"Mai – Mai!" The assassin looked up with a sudden frown. She had managed to sneak away into one of the palace gardens with a book. It was the first time in days she'd actually been able to get away, and she'd been looking forward to a little time alone. Her eye found the lean, broad-shouldered form of the Fire Lord approaching her. No rest for the weary. With a sigh of resignation, she set aside her tome and slowly rose to her feet.
Zuko was grinning from ear to ear, oblivious to the faint irritation in his fiancee's expression. "Great news, Mai," he said, waving a scroll of paper in her direction. "Mother's written. They're coming, Mai! They'll be on a ship bound for our port by now!"
"Really?" Mai's eyes widened. "Do you mean that Azula's actually agreed to come?"
"Yes." He thrust the note into Mai's hands. "This came by messenger hawk not fifteen minutes ago. Read it for yourself." She looked down at it.
My dear son,
You'll be happy to know that Azula has agreed to accompany me back to the Fire Nation to accept her commuted sentence. She doesn't yet know that you and Mai are to be married – I think that the news of her father's death has shaken her badly enough for the time being. We (Ty Lee, your sister and myself) will be boarding a ship the day after tomorrow. We should arrive two weeks from then, so you can make what preparations you need to accordingly.
And on a more personal note – Zuko, my son. I know what your sister has done to you, and to some of the people you love. You will be tempted to be harsh, and with reason. But please – please, Zuko – be gentle with Azula, for my sake. There is still good in her, as hard and angry as she is. She has displayed selfless generosity a number of times, and she has faithfully kept both promises she made to me. Give her the chance she needs to prove herself, and I believe you won't regret it.
All my love, my son. I look forward to seeing you in two short weeks.
Your mother,
Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation
The young noblewoman reread the letter, then folded it neatly and handed it back to him. She shook her head. "I'm actually surprised that Azula agreed to it," she said. "She's not overly rational when it comes to putting herself in anyone else's power, particularly if she's been locked up beforehand. Princess Ursa and General Iroh must be more persuasive than I had thought."
"Yes. Well, she has. And now, you and I need to talk about this." Zuko tucked the letter into an inner pocket and sat down on the bench where Mai had been perched. Slowly, she sat down beside him. "They'll be here in two weeks. We'll need to figure out exactly how we're going to receive them."
"Receive them?" Mai echoed. "Well, I suppose we should assign bodyguards to your mother before we do anything else. And we'll have to decide where in the palace to put them." She stopped, biting her lip. "Zuko, I'm...worried," she confessed. "It's one thing for Azula to hear that I've been crowned Princess Consort from across the ocean. It's quite another for her to come here and find that I've been given her crown, her palanquin, her armor, and even her rooms...and from what you've told me, she won't even be a princess anymore."
He shook his head. "The things I've given you are appropriate for a woman of your rank to have," he said firmly. "They don't belong to Azula anymore. She forfeited any right to them when she tried to take my throne by force, and I can give them to whoever I choose."
The assassin looked away, sensing his displeasure. "I'm not being ungrateful, my lord," she said quietly. "And I certainly don't question your right to give or withhold whatever you see fit. I'm just saying that your sister will probably be angry about it."
"Then let her be angry." He dismissed the subject with a wave. "There are plenty of rooms in the palace that are more than good enough for her to stay in. She'll get over it." Mai was not through with this discussion, but it was obvious that he was. She set it aside for the time being. I'll talk to him about it again later, when he's more receptive. "I think you should be the one to meet them at the dock when they come, Mai. It would be the perfect chance for you to start acting in your official capacity as my betrothed."
He was right, and Mai knew it. At the same time, the thought of greeting Azula filled her with dismay, and something very like fear. Just how would the powerful young firebender react to seeing the crown that once was hers on the head of her former servant? Mai winced at the thought. There couldn't be enough royal bodyguards in the world. "If you think that would be an appropriate step to take," she said calmly, "I will do it."
"Good. That's settled, then." Zuko smiled broadly at her. She felt his arm slipping around her waist and pulling her closer. "It looks as if Mother will be here for our wedding," he said happily. "I'm sure we can get her to help with your coronation afterwards. This will all work out perfectly." He kissed her cheek. Mai, her mind still on Azula, managed a weak smile. Zuko's grin faded a bit. "Is something wrong?"
