Author's Note: Sorry this is taking so long but work has interfered with my writing. I do hope you are enjoying reading so far.
Lao watches the woman in front of him. She is relaxed yet regal in her chair as she delicately nibbles from her plate. The epitome of royalty and yet something nags at him about the situation. When Long Feng sent word of her capture, Lao was pleased to be one step closer to the throne. However, she is not what he expected. Long Feng left out many details.
"Azula, you have yet to answer my question." He says with a false sense of patience.
She ignores him and continues with her meal.
"Azula, "he prompts, more impatiently this time.
Nothing.
He slams his hand on the table causing the dinnerware to bounce and clang. Her golden eyes turn to him.
"That is Princess Azula to you, Lao." She says dismissively.
Lao grits his teeth. He liked it better when she was strapped to a table screaming curses at him.
"Princess Azula," he strives to keep a civil tone with her, "Please answer my question."
She settles back in her chair resting her hands across her round belly.
"You're a man of the world, Lao, I'm sure you know how these things happen." Her face is blank waiting for him.
He stares at the infuriating woman in a way that has made even generals cringe but it has little effect on the princess before him.
"It is quite untraditional for a wife to be pregnant with another man's child."
Azula smirks at him. "I'm not your wife."
He glowers at her. "You will be and I will not have my wife whelping another man's bastard."
The color of her eyes darken. "As a Princess of the Fire Nation, it is my responsibility to ensure that I have an heir worthy of the throne. " One of her many insults to him had been his low status and how he was innately unworthy of her and the Fire Nation throne.
The jab at his common lineage has him out of the chair. "Who is it?"
Her smirk widens into a glowing smile. "A powerful bender. More powerful than you ever hope to be, Lao."
The taunts have the desired effect and he rounds the table, arm raised.
His hand never connects though and he finds himself brought to his knees. Her dainty hand twisting his. A fiery pain rushes up his arm and her golden eyes sparkle at him.
"That is no way to treat royalty. You will do well to remember that before I give you a lesson worthy of Ozai."
The guards step forward uncertain and nervous. Azula pushes him back from her and she calmly returns to her meal as if nothing happened. She pointedly ignores his surprised expression.
"You should consider hitting the coastal cities. Zuzu won't be expecting that."
Lao stands eyeing her.
Before he can speak, she waves him off, "The navy won't be a concern. They are busy patrolling closer to Caldera."
"We will continue this later, Princess." Lao stalks from the room.
She finishes her meal with a smile.
The guards stop at her bedroom door. She pretends to ignore the extra security. Lao has no intention of letting her escape again. Her room is not what she would like it to be but it has a few amenities. It's more than one can expect out of a small village. She steps just past the threshold of the balcony, seemingly gazing at the setting sun.
"Princess Azula, the Dai Li stand ready to serve." A quiet voice from above greets her.
"Take this message to my brother." She holds her hand up as if stretching.
"Yes, Princess."
The slip of paper in her hand disappears as the man makes his way along the outside of the building.
Azula enjoys the sight of the setting sun.
"Lao has hit here." Zuko points to one of the coastal cities. "We weren't expecting it so he took the city quickly." The Firelord shakes his head."There's nothing of value there."The man's tactics defy logic.
Iroh peers closer at the map. "He needs a base of operations and since it holds little value it was also not very well protected. It was an easy target."
Zuko slumps back in his chair. "I can't protect every city. My forces will be spread too thin."
"You are right, Zuko." Iroh agrees "Let Lao spread his forces thin and you can overwhelm him."
Zuko sighs."I don't know how big his force is. For all I know there could be more soldiers moving around in the caves."
Silence falls between the two men.
"What did Lao give Long Feng?" Zuko asks in the silence. He has no love for his sister but the idea of her being traded leaves him feeling cold.
Iroh looks down. "Long Feng traded Azula for weapons but they were all destroyed by the Avatar."
Zuko watches his Uncle closely. Over the years he has become accustomed to reading the old man's thoughts on his face.
