Chapter 10: The Nurse

Today was a special day, and Nurse Jiao Tian was nervous.

She couldn't believe it when she received the letter a little less than a week ago. It was the most exciting thing to happen to her since...she couldn't remember when. She turned the envelope over and over again in her hands, marveling at the elegant red insignia of Fire Lord Zuko. She opened it carefully, like a child trying to open a present without tearing the wrapping, and savored each and every character. Her heart thudded furiously in her chest the entire time.

It told her, in very eloquent and formal speech, that she'd been hand-picked by the Fire Lord himself for a very special, very important task.

His little sister, the Princess Azula, was in need of a new nurse.

Jiao had been working at the newly renovated mental facility for some time now, looking after many different patients with varying degrees of mental illness. Some were harmless, even rather sweet, like Min the mute girl, or Sie the perpetually hysterical cabbage merchant. Others, like the many, many veterans suffering from traumatic stress, were more troubled. War-hardened soldiers were supposed to die fighting for their country, not return home without any way to cope with the sudden change in their daily life and environment.

The facility was built specifically to contain the most dangerous cases and boasted state-of-the-art security systems, electronic locks, and the sturdiest and most comfortable cells that money could buy. It even had an emergency beacon installed on the roof that, when lit, would alert a series of guard towers that led all the way to the Royal Palace's outpost. The facility was also notable for its high level of discretion; mental illness was still not something easily understood by most people, and a stay at the remote facility guaranteed protection away from busybodies. When Jiao was first offered the job, she had to sign a contract that said she was not allowed to divulge any details regarding the facility's patients, under penalty of life imprisonment. It was a little extreme, but it ensured that only the richest people, or the ones who posed the greatest threat to national security, would be staying at such a prestigious and cutting edge mental hospital.

On top of the many renovations, there had been lots of staffing changes over the course of the past couple of years, but especially during the last one. The last warden, a kindly but ineffectual old man, had been replaced by Dr. Du Yi, a famous doctor from Ba Sing Se University. The Earth Kingdom was everywhere these days, Jiao noticed. It was bad enough she couldn't walk down a street without bowing to every Earth Kingdom soldier she passed, but now she couldn't even go to work without an earthbender guard breathing down her neck and watching her every move. At least the firebenders that had been there before wore masks, and she couldn't tell whether or not they were glaring at her. Which they probably weren't, because she was a law-abiding citizen of the Fire Nation. Jiao couldn't help but feel she lived in more of a police state now than when Fire Lord Ozai was in power, but everyone else in the world was calling him the tyrant.

After losing both her son and husband to the war, she had more than enough reason to hate Ozai, but she still hardly considered him a tyrant, let alone a war criminal. At least when Ozai was Fire Lord, she wasn't living in constant fear of being thrown into prison by doing something she didn't know was wrong. Like what happened to her neighbor, kindly old Mr. Zhang, who had a bad habit of spitting and was in the wrong place at the wrong time when an Earth Kingdom soldier just happened to be passing by. Or what happened to Mrs. Yao, who had been complaining loudly about missing the good old days of Fire Lord Azulon when she was arrested on the spot by another Earth Kingdom guard. Capital City prison was overcrowded enough, what with all the so-called war criminals awaiting trial, so Jiao hated to imagine how an octogenarian like Mrs. Yao was faring in there.

At least when Ozai was Fire Lord, their economy had been strong, prices were low, and the marketplaces were full. At least then Nurse Jiao could buy three heads of cabbage and a bag of rice for one copper piece, instead of one copper piece for half a wilted head of cabbage. And rice was almost impossible to get a hold of, even if she were willing to pay an arm and a leg for it, which she wasn't, despite the cravings. What would she do with a big bag of rice anyway, with her house as empty as it was?

