Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the last air bender.

I saw a lot of fan fics that follow what happens after the end of the show so I decided to make one of my own. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

Iroh's Fairy Tales.

Zuko yells as he pushes everything off the planning table. He had been working all day, trying to get his country back in order after the chaos of the war and the stress seems to have finally gotten to him.

"Calm yourself Fire Lord Zuko…those scrolls did nothing to you." Iroh says with smile.

Zuko sighs. "I didn't realize being Fire Lord would be this hard…there's just too many things wrong with everything!"

"Sit down…and I'll tell you a story I used to tell your father when he got angry at the sea for destroying his sand castle." Iroh laughs as he remembers what happened.

"You used to tell my dad stories?" Zuko asks, surprised.

"Oh yes…all the time…before I went to go conquer Ba Sing Se anyway."

"I guess I could use a good story…" Zuko says, leaning back with a slight smile.

Iroh pulls takes a deep breath and exhales before beginning.

"Long ago in a distant land…there was a great kingdom whose people respected all life…and because of this everyone lived in peace and harmony.

One day the ruler of the kingdom was invited to attend a party in the empire to the south and being a people of good will the king was happy to go.

But on his journey to the southern empire…the king ran into a blind beggar who asked him for some delicious jasmine tea…mmmm."

"Why would a blind beggar want tea?" Zuko asks.

"Well one…because jasmine tea is the most delectable tea in the entire world…and two…is because I'm telling the story."

Zuko sighs. "Right…"

"Now as I was saying…respecting the life of the beggar the king gladly shared his tea with him…but it turns out that the blind beggar didn't want the tea and he wasn't blind.

He was a robber who only wanted the king's money…and being the peaceful man that he was had no choice but to give it to him.

And if that wasn't bad enough…the money was a gift to the southern emperor.

Having no gift to give the king returned home…sad and defeated.

That night two spirits came to him…a red spirit and a blu-…uh..orange spirit.

They told the king that because of his loss…they were willing to give him one gift for himself…but he had to choose between the gift from the red spirit or the gift from the blue…I mean orange.

The red spirit offered him immortality and eternal youth…so that he may gain the knowledge he needs to unite the world peacefully and live long enough to complete his task.

The Orange spirit offered him ultimate power so that he may unite the world by force.

Had the king been offered these gifts earlier, he would have chosen the gift of the red spirit…but thinking about the blind beggar…he did not know which to choose.

So the spirits allowed the king of day to make up his mind.

And the next day…he decided to ask his daughter.

'Which shall I choose?' asked the king

'There are many evil people in this world and few believe in the way of peace…but father peace is all we know…perhaps the power to force them would be the better choice.' His daughter responded.

The king made his decision and was ready to meet with spirits once again…but at noon the king encountered an undertaker.

'Surely he will support my decision.' The king thought to himself.

'War would bring me more money and make me a very rich man…but peace is all we know and even in peace…the dead are almost too much for me to handle…I think you should take the way of peace.'

Now the king was confused because now he was back where he started and the sun had already begun to go down.

He rushed to the bakery…but they had closed…he went to the blacksmith but he had already gone to bed.

But just as the king was about to give up a voice came from behind him.

As the king turned he saw that it was none other than the bandit from before.

Being the kind king that he was…he forgot about the robbers past deeds and asked him.

'Which should I choose?" asked the king

"There are many bad men in the world like myself and so it would make sense to choose power…but if you use that power innocent people will be hurt so it would be better to choose peace…but if you choose peace…the bad men like me will not obey.' And with that the bandit was gone.

But this time the king was left with a smile for now he knew the choice he should make.

'Have you made your choice?' asked the spirits.

The king nodded and said. 'I choose neither…being powerful will bring pain to those who don't deserve it and the side of peace will only bring peace to those who want it…but if I choose neither I can appeal to both sides.'

'Are you sure?' the spirits asked

The king nodded again and with that the spirits vanished and with the wisdom he gained the king became the greatest ruler the kingdom ever had and united the southern empire with their kingdom…allowing them all to live in harmony."