"I'm sorry, Zuko," she said softly. "I am happy with you, and I'm so happy to marry you! It's just that this is all a bit...confusing. And overwhelming." She looked down at her fingers. "Are you sure that bringing your sister here is such a good idea?"
His brows raised a bit. "What do you mean? You're the one who told me she should get another chance."
"I know," Mai said. "And I meant it. But maybe this isn't the best kind of second chance to give to Azula. She's...well, she's unpredictable. Volatile, even. She trusts no one. She's dangerous. In a way, I sometimes wonder if she shouldn't have stayed longer in that mental ward you sent her to after her breakdown."
Zuko pursed his lips, studying his fiancee with slightly narrowed eyes. "Mai," he said slowly, "you told me she had changed, and that she's less likely to stab me in the back."
"And I told you the truth." She met his gaze steadily. "She has changed, and she is less likely to turn on you. But it's not impossible. Azula's unstable. I don't think it would take much to throw her into some kind of a downward spiral. And you know what this court is like." Mai stopped, biting her lips. "She's my friend," she said softly. "I'm saying this for her sake, and for yours. I don't want to see either of you get hurt. Be very careful in how you deal with her, Zuko. Don't trust her, but don't give her too much reason to resent you, either." He frowned. Mai took a deep breath. "And about her relationship with Ty Lee," she went on. "I understand why you think they need to be separated for a while. But Ty is sort of like Azula's conscience. It would be to your benefit if you let them see each other, at least in some form. Azula is far less erratic if Ty Lee is with her."
He leaned back on the bench, regarding her thoughtfully. After a while, he seemed to come to some kind of a decision. "Let me tell you exactly what I have planned," he said. "You know Azula far better than I do, so you can tell me if you think this will work." He began to tick items off on his fingers. "First, I'm going to place both her and Ty Lee under a constant watch. In Azula's case, I'm even going to assign guards to be in her rooms while she sleeps. After what you just said, I think this might be as much for her own protection as for mine. Second – and I told you part of this before – I'm giving Azula nothing in the way of power in this palace. Even the servants assigned to take care of her will be under my authority, not hers. And third – she and Ty Lee will not be permitted to have any kind of private communication. For obvious reasons."
Solemnly, Mai considered his words. "She'll resent the guards," she said finally, "but they're a necessary precaution. And it's probably safer not to give her any authority, particularly in the beginning." She paused. "You're right in that Azula and Ty Lee shouldn't be alone together for a while. Ty worships your sister, and it's better not to give them any chances to conspire. But don't try to cut them off from each other completely, Zuko. In exile, Azula felt like we were all she had left. Since she's probably going to consider me a traitor once she gets here, she'll be very possessive of Ty Lee. I can guarantee that she'll lash out in some way if she thinks you're trying to take Ty away from her."
"Then I'll take your advice," he said promptly, with a decisive nod.
The young noblewoman met his gaze again. "With all that being said – are we going to prohibit my being alone with your sister, too?"
His brows lowered, just a fraction. He gave her a searching look. "Do you think that I need to?"
"No. That's not what I mean, Zuko. I pledged my loyalty to you in the hearing of the full court, and I intend to keep that vow. What I meant was that it would be better if I kept my distance from Azula for a while. I betrayed you publicly by the side of your sister – that's common knowledge. Tongues are going to be wagging as it is. So I think you need to tell Azula not to seek me out." Mai looked away. All of this is probably going to cost me my friendship with her. But if it comes to that, I guess that's a sacrifice I'll just have to make. I'm in too deep to turn back now. "We don't need to give your enemies any more ammunition than they already have."
"You're absolutely right. I'll put that in place, too." He rose to his feet and looked down at her with a faint smile. "I have a meeting now. There's some dispute between a group of Earth Kingdom farmers and the colony of New Ursa, and I'm going to mediate. I'd like for you to be there, Mai. It would be a good chance for you to see the kind of problems we're dealing with in the Earth Kingdom."
"As you wish, my lord." She got up and held up her book. "I'll have to put this away first. Perhaps I can meet you there?"
The Fire Lord bowed in assent. "The meeting is in the second-floor war room," he said. "I'll see you there in twenty minutes." Zuko dropped a quick kiss on her cheek before turning and striding off. She watched him leave, admiring his silhouette. Then she turned and left the garden herself, heading for the palace library.