At least when Ozai was Fire Lord, even though she never really bought into all the propaganda, she had never really questioned his ability to rule a nation. There were weekly reports about how many crucial battles they had won, how many colonies had been established and were thriving, how many new territories had been converted to their righteous cause. And even if all of that was rubbish, their Nation was still prospering. Manufacturing was up 50% every year, everyone was employed, and every child was in school. Progress was everywhere. Ozai even built airships, honest-to-goodness ships that could fly. He had to have been doing something right.

She knew it was treasonous to even think that their new Fire Lord was fallible in any way, but to watch her home country fall from grace so spectacularly had cast a shadow of doubt in her mind. He was just a teenaged boy. And Jiao knew from experience that teenaged boys weren't often very smart.

But now her sovereign ruler had selected her to help care for his sister.

She didn't know what to make of it, how he'd even heard of her or how she came to be chosen, but she did know one thing. She was good at her job. Losing her family had forced her to dedicate herself completely to her work, because spending every waking moment at a little hospital on the outskirts of the city was better than staying home alone and drying her tears with her son's old jacket. It was only thanks to her glittering reputation and perfect attendance (not a single vacation or sick day, which was rare in her line of work) that she'd been plucked out of obscurity and given a job at the Capital City Mental Hospital all those years ago.

Well, it was good to know that Fire Lord Zuko did some things right, at least.

His sister, on the other hand, was a thing of legend. Jiao had heard all the stories and rumors, of course. It was impossible to live in the Fire Nation and not know about the renowned child prodigy turned fearless conqueror turned national hero turned urban legend. And she'd heard all the gossip, read all the different versions and theories of what had really happened the day the war ended. Fire Lord Zuko's repeal of the "Peaceful Printing Act", which previously censored any media that portrayed the Fire Nation or Royal Family in a negative light, triggered a revolution in the publishing world and gave rise to privately-owned newspapers, journals, and these new things called 'magazines' which were all the rage nowadays.

A topic of particular interest to the public, including Jiao, was the day when Avatar Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai and when Prince Zuko was crowned ruler instead of his much more famous sister. Jiao, like everyone else she knew, devoured every article ever printed on the subject, because Azula's skills were renowned far and wide, so when it was revealed she had lost the throne to her brother in the very last Agni Kai, no one in the marketplace or at her weekly Pai Sho club could believe it. Widow Chung even burst into tears at the thought, having once witnessed Azula perform a flawless, blue-flamed Fire Blossom Form at the Annual Youth Firebending Tournament, something which she never failed to bring up.

Some journalists claimed that Zuko had enlisted the help of a small group of elite waterbender assassins to aid him in stealing the throne back, and since he had been banished by his father, his rule was illegitimate. Others alleged that as the oldest son of Fire Lord Ozai and ally of Avatar Aang, Zuko's rule was ordained by Heaven, which gave him the strength to single-handedly defeat his sister for the throne. Still others swore, with " verified accounts from reliable eye-witnesses", that it was a lone waterbender, another prodigy from the cowardly Water Tribe of all places, that had managed to outwit and outmaneuver the Fire Nation's pride and joy, but that was the unlikeliest story of all. Surely their new sovereign could not be so foolish to think that another nation would help him gain the throne without expecting something devastating in return?

"Utterly ridiculous!" loud Mrs. Lau had spluttered as she shuffled the Pai Sho tiles. "I always knew the Royal Family was ambitious, but not one of them would ever do something so reckless! Especially not Fire Lord Zuko, bless his little heart!"

"I don't know about that," Mrs. Wu said through a sip of tea. "It certainly would explain a lot about the poor state of our lives, don't you think?"

"Careful, Wu. Say that too loudly and you'll end up as meat for prisoners like poor Mrs. Yao!"

"That Zuko is no good, no good at all! Not like his sister!" Widow Chung muttered over her spectacles. "It's a shame no one knows what happened to her...she'd never let the Earth Kingdom humiliate us like this. Why, I bet she'd rule circles around that silly little prince! Like that time at the tournament—"

"The day a woman sits on the Fire Lord's throne is the day I eat my hat," Mrs. Wu snorted. "Heaven forbid we get anything more sensible than a prettyboy coward or vicious warmonger up there...Pass me the tea, will you, Jiao?"

