Disclaimer - I do not own Avatar The Last Air Bender.

Author's Note: Hello my wonderful readers! So things are going to get very interesting for everyone in the following chapter. Remember please enjoy and review!

Chapter 10 - Surprise

There were only a few days left before Azula and Aang had to go back to the Fire Nation palace. The past few months had gone by in a blur for Azula. Not only was she responsible for laying the groundwork on the education system, but also whenever Aang left the temple for Avatar duties, the residents had looked to her as a leader.

She stood alone in one of the courtyards practicing her fire bending. She rarely had time alone and she relished it. When she trained with the teenagers she had to hold herself back. But here alone she could unleash her power.

Aang watched her create fire blades and shoot them into the sky. The way she moved through her sets of kicks, jabs and jumps were like dancing. Never had Aang encountered a more graceful fire bender.

Azula was about to create a wall of blue fire when she saw him. He made a lame attempt at hiding behind a thin tree. "Spying is rude."

Aang blushed, "I wasn't spying. I was admiring."

Her golden hues danced with mischief. "Fight me Avatar."

Aang looked at her confused, "Why would I fight you?"

"Spying on a princess is a great offense." Azula threw fire blades at him.

"You can't be serious," Aang said as he narrowly dodged the blades. She didn't answer him. Instead she created two fire whips aimed at his arms. When he saw she was serious Aang threw up an earth wall, "That's not fair for you Azula. I am master of all four elements."

Azula smiled at the challenge, "We will see." She was thrilled to finally fight a worthy opponent. She circled him before leaping in with a fire kick. He used water from a nearby fountain to trap her feet in ice. She easily melted the ice and dodged rocks coming her way.

She decided playtime was over and ran towards him. He hardly had time to dodge her fire blasts when he fell backwards. She was on top of him for a fraction of a second before he overpowered her. She blew fire into his face and used the distraction to stand up.

Aang was impressed. There wasn't anyone else who could really make him work hard during a fight. He used a surprise attack and shot lightning at her. She easily redirected it. He didn't miss the look of surprise before she sent lightning bolts at him. He easily flicked them away.

She came at him again with a serious of fire kicks and punches. He used his air bending to evade her. He finally came up behind her and pinned her arms to her back. She struggled to release his hold but he was too strong. "I win, princess," he whispered in her ear.

He turned her around and was surprised when she fiercely kissed him. It should have angered her to lose but instead it turned her on. He was truly the most powerful man on Earth and he belonged to her. Her kiss was returned with a great hunger. He lifted her and carried her to their room.

He roughly tossed her on the bed. She began to claw at his clothes. When she finally had them off she used her lips to explore his muscular body. He let out a groan before pushing her back down to return the favor. He parted her legs and made his way inside. She let out a whimper. He looked into her eyes as he whispered words of love. She felt her heart swell as she replied.

She could hear his heart beating steadily. He was caressing her hair. They were both tired but neither one of them wanted to sleep. He knew he could spend the rest of his life looking at her. She rarely said anything affectionate but he was sure of her love. Since the day she had admitted her feelings for him, he had thought of their future. There wasn't anyone else in the world for him. But he was hesitant to ask her to be his wife because of the responsibility it would come with for her.

These past few months had laid rest to his fears. He saw how much she cared about rebuilding the Air Nation. She didn't shy away from a challenge and she easily took to running things when he was gone. He sat up and kissed her forehead.

She watched him earth bend a small opening into the wall. He pulled out a small red box. She looked at him curiously as he sat down next to her, "Open it."

She gently opened it. Inside was the most exquisite ring she had ever seen. The reddest ruby sat on top of a gold band. It was shaped like a flame with tiny clusters of orange gems framing it. She held it to the light and saw the colors bounce; it truly looked like a flame. He took the ring from her and held her chin. "I love you Azula. I know we didn't start off on the right foot but everyday I've spent with you has been the best day of my life. I'm asking for a lot, but will you marry me?"

Azula was stunned. "I didn't think Air monks got married."

"They don't but I'm not your typically air monk," he answered, still holding the ring.

She gave him her hand, "Yes, I'll marry you Aang." He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her deeply. "When did you even have time to buy a ring?"