"Thanks uncle…" Zuko smiles.

"Can you figure out the moral of the story?" Iroh asks.

"Always choose what you know is best for everyone and not what you think the best choice for yourself is."

Iroh blinks. "No…the moral is to never share your Jasmine tea with blind beggars on the street!"

The End

"This way your highness." a soldier of the Dous unit beckons as he leads the new Fire Lady into the Fire Nation Rehabilitation Prison.

The Dous unit is an elite group formed by Fire Lord Zuko himself with the one purpose of standing vigil over the former princess now incarcerated within the cold steel walls of the prison famed for "curing" even the harshest criminals.

Although mostly noted for their sleek black uniforms, members of the Dous unit also carry the seal of the royal family, making them accountable to no one save the Fire Lord. They have permission to use this authority without question or hesitation, but only in matters concerning Ozai's daughter.

The prison itself had existed as an esteemed location even before the war. Situated on an island surrounded by water, it is a sensible bastion for the individuals society has deemed mentally unsuitable for everyday criminals.

Normally this location resided only with royals or high ranking generals and kept out of mind, but today for the first time in over one-hundred years a member of the royal family makes a personal visit to one inmate unfortunate enough to be kept there.

Mai's heart quickens as her foot makes that awkward first step into cold darkness which lies beyond the entrance. A merciful breeze caresses her face just before the heavy metal doors shut behind her as if to plead a change in mind.

Truthfully Mai never had any intention of ever visiting the prison nor would she ever have had agreed to the task had it not been for Zuko's constant wining or Ty Lee's continuous urging.

The subject always seemed to manifest itself every time she and the Fire Lord had a chance to talk, and there weren't many.

And although she would never admit it, Mai treasures those few moments she has with her Fire Lord; so much so that she is willing to face the person she promised herself never to see again.

The long walk through the poorly lit halls seems almost dreamlike as if nothing of this nightmarish place exists and the welcome reprieve of true consciousness will soon set her free from this ominous place.

At this point even Mai, the very same who swore to hate the mad princess forever, begins to wonder how her childhood friend could possibly survive here and in the same instant a small feeling of sympathy manifests; weighing heavily on her heart.

"It's her!" booms a voice out of the darkness, causing Mai to instinctively reach for a knife.

Fortunately for the prisoner, Mai is gently stopped by the Dous soldier.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave your weapons with me before I let you see her." he says before pausing. "For your safety..."

Mai does not respond, only waits for him to continue on.

It isn't long before the two halt and the guard opens the heavy door, leading to the special prisoner.

As the next room is slowly exposed, a somewhat pleasant surprise is revealed to the royal visitor.

Instead of a vile cell completely embraced in cold and expunged of any light, Mai sees a small yet beautiful round field of grass, surrounded by stone pillars and pristinely grown flowers.

No walls surround the field and no roof can be seen at any angle Mai tries to look. The room is completely void of darkness and open to the joyous rays of the morning sun which today happens to preside lovingly over a bright perfect day.

Mai is immediately filled with strong feelings of both anger and relief as her eyes behold the surprisingly peaceful sight.

Relief that the prison has at least one small scene of hope and a stay here for anyone could be quite bearable. Anger also gathers itself within her, because the one she had come all this way to see sits calmly on a stone bench in the middle of this paradise.

"Hold on…" the guard says, holding out his hand, stopping Mai before she can take another step. "Your weapons please Fire Lady Mai." He concludes with a slight bow.

Mai rolls her eyes and digs into her sleeves, pulling out a few throwing knives and continues only to be stopped again.

"Please…it's for your own safety." He says, holding out his hands again.

Ten minutes later the guard is up to his eyes in throwing knives.

"Can I go now?" Mai asks in an annoyed tone.

"Go right ahead." The guard responds.

Finally the new Fire Lady is able to set foot on the soft grass and she stops again, but this time because of shock rather than rules and regulations.

