Guards. Rows upon rows of guards. The marble walkway that led to the three ceremonial steps of the wider, shiny marble space between the twin geometric side buildings were edged with them. Aang was shocked to realize that apparently, the Fire Lord didn't trust his old friend's elemental powers any further. But what shocked and worried him even more, was that this particular unwelcome touch was directed specifically at Azula. No, he hadn't forgotten the events five years ago. Rather, he'd always interpreted them differently compared to everybody else. Also, he'd been forced to realize just how much five years might cause a person to develop. Just look at himself.
The main hall of the central palace building wasn't much better. Here, behind the double rows of gold and marble side pillars, Fire Nation and foreign dignitaries thronged and jostled, anxious to catch a look of the Princess and her guardian. Which was how he'd reluctantly come to view himself. Here too, the majestic red-carpeted walkway was flanked with uniformed Royal Palace guards, armed and ready. Ready for what, Aang just couldn't fathom. Surely Zuko didn't expect his newly arrived sister to unleash her flames and lightning at him at the welcoming ceremony?
Gods. Maybe he did. Maybe everybody else did, too.
The journey there from Ember Island had been uneventful and in his opinion, even enjoyable. He'd spent some time persuading the Princess to let him teach her how to steer Appa and handle his reins, something that after the initial protests, she'd taken a great delight in. Which had in turn caused the journey there to take another two hours. Maybe the extended wait had put the Fire Lord even more on edge. However, Aang himself believed firmly that it had served a purpose.
As they approached the raised dais of the Phoenix Throne, a hushed but audible cloud of whispers emanated from the congregated assembly to follow in their wake. Before them, the bright orange screen of flames rose up on each side before the figure on the magnificently carved and gilded throne. On the left, partially obscured by the fire, the Fire Lord's wife was seated on a somewhat smaller, lower throne. As they stopped before the dais, Aang sensed more than heard or saw the Princess' mirth. A quick sideways glance assured him that her pale face was perfectly composed and still, devoid of expression. As if at a given signal, she kneeled gracefully on one knee, bending her long neck slightly. Aang supposed that as a shows of reverence go, it wasn't just a passable but a very elegant one. As the whispers and exclamations from behind them turned quite loud, he remained standing by the Princess' side, muscular arms crossed over his chest.
A gesture from the Fire Lord made the orange curtains of flame disperse. Kneeling, Azula took that as her cue. Her voice was proud and strong, enough to reverberate through the Palace Hall and reach the ears of everybody present.
"Fire Lord Zuko. On your invitation, I've returned to Caldera and the Royal Court. Command and I shall obey."
Zuko's yellow eyes widened significantly. Rising from the throne, he crossed the deep red marble dais to stare down at his visitors. In the five years since Sozin's comet, he'd grown his hair long and affected a similar hairstyle to that of his father. The Fire Lord's crown sparkled tantalizingly, firmly attached to his topknot. His eyes were wide, the pupils hugely dilated. If with fear or some kind of arousal, Aang couldn't discern.
Imposing in his deep red, gold and black royal robes, the Fire Lord stopped at the edge of the dais. On the smaller throne at the left, the Fire Lady stared down at them, luxuriously dressed in black silk with gold embroidery. Underneath the sharp edge of her black bangs, her narrow face was as devoid of expression as a fashion doll.
"Avatar Aang. I trust the journey from Ember Island was an uneventful one?" Zuko's voice trembled slightly.
Blast it, Zuko! Just speak to her, all right?
Aang's grey eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "Very pleasant and highly uneventful. The Princess picked up on how to steer Appa very quickly. Indeed, she has quite a talent for managing Air Bisons."
An imperceptible gasp from the Fire Lord. All right, so there was no way he could stave off addressing his sister any longer. His voice was stiff and formal.
"Princess Azula. As your brother and ruler of the Fire Nation, I bid you welcome back to the Royal Court. From now on, your presence will be required here. One of the Royal suites has been prepared for you. I trust that you will find it to your liking. Avatar Aang. A word, if you please."
