Strange sickness befall Fire nation forcing most of its residents to be locked in beds unconscious or extremely sleepy while other could barely move sluggishly from one place to other. The firebenders suffered worse case of it compared to nonbender residents and the stronger firebender was the worse conditions it experienced. The life in capital was completely paralyzed with only couple peasants moving in empty streets, dragging its sleeping residents to safe places like hospital, apothecary, …etc. All shops, restaurants and other public places were left empty as if no one had time to properly close them with merchant wares still on their stools as if waiting for their owners to return. It was so sudden and unexpected that no one had time to do anything. As strange as it may be there were no thieves to take unguarded treasures since everyone were locked in their homes and lying unconscious or trying to tend to their relatives or simply hiding. One would think that with capital paralyzed, regional nobles would try to cease more power in their governed islands, but even there things weren't that much different with local populace suffering from similar albeit lesser condition. This new decease was spreading through entire Fire nation and no one knew why or how to contain it. Some, who were still awake, thought it was spirit scourge to punish them for all their bad deeds or it was dishonor the new fire lord brought to them, but they were powerless to do anything to change and could only murmur.
Fire lord Zuko was bedridden, but still awake enough to send word to summon his friends: avatar Aang and Katara, hoping that they could help him and his nation. Aang could deal with any kind of spirit shenanigans anyone may be brought upon Fire nation while Katara and her knowledge of healing could help alleviate or outright cure this damned disease. At same time Sokka was traveling together with them and decided to come too. Sokka was executing his father's order to never leave his sister out of his eyesight, except during extreme circumstances, to make sure Hakoda didn't become grandpa before his time actually came. That being said Sokka had to survive lots of oogies while trying to prevent or interrupt them anytime he could. It was extremely hard job for Sokka since after Aang and Katara announced everyone that they are going steady, they would spend any opportunity they had to kiss each other without any shame that everyone around then could see them. Sokka was already getting sick from all those "sweety".
Sokka, Katara and Aang, arrived to Fire nation palace and met Zuko in his room drinking some nasty beverage. Sokka saw how Zuko was gagging with every gulp, but continued to drink it. Zuko greeted his new guest and explained to them everything about this strange sickness that plagued his domain. Everyone where shocked by the huge amount of sick people or how fast this new sickness has spread. According to Zuko everything was fine and the life in capital went as usual then next day half of population didn't wake up and no one knew what was happening or what to do. Local healers and fire sages were incapable to find the source of it or cure it before this strange sickness claimed them and it only grew worse with more people succumbing to the so called Sleep sickness as the time passed. Soon the reports started to come from neighboring islands that they too experienced this new sickness. There even were reports that some people would fall unconscious on street while walking to see healers, jobs, or to meet their relatives. The fear started to spread though nation and everyone locked themselves in their houses trying to avoid it, but even there the sickness claimed them. In some islands there were still people lying on ground in some streets, but no one dared to try to move them, unless they were close relative, thinking they may be contagious.
"So you have epidemic on your hands, Zuko." Sokka was the first to recover from what Zuko has told them.
"Epy… what?" Zuko was unsure what that word meant or if he was finally succumbing to decease.
"Oh that's just a word I made up. Epidemic! A bunch of people suddenly fell ill and no one knows why or how. It's better to call it epidemic than plague and scare the shit out of everyone, not that there is anyone to scare here with everyone lying on the ground eating dirt. Now when people would start to die out left and right in front of you no one would care if you called it plague or any other shit." Sokka explained his mind. "No one died yet?"
"This is not a time to fool around, Sokka!" Katara silenced Sokka with bump to his shoulder.
"No one died yet, but at same time no one recovered and woke up either. I pray to sprit that this disaster end quickly before it got any worse. Its already several days since it started and i glad you arrived so quickly." Zuko replied to Sokka's question.
"At least that's good. Now that we are here we will surely find a way how to end this … accident. Don't worry about it." Aang decided to brighten the mood. "I will look for spiritual cause while Sokka and Katara help locals."