He smiled, "When we were in Omashu I was exploring the caves. I found the ruby. During one of Avatar missions I stopped at the royal jeweler's shop in the Fire Nation."

"I've never seen orange gems before," Azula commented as she held her ring to the light admiring how it looked on her.

"Those I found a couple of years ago at the Southern Air Temple. They grow deep in the caverns and are hard to get free. I held onto them just in case," he pulled her on top of him and planted kisses on her jaw line.

Azula knew what he wanted and was happy to oblige.

Aang was saying goodbye to everyone while Azula stood with her group of students. "King Aarn's men will be here in a couple of days to escort you to Omashu. I know you need no reminder to carry yourself in an honorable manner."

The students nodded. She studied their faces. "I have to go. I will see you when you return."

Before she could join Aang, Dulin yelled, "Group hug!" and she felt dozens of arms around her. She made no effort to push them back right away. "We will miss you Princess Azula."

She rolled her eyes, "Stop acting foolish." The students moved away and joined the crowd of residents saying good-bye.

"They really like you Azula," Aang commented.

She made herself comfortable on Appa, "Hurry up. Mai will have our heads if we miss the birth."

Aang smiled, "Yip, yip!"

Azula and Mai were tossing knives at targets in Mai's private courtyard. Despite Mai's large stomach, she had a perfect shot. A servant brought lunch, which Azula took as break time. She had greatly missed the spicy food of the Fire Nation.

Mai was picking at her food when she put down her chopsticks. "Azula, help me to my bedchamber."

Azula didn't look up from her meal, "You have two legs."

Mai snatched the princess's chopsticks, "My water broke." She pointed to the wet mess around her.

Azula wrinkled her nose and helped Mai to her bedroom. "You there," she said to a servant, "Inform the Fire Lord that the Fire Lady is in labor. Get the royal physician and tell the Avatar I will not be able to join him for training."

The servant quickly ran out of the room. Mai was idly playing with a loose thread on her robe. She made a couple of pained expressions but for the most part she looked bored.

Azula wasn't sure what to say. She had never seen a birth before. "Should I bring you something?"

Mai shook her head, "Do you think this will take long?"

Azula snorted, "How would I know?"

The sun was setting and still no baby. Azula sat in Mai's living area with Aang. She tried to shut her ears from Mai's agonized moaning. The royal physician had assured them that everything was going well.

Aang put his arm around Azula's shoulder, "She's going to be fine."

"It's enough not to make me want to have kids," Azula shuddered.

Aang laughed, "The conqueror of Ba Sing Se is afraid of childbirth?"

Azula shot him a dirty look. Zuko came out of the room, "Azula the royal physician said it's time."

She stood up and followed her brother into the room. Mai was in the center of the large bed. She was sweating and her hair was stuck to her face. Zuko pushed Azula towards Mai.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

Mai gave her a dirty look, "How do you think I feel?" Azula decided to keep her mouth shut.

"Okay your highness, push." Mai grabbed hold of both of the royal siblings' hands. Zuko said words of encouragement. Azula decided to just let Mai squeeze the feeling out of her hand.

After a few minutes, the room was filled with the cry of a baby. Azula saw a little pink body with dark black hair. One of the nurses quickly wrapped him in blankets and handed him to Mai. Once in his mother's arms the baby quieted down. Zuko stroked the baby's cheek. Golden eyes stared back at them.

Azula smiled, she knew he would be a fire bender. "What are you naming him?'

"Kanbe." Mai answered. She handed the baby to Zuko as she closed her eyes.

"Do you want to hold him?" Zuko asked.

Azula nodded and held her nephew. She was amazed at how tiny he was. One of the nurses gently took him from her for cleaning. The royal physician shooed the siblings out so Mai could rest.

In the living area Aang and Iroh sat waiting for them. Zuko had a huge grin on his face, "I have a son."

Iroh hugged him, "Congratulations Zuko."

Azula flopped on her bed. Her feet were killing her. With Mai resting and Zuko passed out it fell on her to make sure the royal couple ate, hold the baby while he cried himself to sleep and make sure the nursery was set up.