"What happened down there Uncle?" The details had been glossed over in the reports. Aang was unusually silent.
"The Avatar would have killed Long Feng had Katara and I not stopped him. Though I am not convinced he won't still after this is all over." Iroh admits slowly.
The Fire Lord is silent. "If Aang wouldn't kill Ozai, why would he kill Long Feng?"
Ozai was far more deserving of death but Aang had spared his life and continued to defend the decision despite the objections of many leaders, including Zuko.
When Iroh looks back at him, he can see the age in the man's eyes. "The Avatar has his reasons."
Zuko frowns at the use of title from a man that rarely stands on ceremony. "Why do you keep calling him the Avatar? Why not just Aang?"
"Aang is a boy I have watched grow into a man and I have come to think of him as one of my own. The Avatar is an outside concept, an idea that frightens me. It is just easier to draw a line between the two." Iroh does not want to accept the path that Aang is walking down now. The deceit and near murder have struck a chord in the old man. Aang may bring out the best in Azula but Azula may not bring out the best in Aang. "If Azula is not recovered safely, I worry what the Avatar may do."
"What does it have to do with Azula?" Zuko has known something is not quite right.
"You must speak to him about this, Zuko."
During his time here, Aang has come to appreciate the ceiling of his room. Sleep has eluded him for weeks now.
A knock at the door draws his attention.
"Yes?" he calls out.
He sighs when he sees the familiar head of the Fire Lord appear. Iroh is close behind.
Aang looks from one man to the other. Zuko is anxious while Iroh is just sad.
"What's going on?" Aang pushes the covers off as he stands.
"It is time to tell Zuko the truth." Iroh voices.
From beside him Zuko shoots them both a glare. The Fire Lord is growing tired of the secrets.
Aang has hoped for and dreaded this moment. He stares at Iroh."If we're going to do this, then we should tell the others too." It is best to face them all at once. Katara is still trying to comprehend the situation and she only knows a fraction.
Sokka, Toph, Mai, and Katara are roused and assembled. The hour is late but no one was sleeping anyway.
"It seems that there are some things I'm being kept in the dark about." Zuko turns to Iroh and Aang.
Iroh grimaces. "Azula is not the enemy." He holds his hand up at the protests. "It is important that she is brought back unharmed. Lao intends to marry her and challenge Zuko for the throne in an Agni Kai."
"If Azula isn't the enemy then why would she let him do that?" Mai speaks up. Azula has never been one to sit back and let others take the lead.
"Long Feng was trying to brainwash her."Katara's voice is sad. "Maybe he finally succeeded." Leaving Azula has left the Water Bender with guilt.
"When Lao took her from prison he tried to coerce her too." Aang says. "Toph, the room we found was where he kept Azula."
"You mean that was her blood?" Toph has yet to be able to forget that smell.
Aang nods. "She managed to escape and made it to Ember Island." He waits letting the words sink in.
It clicks for Zuko first. "You mean the girl you were with on Ember Island was Azula?"
"Yes." Aang's gaze is unwavering.
"I can't believe this." Zuko turns away and begins to pace. "The whole time I've been worried about Azula, she was with you!"
"Tell him the rest." Iroh gently prods.
"There's more?" Zuko rounds on him, eyes wide with disbelief.
"She isn't a threat to you Zuko. Azula honestly doesn't want the throne." Aang tries to reassure him.
"Azula always lies." Zuko reminds him.
"Not this time." Aang argues back.
'Princess Azula wants to redeem herself and prove herself worthy of the Fire Lord and the Avatar." Iroh steps in breaking the tension between the two men.
Zuko steps back. "I don't believe it. Azula will turn on us the first chance she has. Aang, how can you stand up for her when she's already tried to kill you once?"
Aang gives a dark laugh. "She's had plenty of chances since then." He turns away with his back to the rest of them, trying to compose himself.
A knock at the door brings relief from the somber mood.
"This man bares a message for the Fire Lord." The guards lead in a Dai Li agent.