The group dispersed and moved on their separate ways: Aang going to fire temple while Sokka and Katara moved to palace infirmary.
o0o0o0o
Sokka was walking palace corridors while caring bunch of buns in his arms and looked for way to his room. All corridors were dimly lit and he most likely took wrong turn somewhere and now was walking aimlessly. He hit his feet to something and fell on the ground dropping all his food. The kitchen wasn't working so he had to serve himself and delicious looking buns were standing on table so he took them and went to his room before he fell on ground. Sokka started to collect then and didn't notice how he entered one of many rooms, where buns had rolled, nearby. Because this room, unlike the one where Zuko hid, had windows and was brightly illuminated Sokka managed to note that he wasn't alone in the room and once again dropped all his buns on the ground. The reason for that was because no one else, but the princess Azula herself was lying in this room and knowing her reputation, it scared Sokka with chills running his spine that the princess would rise up and set his ablaze. Sokka put his hand to his mouth to make sure no sound escape it and potentially woken deadly scary princess. After initial shock ended and Azula didn't move, Sokka decided to move closer to check on princess condition. The princess was lying so still in her bed that someone may even though she was dead already which in current situation could be very likely. Sokka moved and stood right beside her and could actually see that there were nothing that could identify that the princess was alive. At same time his other half of brains screamed to him that this maybe clever plot to attack him when he was distracted and he should flee this room as soon as possible. Sokka ignored that part and lowered his head toward princess to get better look at her. He didn't dared to lay his head on her chest to listen if her heart was still beating and instead decided to use other way to check if he isn't in room with a corpse. Sokka took a mirror from his pocket and moved it toward her lips. After the war has ended and Sokka was assigned to cock block Aang and Katara, he started to carry small mirror with him everywhere. When Katara once asked why he was looking so often into that small mirror, Sokka replied that he should always look perfect because now he is war hero and all girls want him. Aang and Katara thought that this hero worship complex finally got him and started to ignore Sokka's strange behavior. What they didn't know was that it was part of Sokka's clever plot to always have his eyes on them even when he had his back turned. It helped greatly to disturb all times when Aang and Katara started to kiss and Sokka had to interrupt those oogies. Now this same mirror will serve another purpose. To check if Azula was still alive.
Sokka hovered the mirror near Azula's lips for several minutes and then retrieved to check the results. He was relieved to find that this small test had positive results meaning that the princess was still alive. Sokka carefully collected his buns, which where lying scattered all around the room, and silently left the room hoping no one will notice that he was here. With the palace crew so small it would be only his bad luck if someone saw him.
Next day when he visited Zuko he learned that princess Azula has died. Apparently Katara and junior healer apprentice – palace physician succumbed to sleeping sickness and left his apprentice in charge – were doing check up on all palace resident when they entered princess room and found her dead.
"I couldn't find her heartbeat." Katara told to everyone that was in the room. What she didn't tell was that she thought that no one would miss if Azula would be proclaimed dead and tiny palace staff, mostly made out of sleepy Kyoshi warriors, could dedicate their time for anyone else that needed their attention. Both Sokka and Zuko were shocked by this news: Zuko because Azula was his sister while Sokka because he saw Azula just yesterday.
"We need to think about her funeral before her body starts to rot and become source of any other disease." Katara continued to talk.
"It will take several days maybe even week because of how understaffed we are." Zuko thought loudly. Current palace staff consisted mostly of Suki and her Kyoshi warriors, but even they were starting to feel sleepy.
Once the meeting was done Sokka's curiosity led him to see Azula to make sure she is really dead. Sokka couldn't believe that princess could die from some simple disease. He always thought that her life would end somewhere on the battlefield or from old age surrounded by her family if she found someone brave or stupid to marry her. It was funny how sometimes those two things come together. Sokka wouldn't be disturbed by corpses if he saw any, because he already saw plenty of them before the war has ended. His famous airship slice created one of biggest graveyard if you could name what has happened that day. Sokka saw how people jumped out of damaged airships trying to avoid going down with them or the explosions that rocked them when their structures gave up and flammable gasses keeping them in air combusted in huge fireballs and even if someone survived contact with ground from jumping so high they still died when raging inferno consumed them. It was truly disturbing view for anyone that looked down: people, corpse, and body part all consumed by fires. Sokka was glad that Aang, after defeating fire looser Ozai, decided to create huge tidal wave to extinguish fires, because not only it extinguished inferno but also washed most of corpses or their remains back to sea and away from his sight. Fishes had huge feast that day. Lots of men died that day.