Even more unclear were the specifics of what happened after Azula's defeat. Fire Lord Zuko's first act as Fire Lord was to declare an end to the war, which made everyone more confused than relieved. They had always been at war, it was all their economy was built on, and it was all they had ever known. For it to be over so suddenly, and to not come out as the clear victor after all this time...Jiao couldn't help but feel resentful about it.

The Fire Lord's second act was to outlaw the time-old tradition of Agni Kai. The official reason was because it was cruel, but everyone else, especially Widow Chung, just thought it was to prevent Azula from coming back and attempting to reclaim her rightful throne. His third act was to have the former Fire Lord Ozai officially arrested for his crimes, and no one, not even opinionated Mrs. Lau, knew what to make of that.

No one was really sure what happened to Princess Azula. Fire Lord Zuko didn't make an official statement regarding her status, so of course rumors abounded, ranging from her death to a complete mental breakdown. In any case, the once-banished Prince Zuko had managed to ascend to the throne of Fire Lord, Ozai was in prison along with almost the entirety of his cabinet, advisors, and the Imperial Army, and Jiao was certain she had passed a catatonic Princess Azula being wheeled to her cell in the hallway of the mental facility.

That was a year ago, and every day after that had only confirmed the rumor that the Princess Azula was being hidden away in the confines of the facility, where she escaped prosecution from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes for her war crimes. Whether or not she was actually insane, no one knew, and some of her fellow nurses had begun to suspect it was simply a rumor started by the Fire Lord himself in order to de-legitimize any claim she had to the throne.

Whatever the truth was, Jiao had a feeling she was about to find out, now that she was about to be appointed as Azula's official caregiver. She was almost sad she couldn't let anyone know; Widow Chung would be green with envy.

She arrived for work as usual, though she had taken a little extra time that morning to make sure her uniform was perfectly ironed and her bun was perfectly tight. She was going to be in the presence of royalty, after all. Jiao had never met a royal before, not officially, but she knew it was the highest honor for a commoner such as herself, and widely considered the closest thing in this world to being in the presence of divinity. She never really bought into that belief personally, but the reverence of the Fire Lord and his Royal Family, descendants of the great Sozin himself, was as ingrained in her as breathing.

Jiao was taken into the meeting room specially designated for very important visitors where Du Yi, several Imperial Soldiers, and Fire Lord Zuko himself were waiting for her. She had never been in the elite meeting room before, but like all the private rooms on the first floor, it looked pretty much the same. Clean tiled floors, mahogany furniture, and a single scroll painting of flowers hanging on the wall. Jiao didn't know why Du Yi loved those paintings so much, but shortly after he arrived, they had popped up everywhere.

"Please rise," the Fire Lord said.

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko." Jiao rose to her feet, making sure to keep her head bowed in his presence at all times. Peasants were never to look upon royalty; never to sully regal vision with their common visages.

"It's all right," Fire Lord Zuko said softly. "You can look at me. I don't abide by these outdated rules and customs. I'm not my father."

Jiao's eyes remained trained on the floor. Was he testing her?

After a moment's hesitation, she slowly lifted her head up and gazed upon royalty for the first time that day.

He has kind eyes, was her first thought. They were golden, and a little hardened, but warm. Then she noticed the fabled scar, which confirmed all the stories she'd heard of Fire Lord Ozai's cruelty and the young prince's banishment.

It also confirmed all the questions she had regarding his legitimacy to the throne.

Fire Lord Zuko smiled deliberately, and she quickly looked away. She must have been staring at him.

"Nurse Jiao, you will do as your sovereign commands," Du Yi commanded sternly.

"It's okay, doctor. It's hard to defy custom, sometimes," the Fire Lord continued. "But you will need to get used to looking at royalty, Nurse Jiao, if you're going to be my sister's caregiver."