The moment Mai enters the small garden; the prisoner abruptly stands and walks closer.

"It's been a while Mai…I was beginning to think you'd never visit." She gives the cold yet poised smile Mai had come to know very well.

Even now, dressed in a simple red prison uniform and her hair down and uncared for, she still holds the posture and confident look only a warrior princess can hold.

Her eyes remain as cold as when the Fire Lady last saw them, her head still held high, and her stare still feels as if it drained the life from you, but Mai knows something is different; something has changed within her.

"Azula…" is all Mai can say before an overwhelming feeling of nervousness seals her lips.

Suddenly a surprising sound of rattling chains fills Mai's ears and now it is Azula who comes to a quick halt.

Mai looks down to Azula's hand bound behind her back and shackled together, around her waist is a metal bind equipped with multiple locks, and all her bindings are linked to the stone bench which is solidly stuck to the ground.

Right at Azula's feet is a white painted line, apparently to let the visitor know to what extent the prisoner can approach.

"It seems Zuko had the right idea sending you here." Mai continues with renewed confidence in her voice fitting of a Fire Lady. "They know just what to do…with monsters like you."

Azula turns and walks back to the stone bench keeping her back to Mai, but not losing the perfect elegance she had mastered many years ago.

"I know this may be hard to believe…" the princess begins with a shaky tone, turning her head, her eyes free of malice and full of what seems to be sorrow or even guilt. "but I've changed…"

"You're right…in fact I think you're trying to get me to feel sorry for you so I'll go back and tell Zuko it's alright to let you out."

Azula sighs and averts her eyes downward. "It isn't that at all Mai…the few months I've spent here…has shown me the importance of more important things than power and war." She says, her voice dripping with sincerity.

Mai folds her arms.

"I really wish you would understand…but I suppose you always were more willing to see the worst in people than the best."

"Enough Azula!" Mai shouts with such ferocity that even the princess was taken aback.

"I see Zuzu's temper has already started to rub off on you."

"Ty Lee told me that you had something to tell me…if these lies are what you wanted to tell me…then my visit is over." Mai turns to exit.

"Wait…please…" Azula says so humbly that even Mai freezes in her tracks.

"What?" Mai looks over her shoulder at the prisoner.

Azula turns slowly. "I…I...wanted to tell you…I'm sorry." She lowers her head, allowing her hair to cover her face. "I'm sorry for everything…I had hoped you and Zuko would arrive together so I could tell both of you."

"You think it's that simple?" Mai asks causing Azula to look up in surprise. "After all you did…you think a simple apology is enough for us to forgive you?"

Azula falls to her knees, defeated and broken as if the last bit of hope which held her heart together had been shattered and lost forever.

"Fortunately for you…Zuko still cares about you…" Mai says without fully knowing why, perhaps it was because of some deep down sense of pity, maybe because of guilt she knows she will feel facing Zuko after leaving his sister this way, or maybe because she sees it only fair that Azula knows somewhere beyond these prison walls someone is willing to accept her.

"Goodbye Azula…" Mai says as she continues toward the exit.

Unfortunately for the Fire Lady the exit is currently being blocked by two battle ready Dous unit guards.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Isn't it fitting…?" Azula smiles coldly as she stands. "That the power Zuko loves so much would willingly turn against him?"

"Please come peacefully Fire Lady Mai and you won't be harmed." One of the two guards says as both places a hand on Mai's shoulders.

The Fire Lady lowers her head in submission.

Crunch!

One soldier's head slams against the metal wall, shattering his helmet and sending him directly to the floor and before the other guard can blink he finds himself on his back with Mai using his chest to get a good running start.

More Dous soldiers run up behind Azula and remove her chains.

"Should we go after her princess Azula?" one asks.

"No…it's too dark for her to find the way out without help." The princess responds, taking a cloth out from her prison uniform and putting it over her eyes. "I'll take care of her myself."