Sokka moved to Azula's room to check if what Katara said was true and to see for himself. He used same trick with mirror and got same positive results, which confused him why Katara could think Azula was dead. Was he doing something wrong or did Katara misunderstood something? To be sure princess Azula was still alive Sokka removed the sheet that covered her body and put his ear on her chest to listen for her heartbeat. It was here, barely, and could be easily missed, but still it was here. That confused Sokka even more: how could Katara, a master healer, miss such important thing? As much as he would like to keep the things as it were, Sokka couldn't let this thing happen and let Azula to be burned alive on ceremonial pyre. He made up his mind and went to confront Katara, who was tending to other sick palace residents.
"She is alive!" Sokka told to Katara after she done her job in palace infirmary.
"Who is alive?" Katara asked as if unsure about what Sokka was talking there.
"Azula is still alive." Sokka replied to Katara. "I went to check on her today. She is still alive. There is no need for funeral."
"It must be your imagination Sokka. The princess is dead. Let her rest." Katara stated and tried to move past Sokka, but he grabbed her arm and led her to princess bedroom.
"Check again on her!" Sokka told to Katara and brought her to Azula's room. Katara seeing that there is only one way to stop Sokka pestering her, removed bed sheet covering princess body, raised Azula's pajama to expose her body, and then after summoning water around her arms started to check on Azula. This procedure took several minutes, but when it was done, Katara turned back to Sokka standing near door and told him same thing she told him during the meeting.
"I don't know what ever you did or saw here, but it must have been your illusion. Sorry Sokka, but princess Azula is dead and there is nothing I can do for her. We don't know how this sickness works, but if you are starting to see hallucinations, I suggest you should go with me and we will check if you haven't contracted this decease."
"I am not sick! She still has heartbeat and is alive." Sokka tried to counter his sister.
"Who is the doctor here, Sokka? If I say she is dead it means she is dead! You are wasting my time that I could have instead spent helping other." Katara replied to Sokka and left the room after fixing Azula to leave her in same state as before she entered her room. Sokka was completely lost. He knew what he saw, but at same time Katara's word rung in his head telling the opposite to him. Something was not right here and he needed to find out. If Azula was still alive he couldn't let her getting burned alive because he couldn't live knowing that he did nothing when he could have saved her even if … Sokka decided not to dwell on those thought or bad things could happen. He needed to keep his mind clear if he wanted to solve this puzzle. Luckily he had several days for that and to decide what to do and if he was right and Katara was wrong.
o0o0o0o
Sokka came to conclusion that he was right and Katara was wrong or maybe wanted to dispose of Azula, because she still resented her for what she did to Aang during the war. There were lots of thoughts spinning in his head why Katara wanted Azula to be dead, but Sokka couldn't believe she could do it and instead decided to go with idea that Katara, no matter how good healer she was, have overestimated her abilities and was blissfully unaware that she may be wrong and Azula may be still alive. Sokka couldn't think that his sweet sister could murder someone. So to avoid accidental murder, Sokka decided to take Azula's body with him and leave the palace. After all when there was no corpse there was nothing to burry or burn in this case and no funeral. He couldn't just take her out of her bed and just leave he wouldn't go far. Things didn't work that way. What he needed was a plan and a good one or in two days Azula would become ashes in ceremonial pyre. He wasn't sure if this kidnapping could worsen her condition, but he had to try to do something.
Two days later Sokka was walking, well it was more like sneaking, palace corridors to get to Azula's room to take her with him. The cremation ceremony was scheduled to take place later that day afternoon, a plenty time to get her out before anyone would notice her disappearance. Sokka's black suit perfectly blended with shadows and made him invisible which would be over kill since entire palace staff consisted only of ten Kyoshi warriors with Suki, Katara, and younger healer or in other words the chances to meet someone was almost nonexistent. Sokka was unpleasantly surprised when he found princess room empty and started to run to main palace plaza where Kyoshi warriors were seen gathering wood for Azula's funeral. Sokka hoped he could arrive before it took place. He took mask – he found it in one of many palace rooms – out of his pouch and put it on just in case he needed to fight anyone because he didn't want to be recognized or his entire plan would come to waste. On his way to plaza he managed to run into Katara and they both fell on the ground. Katara was momentary scared seeing blue mask appear out of nowhere and tried to summon the water from her pouch to strike at this sudden foe, but blue spirit was faster and knocked her out with a hit to her head. Sokka momentary thought what to do and dragged Katara into nearby room, lying her on a bed to rest before she recovered, and then continued on his path.
