I am so seriously going to get another chapter done on my other story. I'm just waiting for my muse to hit.
It's not as if Azula has never thought about it; assassination, after all, is a standard tool of the game she plays. Zuko would make it too easy though. She eyes him in a considering fashion. It's not his Fire Bending. The Fire Lord is formidable and the sister in Azula is proud that he has finally realized his potential. There is after all the Royal Family reputation to uphold and Azula would never suffer the black mark of weakness on their image. Zuko doesn't wrap himself up in the trappings of his station either. That, she suspects, is the influence of Iroh and years of banishment. Somewhere along the way the angry little prince forgot himself. Zuko has essentially removed the distance to the throne and stepped off the pedestal of divinity to mingle with the masses, especially if his choice of wives is anything to go by.
Zuko's eyes flick to hers and narrow at the unwavering stare of her own. "What?" He snips in irritation.
Imperceptibly, Azula raises a brow at him. No, she thinks, what makes Zuko too easy of a target is his trust in her. A trust so absolute that she doubts he would ever see it coming. Oh, she could plot and scheme in such a way that her hand in it could not be discovered at least for a time. It would only bring down the wrath of a little Water Bender and her Avatar pet on Azula's head. The fallout could be amusing.
She smirks and tilts her head letting her long bangs brush across her cheek "Just thinking, brother."
His yellow eyes simmer with something not quite anger or rage, but something uniquely Zuko. "You're always thinking, sister." He looks like Ozai-incarnate when he sneers. "Just what horrible things are you plotting now?"
Azula smiles benignly at him. "I was just thinking how that crown must be too heavy for you to bear. You're nearly crushed under it."
He holds her gaze for a beat, a myriad of emotions flick through those eyes but Azula keeps her face carefully blank as she waits for his reaction.
"I suppose you would bear some of the weight." Zuko says with careful enunciation. "Like a good sister would."
Azula smirks as she leans forward. The heat of one finger traces along the high aristocratic cheekbones of the Fire Lord up into his hair line, until she grazes the base of the flamed crown held firm in his hair. "A loving sister would indeed." With agile fingers she pulls the crown loose from its trap upon his head. The action causing the top knot to unravel and black silk locks fall around his face.
Zuko runs fingers through his hair, ruffling it out of the way as Azula sits back holding her prize. Turning it over, watching as the lights of the fire dance off its sharp edges. Delicate quick feet carry her from the couch to the mirror beside the fire. Deft fingers remove her own flamed trident and fix the larger one in her hair. Turning she considers the way it sits upon her head, feels the weight of it bearing on her shoulders. In the mirror's reflection she sees him rise from the couch and move to stand behind her.
"Well?" His raspy voice prompts.
Azula's yellow eyes meet the reflection of his in the mirror before her. "I could grow to like this, Zuzu."
He smirks. "Wear it too long and it will give you a headache." He turns away from her and returns to the couch, lying down on the silk cushions.
Azula says nothing, but she can feel the tug against the strands of her hair as the weight of the metal bears down on her. It's uncomfortable but tolerable. Behind her on the couch, Zuko has thrown an arm over his eyes but she knows better than to think he is close to sleep.
"You could abdicate." She suggests as she leans closer to the mirror, critically eyeing the pallor of her skin.
Zuko's chuckle is muffled by his arm. "When are you going to talk to Omashu?"
Azula sighs. "After the party. I imagine he won't be pleased."
It's not imagination. Far from it. The councilor is likely to snap.
"I don't know why you bother with him. Speak with the ambassador."
"I gladly would, brother, if the ambassador could pull himself out of his stupor enough. If anything you should be asking why Bumi would allow a drunk in his position anyway."
"I think we both know the answer to that." Zuko replies sourly.
Turning away from the mirror, Azula eyes the prone position of the Fire Lord resting on the couch. Not many are permitted to see him so unguarded. With careful steps she crosses the room, before dropping beside the couch in a crouch.
"They won't win this game, Zuko. Have some faith." She chides with a smirk. "One might think you don't trust your little sister. "
He raises his arm up just enough to eye her from under the expensive cloth of his sleeve. "If I were smart, then I wouldn't."
"Father always said you were dumb." Azula agrees. "But at least you had enough up top to avoid Jevian's clumsy attempt." The weight of the dress makes standing a less than graceful experience and she feels Zuko's reassuring hand holding her steady.
"It was just as you said it would be." He replies amiably as he stands with her before tilting his head and frowning. "It doesn't look right on you." He says with a vague gesture towards the crown in her hair.
She arches a skeptical eyebrow at him. "You want me to take fashion advice from you?"
Zuko chuckles even as his fingers reach around and grasp the metal pulling it free from her hair. "It reminds me of when we were kids and tried on Azulon's. It looks out of place on you." With clever fingers he sweeps his own hair back into a topknot. "Face it, Azula. The Fire Nation throne isn't for you." He slips around her to observe his progress in the mirror. Behind him he can see the scowling reflection of his sister. "You'll just have to find another."