--------------

A strong feeling of paranoia made itself comfortable within Mai's head. Her eyes have not yet adjusted to the darkness after leaving the sunny outdoors and the Fire Lady find it impossible to even see her hand in front of her face. She knows that every sound, every small clack or cling of metal could be an enemy.

With her arms fully extended Mai desperately tries to find a way out.

"Another wall? It's times like these I wish I was a fire bender." She whispers to herself.

The beating of Mai's heart forces her breathing to increase, feeding to her paranoia.

Clack!

Mai quickly turns to fight an enemy that may not be there.

She waits in silence for any sign of a pursuer.

Minuets pass and Mai struggles to control her breathing as not to give away her position or confuse her breath with a soldier's.

A few more minutes slowly pass without incident, but just when all seemed well an ominous whisper can be heard from behind her. At this moment Mai wishes it were soldiers that had found her.

"You told me once that you loved Zuko more that you feared me…" Azula whispers into Mai's ear, her voice full of both anger and satisfaction.

A chill runs up the Fire Lady's spine and try as she might her legs would not move.

"How do you feel now?" Azula says making her hands into fists, already inhaling deeply for a focused and merciless fire blast. "Good bye Mai…"

An inferno lights the dark halls for a moment as Azula's fury is unleashed.

Fighting Blind…

Crunch!

Azula is slammed hard against the hallway and falls to one knee.

"I'm not afraid of you Azula." Mai stands from her crouching position and turns in the direction she last saw the former princess and prepares to fight.

"You can't win…without you're weapons you're useless." Azula says, catching her breath.

Mai's eyes narrow. "Then we both have surprises to show each other." She says just before dashing forward to attack.

Azula senses her approach and as soon as the two are close enough throws a fiery punch; however, just before impact Mai grabs the princess' arm and turns so that they touch back to back.

Azula gasps as she is swung face first into the wall.

The joy Mai felt after the attack soon passes as everything goes quiet again. She feels around with her hands and feet, but finds nothing save floor and wall. It's as if her enemy vanished.

Seconds seem like hours as the Fire Lady constantly turns, blood rushing through her body like water through air and the paranoia returns as her surroundings begin to blend together.

No sounds at all can be heard, except Mai's own breathing and her feet hitting the metal floor.

Then all at once several sets of running footsteps make themselves known. Confused with the sound of so many sets Mai finds herself unable to think clearly and before she can lift a finger she feels the sting of the prison wall.

"You are the reason Zuko lived long enough for him to take everything from me." Azula's voice comes from the darkness as her hand wraps around Mai's neck, pressing her against the wall. "Now…you will be the reason for his downfall."

--------------

Bad news…

"I don't want to tell him…you tell him." One guard whispers to another.

"Are you kidding…he's been in a bad mood already…just think what's going to happen when we tell him!" the other guard says, wagging his finger at the first.

"Alright alright…we'll flip for it."

"No way!"

"You think I play with a double sided coin?"

"They're all double sided!"

"Alright then…okay I got it." Says the second guard "I'm thinking of a number between one and ten…what is it?"

"Uh…five?" the first guard responds, scratching his head.

"You guessed it…guess that means you tell him."

"Hey! Wait a minute…you cheated!" yells the first guard.

"You two guards!" Zuko calls as he approaches them.

"Yes Fire Lord Zuko!" the both stand at attention and salute.

"Have either of you seen Mai since she left?" the Fire Lord asks.

"Uh..no but he has something to tell you about that." The first says with a smile.

The second guard narrows his eyes.

"Well what is it?" Zuko looks at him.

"You see…" the second guard scratches his head nervously. "The thing is…"

"Spit it out!"

"Azula took command of the prison and took the Fire Lady captive sending us this note telling you what she did!" he explains so quickly he needs to catch his breath at the end.

Zuko's eyes widen and his fists tighten.

"That wasn't so bad." The first guard says just before being pushed into the wall by a rather large aggressive fireball.