Suki was helping Zuko to stand up and move to main palace plaza where princess Azula awaited her final journey to meet her ancestors. Although she greatly protested about him moving out of his bed, she had to accept the fact that Zuko was unyielding and demanded that funeral should go according to tradition and that fire lord was responsible in setting fire to ritual pyre to take dead relatives. Now she and Zuko were standing near huge pile of wood with princess Azula laid on top of it while one of Kyoshi warriors read through holy scripture. Normally fire sages would do that part, but with all of them sick, it was left upon Kyoshi warriors to take this place. There were only several other Kyoshi warriors attending the ceremony with Katara promising to come there if she could spare some time. The avatar was still out busy looking for spiritual cause and since no one notified him of this new development, he wasn't present here, with his body still meditating in fire temple while his spirit wandered in Spirit world. The reading was finally done and Zuko motioned to help him move forward to say the last words before igniting the pyre and letting Azula on her final journey. They both moved forward before something hit Suki in back of her head and forced them both to tumble on the ground. Suki was out cold when Zuko recovered and was met with familiar view. The blue spirit was here! Zuko's body couldn't take it anymore and shut down joining Suki on the floor unconscious. Sokka moved in and subdued remaining Kyoshi warriors before stepping near huge pile of wood and taking Azula's body. It was time to leave.
Sokka took unconscious Azula to palace stables where Appa was currently staying and put her into cradle. Then when he was sure no one was nearby to see them, he commanded Appa to rouse into air and flew to the outskirt of the island where Sokka had ship waiting for him. The ship in question was small and could be run only by one man. Sokka borrowed it from harbor since no one would use them when everyone were afraid to leave their homes. After taking and caring Azula into the ship, Sokka released Appa and told him to return back to palace, then set of in direction only he known. By that time he was already feeling sleepy and didn't know if it was related to this strange sickness. He managed to navigate ship into deep seas before sleep consumed him and he fell asleep where he stood, letting currents to take then.
Sokka didn't knew how long he was asleep, but when he woke up he found himself still standing behind the wheel with the ship far from any known landmark in open sea. Sokka decided to check on Azula to see if her condition didn't worsened and that she was still alive. He would be extremely disappointed if Azula decided to finally hit the bucket and Sokka would be left with no option, but to do sea funeral for her. He didn't look at that idea and hoped he didn't need to do it. He was relieved when he found that Azula was still alive. Now Sokka needed to think what to do next because he didn't planned to get lots on sea. The night has come with Yue shining bright in the sky. That and the stars helped Sokka to find his current position and he was surprised to find out that he was near Earth kingdom shores, or maybe it was that new republic that born from former colonies. Now that he knew his current position and direction the ship was going it was easy to steer it closer to the shore and into local harbor where life was continuing as usual. Sokka meet up with local healer and asked her to check on his "wife" that suddenly fell ill at the sea. The healer told him that his "wife" was alive and there should be nothing to fear for him – it was mostly because Sokka played the role of panicked husband that only recently got married and didn't want to be widow so early in his life – but also told that she has never saw such case and couldn't find the problem that she could cure. When Sokka inquired who could help his poor wife, the healer offered him direction to go and look for hermit herbalist that lived somewhere on the top of nearby mountain with some runs and that if she couldn't find what plagued his beautiful wife no one could. Sokka was grateful for this information and asked where he could buy any ostrich horse for such journey or any other mean of transportation and was surprised when healer offered him one if he promise to return it back. Several minutes later Sokka took Azula and some supplies and went to pointed direction to find the cure. Since the local healer ensured him that his "wife" was still alive, Sokka was now even surer that Katara overestimated her knowledge as master healer and that it was only fluke that she declared Azula dead.
