After their late lunch, the diplomats were free to go as they wished either on foot or in a carriage.

Aang and Sokka opted to go without the provided security detail. They wanted to hear what the people were saying when there were no authorities around.

Bumi wanted to get to a writing desk so he returned to the palace.

Toph finally got a chance to talk to Azula alone. "Can we go somewhere that we won't be bothered?"

Azula took her to a lounge that only served the royal family and the higher-ranking nobles.

"We'll need our own room, water and tea, and after that, I'll ring the bell if I want further service.

"Of course my Lord."

"It's closer than the palace, and no one will interrupt us."

They got to a lounge on the second floor. It had a balcony and a glass sliding door in case you wanted more privacy.

"You look great Toph."

She scoffed. "I didn't dress up."

"I don't really care how you dress."

"But you're a born princess."

"So I have to dress a certain way when it matters, but I don't think they magically make people look better. Good looking people generally look good in anything."

"I see, so I could wear a cloth bag dress and pull it off."

"If you narrow the waist."

The two girls laughed at the silliness of it all.

"I missed you Toph."

"It was lonely without you," the earthbender said. "Even with my friends there, I would come out to the garden and find the moon peach blossoms. Damn you! I can't smell one without thinking of your lips."

Azula gently pressed her lips to hers. "Neither can I. I want you here with me."

"My friends are furious with you."

"I know."

"I still don't know what to think about this."

"Sometimes I wake up, and I think this is a dream, that when I really wake up, I'll still be in Gaoling, but then I open my eyes, and when my feet hit the floor, I know I have a job to do. The crown is not the whole of me, but it is a big part, bigger than I have entertained since I escaped.

If things had been better, I would have taken the money and started a new life on island or something. I would have loved for us to just have a nice beach house, some tropical trees, and have no worries, but I couldn't do that to my people. I couldn't leave them, and I knew that it would cost me.

How much has yet to be seen, but sooner or later, I will have to answer to the world. I know I will, but I won't let my country go without a fight. I won't let it look like the slum it was when I got here. I wouldn't ask you to agree with me. You are more than smart enough to make up your own mind about how this should play out, but I hope that you can see that I'm not here to be a tyrant."

"Actually, I can see that," Toph said. "That makes this even harder. If you were up to your old ways, I could just beat you up now, go back home, and forget anything between us ever happened, but you had to come with your convictions and your poise. You had to make it harder to see what was right."

Azula kissed her hand. "Sometimes, I don't think there is one right answer. Sometimes, I think there is only a less wrong one."

Their lips met each other. They would be spending a lot of time in this lounge before they went back.


Aang saw a group of children playing in the yard.

He went up to the woman supervising her and asked her what this was.

"They just started after care in the city so if parents are working later than school lets out, they can keep their children at the school and there is recreation for them."

Aang saw one boy with the ball and the other students chasing him around.

"Who do you mean they?"

"Oh the State. It's a free program."

Just then, one woman came for her son. "Lee! Let's go."

"Coming Mama!" The boy grabbed his backpack and checked out before going to his mother.

"How do you like aftercare?" Aang asked.

"It's fun. Before I had to run home and lock myself inside until Mom got home. Now I can play."

"I couldn't afford a sitter, and I have to work to pay the bills."

"So you like the new government."

"Oh it's awesome. The streets are cleaner. People just seem nicer too. I think they finally feel like they're being heard. Well I have to get him home now. Bye!"

Aang and Sokka heard similar remarks through out the afternoon.

"People are happy," Sokka said.

"Isn't that good?" Aang questioned.

"Yes, but it makes our job more difficult."

"It does."

Aang sighed. They decided to get back to the palace. They were tired after running around all day.

"Would you like to go to the bathhouse?" A servant offered them. They shrugged and agreed.

"We haven't been there in a while."

Somehow Aang had forgotten how thoroughly they wash you. "I don't need you to wash me in … oh boy." I hope Katara doesn't consider that cheating.

A woman grinned at Sokka. "I hear you are single."

"Um, well sort of. I was with Suki but then she suggested we … Oh boy."

"We will take good care of you."

"Um I …" He stammered and writhed about as she put some kind of gel on him and started to stroke.

The gel was warming somehow. This feels fantastic. Sokka started panting. It wasn't long before he found his release. They cleaned him up and sent him to the steam room. Aang was already in there.

"They are friendly here," Aang said.