Wow. That was curt. He's really fucking scared. All right.
"Of course." The curt bow was a token. As his eyes alighted on Azula, the look in them shifted significantly. This time, the bow was deeper. He reached out with a big hand to assist her to her feet.
"Princess Azula. I trust that I will see you at dinner tonight."
There was an amused glimmer in her large fiery eyes. "You most certainly will, Avatar Aang. Until then."
She swept out to exit the Throne hall through a pair of double doors on the left side, accompanied by a significant number of Palace guards.
Zuko was pacing the space behind his ancestor's gilt and marble desk again. However, this time he wasn't alone in his office when the Avatar arrived.
"Katara?" Aang's voice was guarded.
She embraced him with warm dark skinned arms, pressing her plump body to his.
"Oh, Aang! I've been so worried for you these past few days! I'm so relieved that you're unharmed."
Unclasping her arms to push her away gently but decisively, he refused to meet her bright blue gaze. Instead, his eyes met those of his friend over the shorter woman's head.
"I appreciate your concern, Katara. However, there really was no need. There was never any cause whatsoever for alarm. Is that what you called me here to discuss, Zuko?"
The Fire Lord twisted uncomfortably beneath the unwavering grey stare. The scar around his left eye had flared up into a bright strawberry red, leaving the eyelid looking puffy and swollen.
"I… We… Katara was worried, Aang. We wanted to make sure that you'd come to no harm."
The Avatar crossed the floor to seat himself in the large carved armchair across from the Fire Lord's desk. Regarding his friend and his former girlfriend with narrowed eyes, he crossed his big muscular arms across his chest. He refused to take the bait.
Katara was fingering the blue Waterbender symbol of her necklace nervously. As the official midwife and healer to the Fire Nation Royal family, she was required to wear clothes made out of the finest silks, brocades and velvet. Still, she still preferred long simple blue dresses edged with white fur. She'd eschewed the complicated court hairstyles of fashion, and wore her long brown hair simply pulled back to fall loosely down her back. Her large blue eyes were round and anxious. Suddenly, internal pressure seemed to get the better of her.
"But Aang! I know you like to be on top of things, but this is just too much! I mean, this is Azula we're talking about here! She already killed you once! Then, I was around to bring you back. But this time, Zuko was foolish enough to send you out to deal with her on your own! Oh, when I think about all the things she could have done to you… Zuko, how could you!? You should have told me, so I could have come with them. I know how to handle Azula."
At the last sentence, her soft warm voice turned into something that, in a less caring and maternal woman, could have been interpreted as a hateful snarl.
The Avatar stiffened visibly. Then, he rose. As he passed his former girlfriend, he paused to shoot her a hard level stare.
"You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Katara. I don't need you to handle Azula, as you put it. Your meddling in this is completely uncalled for. Zuko, if you want to talk, you know where to find me. If there's nothing else, I'll retire to my rooms to have a bath."
As they stared dumbfounded at his broad back, the door fell shut behind him with a bang.
"Was it really necessary to be that harsh with her? I mean, Katara still has feelings for you. Also, the things she's done for all of us really can't be measured."
"Stop pacing, Zuko! If you want to join me in the bath, you're welcome. The hot water might have a calming effect. If not, just sit down and have a glass of wine. As for Katara, she seems more interested in you than me these days. Don't you agree?"
Zuko blushed significantly. "Don't be ridiculous, Aang! She's just a close friend. Besides, if you'd gone ahead and married her, then..."
The Avatar raised a large hand to interrupt him. "No, Zuko. Just no. I don't want to hear another word on that subject. Katara and I are finished. She just doesn't interest me that way. Physically, I mean. Besides, I'm a grown man. I don't need her to mother me anymore. In fact, it's fucking annoying. To have her imply that I'd need her to come along to deal with Azula is bloody ridiculous. Besides, it's a fucking insult. Both to me and to Azula. We're not 12 or 14 anymore. Things have changed, Zuko. Katara had better learn to live with it. So had everyone else."