"I will do my best, your Highness," Jiao said with a slight bow.

The Fire Lord smiled. "I'm sure you will."

He didn't fit her picture of royalty at all. The Royal Family was thought to be descended from dragons, and the Fire Lord was the living embodiment of the divine will of the Heavens.

But this was just a young boy. He stood rigidly, almost too rigidly, like when a little child used to slouching in his seat suddenly stands upright in an attempt to make himself appear bigger and older. And despite his fine silken robes, which looked like they cost the entirety of Jiao's annual salary, he didn't seem very comfortable. He was young, though he had obviously still seen his share of hardships. That much she could tell, from the glint of weariness of his eyes. He had an air of power about him, like most firebenders, but it seemed different from them. Stronger, somehow, but restrained. As if his every breath could suddenly turn the room to ash if he wanted, but he struggled actively against doing so.

Even so, he was still just a boy. Her son would be about his age, if he…

"Please excuse us, doctor. I'd like to have a moment in private with Nurse Jiao."

Jiao froze. Her first time meeting royalty, and she was already going to have a private meeting with him? She breathed deeply and slowly, trying her best not to fidget under his golden gaze.

"Of course, your Highness. I'll be outside when you need me."

The doctor left quickly and Zuko dismissed the Imperial Soldiers with a mere nod. The room suddenly felt very, very big.

"Please, have a seat." Zuko gestured to the empty seat next to Jiao as he took his own across the table. She nodded quietly and sat. "You know why you're here, right?"

"Your Highness wishes that I be Princess Azula's personal nurse."

Fire Lord Zuko nodded, glancing down at the stack of papers on the table before him. "Yes. And in order to do that, you must understand a few things. My sister and I do not have the greatest relationship in the world…things between us have been...tense. Since childhood. And especially now that I'm Fire Lord. But I do care about her, and will only provide her with the best care available."

Jiao nodded silently, and the Fire Lord continued. He spoke slowly, as if he were choosing his words carefully and deliberately, like a student terrified of misspeaking during a class presentation.

"I don't doubt the capabilities of Dr. Yi, but he was not appointed by me. Even though the war is over, it does not change the fact that he is from the Earth Kingdom. I may not care about his nationality, but my sister…is not so forgiving. She doesn't trust easily, and she's very…unwell. I'd feel better if I knew that she had someone to look out for her. Someone who understands our nation and our people."

Jiao nodded again. She was a lifelong resident of the Fire Nation, and despite her misgivings about the war and Fire Lord Ozai's propaganda, never once had her allegiance to her ruler and country ever faltered.

Her husband and son had died for it, after all. It couldn't have been for nothing, no matter what cynical Mrs. Wu said.

"If you're going to care for my sister, I will need assurance of three things from you. The first…your utmost loyalty, no matter what happens. No matter what she says or does to you, you are to remain loyal to your nation. If not for her sake, then for mine. If not for my sake, then for the sake of your people. Do you understand?"

Jiao nodded. Her loyalty was already a given.

"Good. The second…your discretion. You are not to speak a word about my sister to anyone else. You will not tell them who you treat or anything about her, no matter what they do to you."

Jiao paused. She had no family to talk to about her day, so her casual silence was assured, and she didn't actually enjoy taking part in the gossip with the hens in the Pai Sho club. But it was that last bit that concerned her.

"My family has many enemies. Between my sister and myself, we have more than I would like to admit. But rest assured that, as her nurse and caregiver, you will be provided with the best protection I can offer," the Fire Lord said with nod and a smile carved out of wood. "Don't worry. They're very sneaky. You'll hardly notice them in your day-to-day life."

She offered a weak smile. Too bad, Jiao thought. She could really use some company after her weeknight shifts ended and she returned to her very empty home.