Aang came in with a tray of noodle soup. Azula quickly devoured it. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday," Azula answered after drinking a cup of tea.

"You were great Azula. I know Mai and Zuko really appreciate your help."

"They better," Azula said as she yawned.

Aang brought the covers to her chin. "It's good practice."

"We have to plan a wedding first," Azula reminded him.

"Does that mean you're no longer afraid of having children?" Aang asked with a smile.

"A Fire Nation princess fears nothing." Azula said as she drifted off to sleep.

The countryside reminded him of a home long ago burned. He would never forget the smell of pine or the sounds of his people. He had hated the Fire Nation for so long but under the love and guidance of the other temple residents Dulin had learned to forgive.

The cart raddled and he let out a groan. One of the soldiers banged on the side and told him to shut up. He prayed to any spirit that would listen for a way out of this.

Two Days Earlier

Classes were over for the day. Dulin and his Air Nation friends were in the library studying. Atiya was quizzing him when a group of Omashu students approached.

"Why are you guys in here? It's so nice out today." One of the older male students called Bingwen said.

"We don't want to fall behind in our studies," Dulin answered.

Bingwen smiled, "You guys won't. Have you been outside the city?" The group shook their heads. "Well some of us are going to camp in the forest tonight. One of our buddies is going to set up his telescope so we can watch the stars. You guys should join us. We're meeting outside the wall in an hour."

The Air Nation group looked at Dulin for an answer, "Okay. Sounds like fun."

Bingwen and his friends were a lot of fun to be around. They had taken it upon themselves to show the Air Nation students around. Dulin admired Bingwen because although he was King Aarn's cousin, he never used his royal connections to gain an advantage. Dulin and his friends had been nervous about their reception in Omashu but soon realized their fears were for not.

Camping with the Omashu students was a lot of fun. A lot of them were earth benders and were more than willing to teach Atiya, the only earth bender in their group, some moves. Like Dulin, Atiya's village had been destroyed and she was an orphan of the war.

Some of the students were sitting around the campfire exchanging stories while others took turns at the telescope. What none of the students realized was that they were being watched. High in the trees a young man in camouflage was taking note of how many earth benders there were and how many students belonged to the Air Nation. He knew his commanding officer would be happy to hear that their targets walked right into their camp.

The next morning Dulin woke up with a start. He felt the earth beneath him shake and heard screams. There were men in dark green uniforms trying to round up the students.

He saw Bingwen, Atiya and other earth benders trying to fight them off but they were outnumbered. He grabbed for the small knife he always carried on him and began to fight. He was able to knock out one of the men but two more were on him.

Dulin saw that all of his Air Nation friends and some of the Omashu students were being held by the mysterious men. "How many do we have?" a man with a long braid asked.

"10 Air Nation and 5 Omashu students, sir. Bingwen of the Omashu royal family is also among the captured."

The man with the braid gave a chilling smile, "Well, this will defiantly work in King Kuei's favor. The Avatar will have no choice but to give up his harlot."

"You're the Dai Li! Let us go right now!" Bingwen yelled.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Lord Bingwen. You see King Kuei needs you and your friends to reason with the Avatar."

"King Kuei will never have Princess Azula as a prisoner," Dulin said. Everyone had heard the story of how King Kuei had demanded Princess Azula be brought to trial.

"What makes you so sure boy?" The man in charge asked.

"She is Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, conqueror of Ba Sing Se. She brought your walls down once and she will do it again," Dulin answered with confidence. The last thing he saw was the commander's arm raised before everything went black.

Present

Azula was with Aang practicing her fire bending when Zuko rushed over to them. He had a worried look on his face and was clutching a letter. "Come quick, there's been an attack."

"An attack? Where?" Aang asked.

"In Omashu. King Aarn just sent word that your Air Nation students and 5 of his Omashu students were captured, including his cousin," Zuko explained.

"Who would capture them?" Aang took the letter from Zuko.

"Kuei." Azula answered. She let out an angry yell before shooting rounds of lightning into the sky. She would bring down all of Ba Sing Se and display Kuei's head for all to see if it was the last thing she did.