The Fire Lord's yellow eyes were sharp. "Meaning?"
"Meaning that things have changed, Zuko. And so have we. We're older. We've all grown up, at least most of us. I don't know about Toph." He laughed.
"You're saying that she's changed?"
"Go talk to her and find out for yourself, Zuko. I'm not saying that she isn't dangerous. That would be naïve in the extreme. What I'm saying is that she's grown up. She's been allowed to mature and develop into her own identity without the interference of Ozai. Zuko, as much as you don't like to hear this, I think we all exacerbated her breakdown. The environment she's been in these past five years is radically different. The people there treated her quite differently, and in that managed to affect her behaviour and feelings. I don't propose to understand it, Zuko. But from what I saw, they managed to bring out the best in her. Oh, wipe that fucking incredulous look off your face! I'm as surprised as you are. But I saw and heard the people at that place responding to her, Zuko. Of course, she's still as deadly as a cobra. But there were people there who actually cared about her. Who looked up to her, trusted her and considered her their friend. I don't mind saying it was quite a shock. But a good one, if you get my meaning."
"She managed to trick them. Azula always lies."
"Not always, evidently. They actually valued her help in different ways. Oh, I'm not so naïve as to think she doesn't still manipulate people to her own ends. I'm just telling you what I saw and heard. Once she arrived there, Azula snapped out of her psychosis pretty fast. Those people are experts at what they do. What really struck me is that they seemed to genuinely care for her. Patients and staff alike. No, that's not what I expected. It's all very strange."
A slight tremble ran through Zuko. "So, she isn't paranoid or likely to attack us at the slightest provocation. She's able to make people fucking like her. I'm not sure that makes me any calmer, Aang! What if she manages to turn everyone against me? What if she-"
"Now who's being paranoid, Zuko? Actually, Professor Kotaru said something very helpful. Yep, she's got the poor man wrapped around her little finger. Still, he's a very staunch and experienced assessor of the human mind. He said that if you were to make peace with Azula, she would be the most powerful ally that you could possibly hope for. Provided that you could find the means of assuring her of your loyalty, of course. He said that kind of bond only works two ways. Remarkably astute, don't you think?"
"They… they trust her?" Zuko's voice was a whisper.
"Yes. It would seem they do. As for myself, I don't mind saying that I find her intriguing. Then again, I suppose I always have."
"You… I mean I… Do you think you'd mind making her your responsibility, Aang? I mean, you don't have to guard her or anything. Just make sure that she stays entertained and doesn't create too much of a havoc here at court. I… I mean, I think Mai's pregnant again. I can tell she's very worried. She's back to practicing her dagger throwing skills again."
The Avatar laughed out loud. "Afraid that Azula will retaliate, is she? Well, Mai's one tough cookie. However, if you'd both offer Azula some kind of compensation or apology, I think it would help things tremendously. I mean, you don't have to grovel or anything. Just treat her with respect and acknowledge that you feel bad about what happened. That should be better than anything."
Zuko's eyes widened. "Apologize? To Azula? Are you out of your mind, Aang? She'd interpret it as weakness in a flash!"
The Avatar shook his head patiently. "Now Zuko, what kind of talk is that? Didn't you vow to the Fire Sages to do anything in your might to restore your bloodline? I would have thought that the pride of you and your Lady was a small price to pay in order to ensure the survival of your offspring."
The sigh that left the Fire Lord's lips was monumental, as if he'd just received a death sentence.
"All right, Aang. I'll talk to Azula and tell her that I'm sorry. I'll make sure Mai apologizes for siding with me, against her best friend. All right. But you'd better take on your part in this, do you hear?"
Aang nodded slowly, an odd smile on his wide mouth. "Of course, Zuko. I swear I'll take care of your sister and devote my time to her."