"Yes, very friendly." It's a good thing that he and Suki aren't exactly together right now.


Instead of a group dinner, Azula told the servants to prepare her guests food whenever they wanted it. She knew she would be full for some time after all the dim sum, but the others might want to eat earlier.

Azula and Toph came back from the lounge and shared a bath together.

"This is so good," Toph mumbled as Azula massaged her back.

"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself."

"It's hard not to, with heated hands, Oh my SPIRITS!"

Azula grinned.

"When's dinner?"

"Whenever you want it."

"No group dinner."

"I figured people might get hungry at different times."

"Are you hungry?"

"Not yet."

"In that case, I'll get a snack, and we can eat dinner later."

"What are you in the mood for?"

"Those spicy chicken wings!"

Azula rang the bell.


The news of the takeover made its way around the world. It didn't travel as quickly as one might expect. The newscasters waited to see if Azula was able to retain control before spreading the news abroad. They didn't want to say she was Fire Lord, just for her to get kicked out the next day and face possible treason charges. When the military followed her and Zuko didn't return, however, they were ready to share the news with their international papers.

Ty Lee was a recipient of such a paper. She used it to keep up with Zuko and Mai's political situation. They weren't the best at keeping her up to date with letters.

Azula Has Returned

The Crown Princess Deposed her Brother

Declaring Herself the True Fire Lord

Ty Lee started to hyperventilate.

Suki saw her. "Ty?" She ran to her.

Ty Lee just showed her the front page.

"WHAT!"

The leader took the paper and began to read.

"In what was possibly the cleanest coup of all time, Princess Azula returned to the Nation and promptly took the throne. According to witnesses, she walked into the palace, no guards tried to stop her, and went straight to the sages, insisting that she was the true Fire Lord as she had won the Agni Kai against her brother three years prior.

The sages agreed and coronated her that very morning. Two hours later, she held a press conference where she promised to combat high food prices, unemployment, taxes, crime, and education. She was met with cheers and an outstanding welcome home.

Given the country's economic situation, she decided to forego a coronation party and instead wants to use any Crown funds to help restart the nation. "If I am successful," Azula said, "I'll throw a party on the one year anniversary."

She has been in power for less than a month, and her approval rating is at 80%, the highest Fire Lord ratings since Sozin. Azulon rode around 70% for most of his long reign. Ozai was around 60% for his five-year tenure.

Zuko started at about 65% but found himself at only 13% when he was ousted in absentia. His drop of over 52% in three years is the highest approval-rating drop in recorded history. Granted the ratings have not always taken place in the Fire Nation, however his unpopularity is unprecedented.

Azula admitted that she thought it would be difficult to maintain such high starting numbers, but she is confident that she will be a responsive Fire Lord, and that she will meet the needs of her citizens."

"HOW?" Suki yelled.

She convened the rest of the warriors.

"What do we do?" one asked.

"We go to the palace," Suki insisted

"And do what?" Ty Lee asked. "Try to fight her, the royal guards, and whoever else is in there? We need to find the other world leaders and have a coordinated plan."

The World Leaders were in Ba Sing Se at their peace summit. Both places were fairly far from Kyoshi Island, and they were in the opposite direction.

Ty Lee was outvoted. They were going to the palace.

The acrobat figured she wouldn't have to deal with Azula anymore. She was not excited to be knocking on the girl's doghouse door.

The next day, they arrived in Capital City. They hired a carriage to take them to the Palace.

The guards, however, did not let them in.

"Do you have an invitation?"

"What?"

"This is a private residence. Do you have an invitation?"

"No, but …"

The guard wouldn't open the door.

"Surely you can ask if the Fire Lord will see us."

"I can't leave my post. You'll have to wait until one of the roaming guards gets here."

"And when will that be?"

"Um, 15 minutes."

Ty Lee decided to try jumping the sidewall. She was surprised to see, "Aang?"

"Hey Ty Lee. What's going on?"

"You tell me. How did Zuko get deposed?"

"He was really unpopular. She showed up and said, 'hey I'll rule' and the nation was like 'that's fine.'"

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I came with a diplomatic team so we could check on the people and make sure they weren't militarizing. We did a flyover and didn't see anything suspicious. We also took a tour and wondered on our own, but there's no evidence that she did anything criminal."

The guard came to the front and then went to find the Fire Lord.

"Is that my wings?"

"Not if they're knocking. Who is it?"