"The last thing I will need from you…is your compassion," the Fire Lord said at last. His hard gaze softened slightly, and though he was right in front of her, he looked like he was worlds away. "Life hasn't been easy for me. And it took me a long time to realize this, but it hasn't been kind to her, either. Not many have been. I would appreciate it if someone was."

Jiao furrowed her brow. They were the Royal Family. She wondered what sorts of unkindnesses they had been forced to face. But if there was one thing she prided herself on, it was her compassion. And she knew a damaged person when she saw one.

The Fire Lord himself was quite damaged, but his wounds were mostly healed. Scar tissue, she called it, ironically enough.

"Do you think you can handle that?"

Jiao smiled. "It would be my honor, Fire Lord Zuko."

It was his turn to nod silently. The Fire Lord then diligently went over all aspects of his sister's care and produced another agreement for her to sign, even more confidential and ironclad than the last one. She read over it carefully and, not wanting to keep the Fire Lord from his lordly duties, whatever those were, signed it quickly.

At that, Fire Lord Zuko collected the agreement, reviewing it for completion, and tucked it into his robes. He rose as if to depart.

"Wait! Uh…I mean…your Highness," Jiao stammered uncharacteristically. "Shouldn't I meet Princess Azula before you decide I am to care for her?"

The Fire Lord forced a polite smile. "No need. You came very highly recommended."

With that, he left, leaving her alone with the doctor and her confusion.

"Well, now that that's settled," the doctor smiled his toothy grin. There was something about him that Jiao found peculiar. Most people she met seemed damaged, but the doctor seemed…clean. Almost too clean, as if he had been scrubbed raw. "Why don't we go meet your new patient? I'm sure you're just dying to meet her."

Jiao followed the doctor as he led her down, down, down into the lower depths of the facility, where she had never been allowed to go before.

"Now, I know you're familiar with all our rules, nurse, but I think now would be a good opportunity to remind you of a few regarding our own little princess," the doctor said with a smile that was so sweet it was almost patronizing. "I'm sure the Fire Lord briefed you, but it doesn't hurt to have it come from your direct superior."

She nodded in agreement. She had followed orders her whole life, from her father and her husband and her son and her teachers and the other doctors and the Pai Sho club, but she knew it never hurt to have the rules outlined clearly, no matter how well she already knew them.

"Excellent. Now, as you know, Azula is on a strict regimen of various medicines. They help her achieve some semblance of stability and calmness. She is not to miss a single dose, no matter the circumstances."

Standard procedure. "I understand, doctor."

"Good. Now about her mealtimes…her meals are specially prepared for her and only her. You are to ensure that she eats every last bite. If she does not, you will alert me right away. Is that clear?"

Not standard procedure, because normally when a patient didn't want to eat they weren't forced to, but who was Jiao to argue? She'd never cared for royalty before, and the doctor had far more experience in the field of mental health than she did.

"Yes, doctor."

"Good. And you must know, if she ever acts out in any way, or displays any sort of strange behavior, you are to alert me at once. Understood?"

"Yes, doctor."

"Excellent. Now, this last rule is very, very important. Whatever you do," Dr. Yi said, his normally cheerful eyes suddenly hard and piercing. "Do not converse openly with her."

Jiao bit back a frown at the strange demand. It was customary for her to speak to all her patients, particularly the more troubled ones, as she usually had a calming effect on them. To not do so seemed like shirking her responsibility as a caregiver.

"Azula is not like other patients," Dr. Yi continued, as if reading Jiao's mind. "She can be very…deceptive. And convincing. I'm sure you've heard the stories."

She had, in fact, heard the multitude of stories and rumors surrounding the Princess Azula and her many accomplishments, but like her father's outlandish propaganda, Jiao had never given them very much credence. How could a fourteen-year-old girl possibly conquer the legendary bastion of Ba Sing Se with only the help of a juggler, a Prince, and a circus clown?

"I enjoy speaking with my patients. I've been told it can help with the more troubled cases."

