Chapter 3: Burnt at the Edges

Even without the influence of a firebender on the throne, the edge of the dias still glowed brightly. Occasional tongues of flame spat out from a recessed groove, fueled by a slow-burning mixture of substances Mai could only hope to guess at – incendiaries were not her forte. The raven-haired woman absent-mindedly twirled a knife in her hand and gazed about the royal hall from her vantage point on Zuko's seat.

Zuko's seat... Fire Lord Zuko's throne. She allowed herself a small smile.

How unlikely this had all seemed a few months ago. Last winter, Zuko was still just a bittersweet memory, one she carefully buried deeply away. In the spring, he was allegedly a target for her, a fugitive to be brought in for disgracing his nation.

And then there was the madness of the past summer: their trip home on Azula's ship, their dates in the capital, Ember Island, the eclipse and that damned letter, Boiling Rock, his coronation... and now she found herself in a room she never imagined seeing the inside of, slouching on the throne in a manner that was completely lacking in noble posture or lady-like poise. Her mother would faint if she saw her now, and her father might even do the same.

She wondered what autumn would bring and her smile broadened slightly. Despite herself, a short burst of laughter escaped her lips and echoed between the pillars fading into darkness.

"Oh Mai, was that you? It must be awfully funny!"

Mai immediately snapped out of her slouch and her reverie, her posture rail-straight. She composed herself in the blink of an eye and returned the twirling blade to concealment in her sleeve as she tried to trace the origin of the voice. She focused on the nearest pillar to her right.

"Ty, come out of there. You know I don't like you sneaking up on me like that. You're lucky I didn't pin you to that pillar... or worse."

"I wasn't next to the pillar."

Ty Lee's voice was suddenly very close and to Mai's left. Mai slowly turned to face her friend with a scowl and was met with a broad smile outlined in red lipstick and framed by white face-paint.

"I knew that."

Ty Lee pouted. "Really? I thought for sure I caught you off guard. I figure if I can sneak up on you," Ty Lee made a walking motion with her gloved fingers, "then I definitely won't make a mistake tailing those creepy old guys for Zuko. Guess I'll just have to keep trying..."

Mai let out a sigh. "Okay, you got me. I don't know how you did it with that ridiculous armor on, but you got me."

"I knew it!" Ty Lee beamed again. "You know, once you get used to the armor, it isn't so bad. And then when you take it off, the world seems so much lighter! I swear I can jump twice as high as before! So anyway, what was so funny?"

Mai couldn't help but feel a slight rush of heat crawl onto her face. She wondered how long Ty Lee had been watching her.

"Nothing, just thinking about things."

"Well, your aura was almost pink you know, so it must have been pretty good." Ty Lee glanced around for a moment, and although it seemed impossible, her smile widened even more.

"I don't believe in auras Ty Lee... what?"

"You were thinking about Zuko, weren't you?"

"No! Okay, yes. So what?"

"You have some sweet memories in here? Maybe right on that thro-"

"Ty Lee!" Mai bolted upright, the dim light in the room failing to disguise her tinged cheeks. She half-expected the flames to burst up around her. "That would be... inappropriate. Very... wipe that smirk off your face!"

"I'm not hearing a 'no'..." Ty Lee made no effort to disguise her enjoyment.

"You're such a... Zuko and I... that's none of your business." Mai concluded finally. "This is the first time I've even been in this room anyway. I was bored. Can we talk about something else or did you come only to tease me?"

Ty Lee's smile vanished quickly. Mai felt a pang of guilt but wasn't about to apologize just yet, at least not directly. She hadn't seen her friend in weeks, not since Zuko's coronation. Ty Lee seemed to be suddenly preoccupied, uncharacteristically lost in thought. Perhaps she hadn't offended the acrobat after all.

"It's good to see you again, Ty. Things are just so busy lately."

"I know. Actually, I came here looking for Zuko. I have a report for him." Ty Lee's smile had yet to return. She brought a scroll out of her sleeve and Mai winced wondering what unpleasant things the Kyoshi warriors had discovered on their covert missions in the capital city. If it was enough to dampen Ty Lee's spirits, it could not be good news.

"Zuko is away on other business, he asked me to kind of hold down the fort for him for a couple days. May I?"

