerly around her. But Ty Lee might as well be in a bubble with only Azula and her new, unnamed daughter.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Ty Lee asks as she moves closer to the both of them. She can feel the heat radiating from Azula like a hearth burning in the winter night.
"I…" Azula lowers her voice, giving her eavesdropping brother a dirty looking. "I had no idea that something so perfect could come out of something so imperfect as me."
Ty Lee does not know what to say to that. And so she just kisses Azula, because what else can she do?
It is the best kiss of Azula's life.