"I understand, but Azula is a very, very troubled young woman. She will get inside your head if you let her…so I urge you not to let her. Chatting about the weather is fine, but do not, under any circumstances, tell her anything personal about yourself."

Jiao was not one to take the advice of superiors lightly, so she nodded in reply.

The doctor smiled and opened the door to the padded cell before gesturing for her to go inside. Jiao swallowed, attempting to steady herself as much as possible. She had listened to all the warnings, reviewed the very strict rules, and even re-read every journal article and piece of propaganda about the Princess Azula she'd squirreled away over the years, all in preparation for today, when she would finally meet her new patient…her new patient that apparently needed to be kept in isolation on the very bottom floor, locked behind a reinforced metal door, like some sort of wild, untamed beast.

Jiao entered the room, half-expecting to see a mythical monster chained to the floor and muzzled.

What she saw instead was a girl.

Not just any girl, but the girl. The girl who had once been held as the gold standard for all children across her great Nation. The girl whose name was synonymous with words 'prodigy' and 'gifted' and 'blessed'. The girl with extraordinary blue flames, renowned intellect, and unsurpassed beauty, whose very existence was heralded as just one of many examples of Fire Lord Ozai's divine right to rule.

She never really believed in any of that, not like Widow Chung.

Golden eyes, similar to but so very different from Fire Lord Zuko's, flitted up from the floor to meet Jiao's, and Jiao suddenly found herself believing in all of it.

They glitter, she thought. Like everything else was a pale imitation of true gold in comparison.

The girl smiled pleasantly, not stiffly or forcibly as her brother had done, and Jiao suddenly found herself thinking the chains and manacles very unnecessary.

"Azula, this is your new caregiver, Nurse Jiao. You might have seen her around the facility before," the doctor said with a big smile. "I'll leave you two alone to get acquainted."

The doctor exited the room, but remained standing outside the door. Perhaps he didn't trust her fully yet, but Jiao was sure that would change with time.

She stared at her new patient for a moment, her mind flooded with questions. She had never been in the presence of royalty before today, and after meeting the Fire Lord, she had believed they were not so much different from normal people. A little more powerful, a little more imposing, a lot more commanding, but nothing so special as divinity.

But now she knew that that was not the case. Widow Chung might not have been exaggerating.

"Hello, Princess," Jiao said as calmly as she could, remembering where she was and who she was in front of and bowing deeply. "I'm going to be taking care of you from now on."

The princess smiled again.

"Hello, Nurse Jiao," the princess said softly, inclining her head slightly as a sign of respect. She was bound in chains, yet moved more effortlessly than her brother, who was bound in silk. "I'm looking forward to your care…I will warn you, I can be a bit of a handful at times. My sincerest apologies for giving you any trouble in advance."

"It's quite all right, Princess. I'll do my best to care for you."

"I'm sure you will. And please," she continued, still smiling easily. "Call me Azula."

Jiao smiled back, feeling oddly relieved for the first time in days.

"As you wish, Azula."

Maybe there was nothing to worry about, after all.

A/N: First off, everyone should thank my awesome beta reader touzen, because without her help, this chapter never would have seen the light of day.

Secondly, I apologize for the ridiculously long delay between the last chapter and this one. Holidays and personal matters got in the way, but I'm back now and I hope to be cranking out chapters at a more even pace from now on.

Thirdly, this chapter, chronologically, takes place one year before the main events of this fic. I know it's confusing, but I thought we needed a little bit of backstory and exposition from an outsider's POV.

Fourthly, the next few chapters are chronologically out of order. I know every chapter until this point has been pretty straightforward, but this won't be the case for the next three, so keep that in mind when reading.

Fifth and lastly, I hope you guys have been paying attention to all the little clues and subtext I've dropped in every chapter up until now, because things are about to get real.

As always, thank you all so much for reading. You guys are awesome. Keep reading and reviewing, and I'll keep writing.

Next up, we'll finally get to see what's really been haunting the asylum…Spoiler Alert: It's not ghosts.