Ty Lee handed the scroll over, and Mai opened it slowly. As she silently scanned the text, Ty Lee watched her friend's aura drop its last shreds of pink in favor of more gray, and periodically flare in bursts of rusty red. At last, Mai rolled the scroll back up and tucked it into her own tunic.

"Are these men all still in the capital?"

"Last we checked. I'm sorry we didn't get anything solid, just suspicious behavior, and all five met together a couple times. They were careful; we couldn't get much of their conversation."

"You did fine, this is a good start." Mai scanned the names again. "Qin is no surprise, his entire career was based around the war... Shinu I don't know much of, but his men... Mung lead the domestic forces... Bujing is just plain scum... Chan might take a piece of the eastern fleet..."

Mai looked back up at her friend. "Didn't we trash his beach house?"

Ty Lee shuffled her feet. "Yeah, we did. Zuko already paid for the damages out of the royal treasury though. He seemed grateful."

"Apparently not," Mai sighed. "Zuko will be back in two days. I technically don't have any authority right now, so we'll have to wait until he gets back before we can arrest them. Unless they do something like attack the palace."

The cloth draping the doorway to the throne room parted, and Suki strode in quickly. She looked very angry, and her footfalls were anything but quiet.

"Don't worry about arrests or attacks here ladies, Qin and his dinner guests gave us the slip. By the time we found out the War Minister's estate had an escape tunnel that lead directly to the royal docks, they had already taken Azula's ship."


Zuko stared blankly ahead as he crossed an open, grassy courtyard, flanked by an aging man clad in muted burgundy robes and bound by a wide white sash. Several other men and women sat, stood, or strolled nearby in similar garb, and some of those were clearly chaperoning other people outside. These wards were all wearing a dull yellow robe, but the outward similarities ended there. Some looked around nervously, some stared at the ground or the sky, some muttered, some howled, and some were simply silent.

They were all broken people.

The Tomo Facility, colloquially known as the 'Burnout Spa', was originally conceived by a more compassionate fire sage during the reign of Azulon, Zuko's late grandfather. It was built near the north-eastern tip of the Fire Nation mainland, not far from Ember Island. The original intent of the special hospital was to refresh and rehabilitate valuable officers who snapped in the line of duty for whatever reason, so that they could be used in battle again.

Over time, however, being sent here was considered a disgrace, and many soldiers and officers who were already on the brink of madness took their own lives before they could be treated.

Eventually, the facility was turned over for public use, but that also came with a considerable cut to the budget. Zuko was certain that his father would have reduced the cluster of buildings to ashes if he knew even one copper piece was being spent on healing the weak-minded.

The old man lead him to the end of the courtyard and through a set of doors which opened into a long hall. The hall was narrow and lit only by traces of sunlight spilling through narrow slits cut high into the yellow sandstone walls. Many doors were dotted along the lower half of both these walls, presumably each leading to one of the private rooms of the guests here. The old man trod forward and beckoned the young Fire Lord along.

The hallway eventually came to an intersection, and his guide stopped to read a plaque on the wall which indicated ranges of numbers. No matter how many euphemisms Zuko conjured in his thoughts, he could not dispel the knowledge that this place was just another prison, albeit one with more comfort than most.

I was justified sending her here... almost sent her somewhere worse. What am I doing here? Azula was crazy and homicidal, after all. A menace best left forgotten. And yet here he was.

"Room one-three-seven, according to records, Lord Zuko. That will be to the left here, and on the left side of the hall, nearly at the end."

Zuko nodded and decided he wanted some idea of what to expect.

"Anything else in her records you think I should know?"

The old man drew a scroll from a bundle at his belt and began reading as if reciting a list of groceries. "Patient admitted in a state of extreme duress. Behavior was erratic and extremely violent. Use of anti-firebending restraints authorized. Patient refused nourishment. Treatment-"

"Treatment?! Restraints and she's starving? Is she still like this? Why was I not notified sooner?"

The caretaker looked momentarily stunned, an expression Zuko mirrored briefly, but it quickly subsided. Certainly the healer was familiar with lapses in self-control.

"Lord Zuko, your sister's behavior is nothing we have not seen before. Unfortunately, this is combined with an extremely powerful firebending talent. Our actions were standard procedure. None of the staff here would contact you unless she got worse than when she came in."