The journey was slow because Sokka had to hold Azula to make sure she don't fall off from his mount and because Sokka feared that rushing ostrich horse would be sure way for them both fell from it and left to wander the land when his mount run away, but finally he reached his destination or at least what looked like some sign of civilization, huge stairs to the top of mountain. Sokka carefully dismounted, bound his ostrich horse to the pole, picked up Azula in his hands and started long climb upwards since he wasn't sure he could command ostrich horse to move up without dropping Azula from his hands.
o0o0o0o
"Can you help my wife, please? She is sick." Sokka asked old woman sitting in greenhouse with her cat.
"Yes, yes, everyone wants help. Follow me young one." The herbalist left the greenhouse and moved into one of many surrounding building. After the check up was done she told Sokka that there is nothing to worry about and that his wife should be fine before leaving the room where Azula was lying and returned back with bowl of some cream. A medicine.
"You need to apply this to her chest once a day. Make sure you cover all skin from neck to her stomach for best effect and your lovely wife should recover in no time. Normally I would do such thing, but I am too old for this and my arms are no long as good as they previously were and since you are her husband, I see no problem to let you do it for her." The herbalist instructed Sokka, who was standing outside, on Azula's current state before pushing bowl into his hands. "I have never seen such bad case."
Sokka entered the room where Azula was lying on table only in her underwear, put the bowl nearby and thought what to do.
"Everywhere?" Sokka asked unsure of what to do.
"Yes, my dear. Make sure you cover all her chest up to the stomach with this medicine." Herbalist repeated her instruction. "I don't think it should be any problem. Go on do it! Oh you are shy to do it with such old crone like me here, well don't worry I am going to leave now. Show some love to your lovely wife."
Sokka continued to stare at Azula, but when the herbalist left and closed the doors, Sokka's hands slowly and carefully moved to raise Azula and undo her breast wraps while burning from shyness since he never expected to do so. He prayed that Azula wouldn't accidentally woke up and burn him for what he would have to do to help her. After the deed was done he laid her back on table, put his fingers inside the bowl to scoop some medical gel and for the first time laid his eye on topless princess before him. She was truly beautiful! Sokka tried to avoid looking at her breast, but his eyes would continue to return back to them just to glimpse at them. Sokka has never seen naked woman before and not only he had one now before his eyes but will also have to touch her. He was literally burning from shyness and wanted to run out of this room. Sokka conquered his growing shyness and started slowly massage her neck and moving down. Azula's skin was soft and pleasant to touch. Somehow that helped him to relax and continue his job. His hands moved even lower and touched her breasts before starting to massage them. That old lady said he needed to cover it all and he would do so. Sokka took more gel and continued to massage Azula's breast at same time ensuring himself that he was only doing this to help her recover from this strange illness and that there was nothing personal or erotical no matter what his body, mostly his lower half, told him, but for some reason he couldn't lift his eyes and hands from her breasts and they would return there even if he tried to move them somewhere else.
Finally Sokka done covering all Azula's chest with medical gel and went to look for herbalist to learn more about the cause and the cure of this illness. At same time thinking how many of gel he could carry back to Fire nation or maybe even asking for receipt to make it there if it would actually work on Azula.
"All done!" Sokka exclaimed after finding herbalist sitting in one of many building with her cat on her lap. "Can you tell me from what kind of illness suffer my wife?"
"Overdose of žiopliupienis geltonosis, but it's still too early for them to bloom." Herbalist replied while stroking her cat. "Don't worry, it normally would have passed on its own in one or two weeks, but that gel will greatly accelerate her recovery. I have never in my life seen such heavy case; were you drinking or eating them or what?"
"It's a plant of some kind?" Sokka ignored the question since he never heard about such plant nor was he ever interested in any of the grass or anything edible, plants mostly, because he was the meat guy and no plants were growing in barren ice land he called home.
"Yes, it's a rare native plant, but your firebender wife may know it under other name of Nozuhokonor… I see neither name tell you anything so would only say that this plant grows only in one place and all firebender try to avoid it by mile or at least that's what I have heard. Its pollen makes them to fall asleep on spot if they enter that place."