The man bows and holds out the scroll of paper to Zuko, who picks it up and reads over the flowing script.
"It's from Azula. It's a summary of Lao's forces."
Aang walks closer to him.
"Well that's helpful." Toph interjects.
"I'm not sure." Zuko says absently. "It could be a trick."
Aang glares at Zuko before turning his attention to the Dai Li agent. "You've spoken to Azula?"
The man nods.
"How is she?" The Avatar's voice is soft. "Is Lao treating her well?"
The man considers. "They argued this morning. The Princess refused to answer Lao's question."
"About what?" Zuko steps in curious.
The man hesitates. "About the Princess' condition."
"What condition?" Zuko bites out.
"About whom the father of her child is."
They are stunned into silence.
"Wait, you're telling us that Azula is pregnant?" Sokka is first to recover from the shock. "Who would want to get that close to her?"He starts to laugh but Katara smacks him in the arm. "What was that for?" He whines.
Aang throws a glare at the Water Tribe warrior.
"No way." Toph says in a low voice, piecing it together. "Twinkletoes and Azula?"
Sokka sits up. "You?"
The Dai Li agent's face lights up."She said he was a powerful bender but I never considered it was the Avatar."
"If he finds out the truth, he will use that against us." Iroh offers.
Zuko stares at him. "You and my sister?"
Aang sighs. "Yes."
Sokka stifles a laugh. "What is it with you and sisters?" Earning another smack from Katara.
Toph mutters, "So glad I'm an only child."
"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" Zuko genuinely sounds hurt. "I've been worried for months."
"What was I suppose to say?" Aang is irritated. He doesn't like having all this brought out into the open.
"Well you could have said, 'Hey Zuko, Don't worry about Azula cause I have her chained to my bed in the Air Temple.'" Mai snorts at Zuko's sarcastic answer.
Aang gives him a pleading look. "And what would you have said if I had?"
Zuko stops to consider this."I don't know but I'm not happy about any of this."
"The point is that Lao has her now." Katara points out.
Zuko turns back to the agent. "Thank you."
The agent bows and departs from the room.
"When this is all through, I may very well punch you."Zuko warns.
Aang nods solemnly. "I wouldn't blame you."
"You and Azula…that explains a lot." Toph is sitting beside him on the balcony.
"It just kinda happened." Aang grasps for words.
The others have long since left leaving just them.
"Like you never noticed her before."Toph laughs.
Aang grimaces. "She was always trying to kill me." He noticed but it is a bit difficult to appreciate a woman's beauty when she is shooting lightning bolts.
"So you like it rough." She deadpans.
"Toph, I am not having this conversation with you." Aang tries to be dignified.
"Ozai is like your father-in-law." Toph snorts. "The Loser Lord is just going to love hearing this!"
"Toph" Aang says tiredly.
The Earth Bender ignores him. "You'll never be rid of Zuko."
Aang drops his head into his hand groaning.
"You realize there is a 50/50 chance your kids could be Fire Benders bent on world domination?"
"Well that won't happen." Aang gives in to his friend's need to torment him.
"Okay, so maybe Air Benders bent on world domination." Toph laughs again.
"Taking over the world one fruit pie at a time." Aang joins her in laughing.
They quiet down.
"So do you love her?" Toph asks seriously.
"Yes." Aang doesn't hesitate. "I didn't want to keep it from anyone but I really didn't know what to say."
"I think Zuko had that pegged right. You should have just told us what was going on."
"Yeah that would have gone over really well." Aang says dryly.
"Sugar Queen seems to have taken it well."
"Katara spent some time with Azula in Ba Sing Se." Aang pauses. "I nearly killed Long Feng."
Toph turns to him with a look of surprise. "Seriously?"
"If it hadn't been for Katara and Iroh, I would have."
"If that's how you reacted to Long Feng, then what are you going to do to Lao?"
Aang doesn't answer her.
Next Chapter:
A cold feeling settles over her at his words. "You won't break me."
"I don't need to break you, Azula. I just want to hear you scream."