"Tao. The Kyoshi Warriors want an audience with you."

"Oh curses!" Azula complained. "Escort them to the lounge in the northwest corridor and have some agents there in case they misbehave."

Azula kissed Toph's neck. "My work never stops."

"Can I just sit here and eat?"

"Sure, but there's a dining table and a couch over there. So you don't get wing sauce in my bed."

"Did I tell you how much I love these metal enhanced floors?"

"No, but I'm glad it worked." Azula stole another kiss and then got dressed.

The servants offered the "guests" tea, water, wine or snacks.

"Can I get a glass of rosé?" Ty Lee requested.

"Of course."

"You're drinking?" Suki questioned.

"You'll wish you had one."

The other warriors snickered.

The glass was being poured as Azula entered the room.

"You still drink that swill?"

"Your palace is serving it." Ty Lee retorted.

"Only because Zuzu ordered way too much three years ago. He can't even buy wine properly."

The two women stared each other down for the first time in three years. Well, Ty Lee had seen Azula after the agni kai, but she didn't remember it.

Ty Lee's boss broke the trance. "What games are you playing?" Suki demanded to know.

"You're the ones who showed up in my palace uninvited. You really think you're in a position to demand anything from me."

Sokka was on his way to his room with a basket of steam buns. "Hey Suki."

"What are you doing?"

"Eating?"

"You invited him?"

"He was sent on behalf of his father. So he was indirectly invited."

Sokka kept eating. "These are really good."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Um, I like your hair?"

Azula cracked up. "Straight people are hilarious." I like your hair. Haha!

"What was I supposed to say?"

"You are supposed to say that this is an outrage, and you'll put a stop to it."

"Um, I don't know if I can do that. I mean she was sneaky and underhanded, but the more I think about it, the more I think Zuko helped caused this mess. Under his rule, people were hungry, unemployed, and heavily taxed. Crime rates were high, and he kept trying to fix it, but he made it worse.

He tried to arrest his sister before she threw him out because he was so unpopular that she could throw him out, only to fail, the people he hired killed 15 innocent people and missed their target, and then she took the country after he had to go explain his past failures. He kind of did it to himself. I don't really know what to say. …These steam buns are really good."

He finished them.

"These steam buns are really good!" Suki was so annoyed.

"Yeah. Have you tried them? You should get some."

"This is why I broke up with you."

"So we're broken up. Good." Then I didn't cheat.

"Wow, well this was interesting, but I was kind of in the middle of something, so I think I'll go back to my bedroom."

Just then, Toph appeared in a bathrobe and covered in wing sauce. "You missed out. Those wings were really good."

Azula turned and said, "How did you get wing sauce on your boobs?"

"I don't know. Want to lick it off?"

The room gasped.

"Not in front of an audience."

"Suit yourself." A servant came and cleaned up her face and hands.

"Also, wash anything in my suite that she covered in sauce."

"Yes my Lord."

"You are the messiest girlfriend."

"Yeah I know, but you're used to it."

"She's your girlfriend!" Sokka turned his head on a diagonal and made a twisted face.

"Yeah, and we were having fun, before I got so rudely interrupted."

Toph sat on Azula's lap. "We should get more food."

"You just ate."

"I know. The wings were good, but they were tiny."

"Komodo chickens are smaller than chickens."

"Ah, I should have ordered like twice as many wings."

"I want wings," Sokka said.

"Is anyone else here bothered that Azula forcibly took the country from her brother?" Suki screeched.

"Whoa Fan Girl, your hurting my ears," Toph told her, "and yeah, it's a problem, but Zuko's reign was also a problem. He was about to lose the country to civil war, and that would be a bigger problem.

At least to me, it's unclear that reinstalling Zuko wouldn't just bring us to the same place we were before in a few months. We can't give him a crown that he can't defend. We're not his military. I refuse to keep coming back here every time his people get mad and kick him out."

Aang showed up. "Hey Suki. Hey Ty Lee. Have you tried the fried vegetable cakes? They're really good!"

"Are you all just eating?"

"Well, we did walk around all day and talk to a lot of people, and I played that game with those kids and that ball. Also, the food here is better now than it was the last time I was here. Why is that?"

"Oh I asked them to make the food more flavorful. I noticed it was blander when I got back. Apparently Mai has a sensitive palate. I think she just likes watching people be unhappy while they eat."

"How horrible," Sokka said.