"And how is she now?"

"Absolutely quiet, hardly moves, but doesn't resist being fed. She's in a trance-like state that I've also seen many times before, locked in her own mind. This will sometimes happen when someone's core beliefs are shattered as hers have been."

"Are you saying she has lost her old beliefs?"

"Not necessarily. She's re-evaluating them, most likely, although the process is certainly not as you or I would imagine it. She'll eventually decide to either irrationally cling to her old beliefs, inserting fantasy where necessary, or she'll build something new. She may flip between her old and new self. She may never come to any conclusion at all, entranced until her last day. It's really a bit early to tell."

Zuko's lordly posture collapsed. He nodded and turned into the left hall, his eyes keeping left to read the numbers on the doors. After a few minutes of numb walking, he came across a heavy iron door with the number '137' painted neatly on it. Zuko gathered himself up and knocked quietly, then he pinched the bridge of his nose and laughed softly. Still trying to convince myself this is some kind of resort. Perhaps his sister would somehow appreciate the gesture, but he doubted it. With a deep breath, he gently opened the door.

The room was stark, simple, but somehow cheerier than he expected. To his left was a small basin for water, and a vine-like plant hung in the corner. To his right, he could only see the corner of a bed, the rest obscured by the door he had opened. There was a single, narrow, vertical rectangle in the back wall that served as a window into the courtyard, allowing a soft light to wade into the room.

The walls here too were the same faded yellow of the rest of the building and the patient robes. Zuko felt it was a calming color, and suddenly wondered if strolling in here with his royal shades of red, gold, and black would agitate his younger sibling.

Then again, he expected his presence to do that all by itself.

Peering around the door as he closed it, he saw Princess Azula curled up at the head of the bed, her back against the wall and eyes staring at the window, or perhaps nothing at all. She was wearing yellow robes, as expected, and held her knees together, pulled close to the chest. Her hands and feet were wrapped and bound together in a grayish fabric, and this same fabric was wrapped around metal mittens. This was a common restraint for firebenders, as there was not enough air in the mittens to sustain any significant flame, and they were sealed with a kind of waxy resin. They prevented escape and self-injury.

Zuko noted with mixed feelings that she was not gagged, which meant that she could talk but also that she could breathe fire at him. He supposed that this made some sense as fire-breathing lacked the concussive force to blast through walls and iron doors, and a gag would certainly not be of any help in calming someone down. He also knew that even if Azula managed to get out of this room, most of the burgundy-robed workers doubled as guards, and if that wasn't enough the entire facility was circled by a high wall and more guards. The security seemed sufficient to stop any escape attempts, but Zuko knew that if Azula's mind were in the right place, she could probably figure a way out of any prison.

"Azula?"

The Princess did not respond or even acknowledge his presence. She looked so different without her armor, her makeup, her perfectly arranged hair.

"Azula, it's me. I, uh... wanted to talk."

Still nothing. Zuko clenched and unclenched his fists before deciding to step into her field of vision.

"Azula, can you hear me?"

This time, the girl blinked once and seemed to tilt her head slightly. Recognition poured over and darkened her face. Still, she said nothing. At this point, Zuko might have preferred she spit fire at him, just for some kind of communication.

"Look, you're probably wondering why I'm here, and why you're here. I guess I don't really know myself. Several people suggested you be sent to Boiling Rock. Others had more severe suggestions."

A blink. Zuko was becoming frustrated now. He wasn't sure if his sister was tormenting him again or if she had just gone mute, as the old man suggested.

"Don't you have anything to say? When we were kids, you teased me endlessly. When father took the throne, you shunned me. You lied to me all the time. I can forgive those things, I think. But you tried to kill me, multiple times. You tried to kill Uncle. Even when I was trying to let go and find some semblance of peace in Ba Sing Se, you hunted me down, determined to have me hauled away to rot in the Spiral Tower. At the Western Air Temple, you said you wanted to 'celebrate being an only child'. Is that what you've wanted all along?"

A slower blink. A slight twitch in her lip.

"After our Agni Kai, I had dreams. Mother came to me, told me she was heart-broken that her children were fighting. She made me promise to help you get better. I don't know why I'm doing it, but I do think it's what she would want for you. She'd want you to have a chance at-"

"Shut up." The words came out of her mouth, slowly, mechanically.