"And that gel is the only way to cure her?" Sokka was unsure how that old lady knew that Azula was firebender because he didn't say anything about it.
"Gel only works when you are outside flowers blooming territory and don't work while inside it. For some reason those flowers only affect firebenders while local populace only get little bit sleepy. It's unknown on watertribe like you." Herbalist looked at Sokka who was a bit surprised and disappointed.
"You were so fast to diagnose it and must have lots of experience with it." Sokka spoke his mind.
"You could say that! When you are old as me you tend to know such stuff, but I mostly remember it because of one special event. Long time ago when me and Miyuki were still young and full of life this medical institution was visited by a group of firebenders that had similar condition. I can remember it like it was today. They were five men three of them had different case of same overdose with 'perfume man' having the worst of it." Herbalist started her story and saw how Sokka's eyebrow popped up mentioning perfume man. "Well … the perfume man wasn't his name or title, I named him that way because he had too much perfume on himself and made my small Miyuki feel bad. The two healthy firebenders threatened to burn everything if we didn't help them so i started to do my job with that medical gel I offered to you. Everything was working fine, until I found that my kitty made a mess on perfume man face. She was young energetic kitten and liked to run and jump anywhere. When I saw that she shit on perfume man face I thought the firebenders would burn us all for such act and rushed to clean it before it was too late, but that same firebender captain came into the room to check on his sick men and saw me and shit on one of his men face. He asked what I was doing and trying to save myself and everyone else I lied that extreme case requires extreme treatment and covered all perfume man's face with shit. The captain asked if there was other way that putting shit on that man face and I once again lied that that it was the only way if they wanted to stay on their schedule. Firebender captain wanted that we healed his people fast so that they wouldn't need to stay here for more than five days. I guess that's what saved me and everyone. Your wife should recover at about same time, but if you want for her to recover faster we can put some shit on her beautiful face too" Old woman laughed and Sokka laughed imagining how stupid Azula would look with shit on her face.
"Please don't put shit on her face or she would kill both of us if she learned about it!" Sokka half joked half seriously stated it.
"After the fourth day every firebender were awake and ready to travel, except perfume man who was still a little bit sleepy. I made sure to remove all shit from his face when I saw the first signs that he was waking up." Herbalist continued her story while Miyuki decided to leave herbalist's lap and somehow managed to jump on Sokka's head. "See she still do it! Where was I? O right the firebenders left and one week later platoon of Earth kingdom soldiers came here looking for firebenders. That is where I learned that one of firebenders or to be precise the perfume man was prince Ozai. I put shit on Fire nation's fire lord face, can you believe it?" The old woman once again started to laugh and Sokka joined her too.
o0o0o0o
It was the third day since Sokka arrived and started to treat Azula and once again he had his hands on Azula's breasts while was covering her chest with medical gel, but unlike previous days, this day was special because today Azula woke up from her long sleep and looked at Sokka scaring the shit out of him.
"Enjoying yourself, peasant?" Azula's eye pierced Sokka, forcing him to stop what he was doing, and tried… and failed to stand up. Her body refused to move even an inch.
"Are you going to kill me?" Sokka asked after recovering Azula's voice and blundered the first thing that came to his mind.
"It depends on what you are going to say next so start explaining! Where we are and more importantly why I am naked and you are groping my boobs!" Sokka was sure that if Azula could kill with her looks, he would be already dead, then he looked at his hand and found that they were squeezing her boobs. He instantly removed them as if they touched something hot and got burned.
"Hmmm … welcome back to the land of living, princess." Sokka replied awkwardly. "I kind of stolen your body before you turned into ash and cinder on ceremonial pyre."
"I was considered dead?" Azula's tone betrayed angst creeping inside her mind and helped Sokka to relax a little bit now that her eyes weren't piercing him through. "I guess I would have to thank you, but you still haven't answered what are you doing with your hands right now?"
"I didn't do anything improper and only applied medicine to you once a day." Sokka tried to sound as calm as possible and failed.
"Well don't stop then! I have to be in top condition to devise proper punishment for you, peasant." Azula smirked at Sokka. "So where are we now? This look like some Earth kingdom place."