"What did you say?"

"Shut up, Zuko."

He expected to hear 'Zuzu' at the end, and wasn't sure why the fact that he did not made him actually feel worse.

"Why?" was all he could muster as a response.

"Mother didn't care about me, don't lie to me."

"What? Don't be stupid, of course she did."

Her voice was still dull, mechanical. "Mother didn't care, you don't care, Mai and Ty Lee don't care... even Father... go away Zuko."

Zuko looked at his sister carefully. He expected her to lunge at him at any moment, yet she did not. The cold and calculating expression always in her eyes was gone, replaced by a despondent gaze. Something in his conscience urged him to feel empathy for his sister. He remembered the same feeling when he thought she was going to fall to her death, or when she was chained to that grate and crying her eyes out, or even at the beach when she actually looked... vulnerable.

"No."

"No?" Azula asked.

"I'm not going away, not right now."

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

Zuko at first thought this was a threat, but the way she said it almost sounded... pleading.

"No."

"You should be. All those terrible things you said I did, I might do more." Azula looked like she was attempting to slip back into her familiar seat of power, but the impression was lost with her curled up as she was.

"You agree they were terrible then?"

"I didn't say that. I regret nothing. I did my divine duty. I was following the will of the Fire Lord."

"I'm Fire Lord now."

"I would never follow your will, traitor."

"I'm not a traitor!"

Zuko thought for a moment while his sister smirked. This was going to be complicated, probably dangerous. Yet this was probably the longest one on one conversation he ever had with his younger sibling.

"So, you weren't following the will of the Fire Lord, you were following the will of our Father," Zuko said.

"What's the difference?"

"Motivations. You wanted the same thing I wanted, Father's love."

"I'm nothing like you, I always had his love."

"Had?"

Azula winced. Zuko waited patiently. Azula seemed to draw back into her trance and stared at her knees. After a long silence, she looked up again.

"You're getting pretty good at this."

"Good at what?" Zuko asked.

"Manipulating people."

"I'm not trying to manipulate you Azula."

"Then what are you doing? Keeping a promise to a dream?" She laughed derisively.

"I don't know." It was an honest answer.

"Didn't I tell you to go away? If you're worried about me escaping, don't be. There's no point any more, no point in doing anything. I spent years at the Academy and hours of my own time, training to be the perfect Princess, the perfect daughter. I did everything I was supposed to and I still wasn't good enough, I still failed. I would have preferred you executed me, it's what I would have done."

Zuko stared at his sister, his mouth hung open slightly, completely dumbstruck. Never, ever, had she admitted failure. She never sounded so defeated. Zuko was suddenly concerned that she might kill herself. She could easily set fire to her bed at night and just let it burn her to ashes. Then again, this could all be a very elaborate play on his emotions. Azula could be looking for weaknesses as she often did, gathering information so she could strike and cause the most damage. She was a talented liar, after all. Still, she had never gone so far as to be self-deprecating in her lies, it was against her nature.

"Azula, I spent 3 years of my life at sea, constantly searching and training in hopes I'd find the Avatar and restore Father's faith in me. But he never expected the Avatar to resurface, he just wanted me gone. People are just tools to him, even his children. When have you ever done something of your own accord?"

His sister was back to only blinking in response. Zuko was not sure if she was still with him or not. He continued anyway, pulling on some of his Uncle's words from not so long ago.

"You have to look inward and ask yourself: Who are you, and what do you want?"

Azula blinked again, lucidity returning to her. She smiled, but there was no mirth in it, only a familiar sadistic cruelty. Zuko mentally prepared himself for an attack but it came only in the form of more monotone words.

"I am Princess Azula, rightful heir to the throne of the Fire Nation, daughter of Phoenix King Ozai, and prisoner of Zuko the Betrayer. I want you to go away."

Zuko's patience dried up. He was tired of her insults and her stubbornness. Maybe I should just execute her, it would be so much... simpler. He shook his head.

Perhaps he'd call her a monster, tell her no one will ever love her, and laugh mockingly. He was certain that was what she deserved, but he was also certain his dreams would become nightmares of guilt.

Instead he decided to just leave, as she repeatedly requested. This had been a waste of time.