"What is the last thing you remember?" Sokka asked Azula and tried to change the theme.
"What is there to say. It was normal day. I went to sleep in the evening and then I woke up here with you enjoying yourself. What has happened when I was sleeping?"
"Entire Fire nation fell asleep with people falling unconscious left and right, in houses or streets. Zuko said it was mostly instant effect. And he summoned us to help him find the cause of this strange sleeping sickness. That's how I got there. Later my sister announced that you have died and everyone decided to go with funeral. I decided to see if you actually hit the bucket and after being greatly disappointed I had to do something to prevent my sister from accidentally killing you, so I stole your body and found someone that would help you. That's how we got here."
"You will live for now and maybe even be useful later. Now finish your job and bring me something to eat I am starving!" Azula commanded Sokka with her usual smirk.
o0o0o0o
Next day has come and Sokka was outside of house since his service was no longer needed and Azula decided to apply medicine on her own even if she was still very weak and could barely move. The sun shine brightly and the weather was nice. It was summer after all. Since Sokka had nothing to do he observed flies dancing in the air when he saw dust cloud approaching his current position and several minutes later he saw its cause. June was here.
"My oh my, just look what we have got here!" June exclaimed after dismounting from her shirsu. "I should have thought something was fishy when your sister contacted me and asked to find dead princess body." Normally June wasn't so talky and took action without waiting for anything, but Sokka's presence here changed her plans.
"I am sorry to announce, but here is no dead princess. You must have been greatly mistake, June." Sokka replied and fully stood up to face her and her beast.
"Oh that's not a problem! I can make it look like dead." June moved several steps forward.
"I advice against it!" Azula appeared on threshold with blue fire in her hand. "That's a fine beast you have, it would be real shame if something has happened to it."
"And here comes the dead princess!" June exclaimed with the smirk seeing that she was right on what was happening here at same time evaluating her chances.
"So what? You two decided to run away and get married? I should have thought you, Sokka, would be somewhere nearby when regent Katara signed that letter." June looked at Sokka and Azula and laughed. "Then I learned that some tribe boy was extremely scared since his wife fell ill on the sea."
"A bounty?" Sokka asked surprised by this new information.
"Yeah! Too bad it is too small to be worth to fight the princess and that entire ruckus it would cause." June looked around to assess the situation. The princess Azula was formidable enemy; the one June didn't want to have on her list. She could fight them, but what good that will do to her and even if somehow she managed to defeat them she was wary if she could hold them prisoners if her shirsu would be greatly injured. Some deals are just not worth the trouble to get the pay and June knew that very well. To find and deliver dead body was easy task, to actually fight that 'dead' body was whole different task. Yes, she had delivered lots of lovers back to their parents or guardians, but no one shoot lightning out of their finger tips and June didn't want to test if she could dodge it.
"Good bye then. I was nice to see you, June." Sokka looked how June turned around, mounted up and disappeared out of his sight. Then and only them he dare to move his eyes to look at Azula and wonder how she managed to stay on her feet and look so strong and confident. Apparently Azula was holding on some secret reserve of strength, but now that June left and Sokka looked at her it all evaporated and Azula fell on the ground. Sokka noted that and rushed to help her stand up and lead her back inside the house.
"You are still weak and need to rest!" Sokka told to Azula after getting her to bed.
"I am fine. Don't worry about me. If your sister really put bounty on my body we can't stay here for long. Next time we may not have such pleasant encounter." Azula tried to counter Sokka before reality hit here. "How dared that water witch take something that rightfully belonged to her?" At same time it also told her that Fire nation was in even bigger ordeal if waterbender was considered as regent. Azula sat in her bed and though how to get out of her current situation.
"So let's get the things straight! First; my nation is paralyzed because of some plant and it should be huge amount of to make everyone asleep. Second; You sister used this chaos to become regent of Fire nation; next she put bounty on my body and now all bounty hunters will be looking for us. Lastly I can't enter my own nation or I would fell asleep instantly. Did I miss something?"
"Nothing. You get everything right!" Sokka nodded at Azula.
"Fan-freaking-tastic!" Azula rouse her hands in the air and several seconds later fell to lie in her bed.