"That reminds me, brother dear. I have something for you to sign before the wedding." His yellow eyes flick to hers as he smoothes the remaining hairs into place. "Then we can put this whole mess behind us and no more conversations about which one us looks better on the throne."
He sees the hidden meanings in her words and knows she won't ever voice them. Repressing a smile, he turns to face her. "I better get back. If Hakoda notices I keep disappearing, then I will never hear the end of it."
He brushes pass her to the only door in the small room. Stopping with his hand on the handle, he looks back at her. She stands with her back to him, framed in the glowing flames in the fireplace.
"Azula," She turns at the sound of his voice and regards him with a curious look. "Be careful tonight. I want to trust you. I really do but…"
"You better get back, Fire Lord." She cuts him off coldly. "Your guests are waiting."
The message is clear. She will only let him coddle her so much and she is already bristling at the constraints. All her schemes rely on Zuko's implicit trust in her. With a nod, he leaves out the room, closing the door behind him.
Ooooo
Ty Lee's eyes are large as she looks up at him. "Have you spoken to her yet?"
Aang resists the urge to shift uncomfortably under her stare. "Yes."
Hope glimmers in her large gray eyes. "And?"
"And nothing. She won't tell me what's going on."
The glimmer fades and disappointment takes its place. "Oh."
He scrutinizes the acrobat. "What is it you are worried about exactly?"
Ty Lee fidgets and looks away to the busy ballroom. "Azula isn't herself lately. She stays in her office or in her rooms. She only really talks to Zuko." She shakes her head in frustration. "It's like it isn't even her anymore."
"Maybe with the wedding coming; she has been busy with that." Aang suggests.
"No, something happened. She, like, disappeared for weeks and Zuko wouldn't tell us anything. And when she did come back it was like a ghost. Mai and I tried to talk to her about it but you know Azula." Aang does and knows exactly what wall they came up against. Getting the princess to talk about herself is an exercise in futility. "It's not like Zuko will say anything either. Not that he would really tell us much. All we knew was she wasn't allowed in the dungeons anymore." Ty Lee shrugs at this.
Aang doubts Zuko could stop Azula anyway. "What about Satou and the others? "
The executions of the five men has set a tone over the court and shined a new light on the Fire Lord and the Princess. The nobles and military leaders are nervous. They aren't the only ones. Unrest is brewing in the citizens due to tightening trade restrictions and tensions with the Earth Kingdom.
Ty Lee's eyes dart away. "If Azula gets her way, there will be more." Her voice drops low. "They threatened Zuko. She won't let that pass."
Aang didn't think she would. "Zuko won't let her." There are already rumblings among the nobles about the heavy hand of the Fire Lord and while Zuko is not Ozai, Azula is as close as it comes. It wouldn't be a far stretch of the imagination for Azula to become the target of discontent.
Ty Lee nods. "He worries for her. He's got Mai looking into things. Not like interrogating or anything but questioning suspects. Azula doesn't know." She chews her bottom lip. "Aang, she doesn't even bend anymore."
Of all the tidbits Ty Lee has spilled this is the most troubling.
"At all?"
She shakes her head, worry filling her eyes. "Used to be she burned a room up when she was in it but not anymore. It's like the fire's gone. I can see it in her aura. It's all murky. What could do that to her?"
Aang looks out over the crowded room, catching glimpse of the trident crown and he wonders what the Princess is really hiding.
Ooooo
It's late that night when more pieces are added to the puzzle. Lien's face is one of confusion when he leads her to her room and leaves her at the door. The hurt is clear on her face when she realizes their evening is over but Aang is too busy thinking about the secrets teeming under the surface of the palace to be concerned. Unable to sleep Aang wanders the empty hallways of the palace. Raised voices draw his attention, especially when he notes one of those voices belongs to Azula.
"I've had enough of this, Councilor." Her voice is spiked with loathing.
"And, I'm not done talking, Princess!" Returns a harsh voice. "You will hear me out."
If his seismic sense is anything to go by, then they are just around the corner and, by all accounts, alone. Briefly Aang ponders the absence of guards in this hallway. He hesitates though. Azula is not one to appreciate help, even if she needs it, but certainly Huan is no match for her, with or without her bending.
"And you will not tell me what to do. Good night." Azula hisses as the vibrations of her steps take her the other direction.
It isn't until the heavier footsteps follow that Aang turns the corner in time to see Huan catch Azula's arm and jerk her around. Azula's eyes are wide with shock before a wave of anger overtakes them and she begins to struggle to free her arm.
"Get your hands off me!" The foreign sound of panic is in her voice but there isn't any fire at her fingertips.
"You will listen to me!" Huan yells as he grabs hold of her other arm and roughly pushes her against the wall trying to subdue the struggling woman.
Whether Azula would appreciate his help or not becomes a moot point.
"I suggest you listen to her." Aang warns as he approaches.
They still at the new voice. Wariness shines in Huan's eyes but relief blossoms in Azula's. She is quick to pull her arm free from the distracted Earth Bender and even quicker to move behind the furious Avatar. Huan stands straighter, noting Azula's retreat.
"The princess and I were having a discussion, Avatar Aang. It is hardly any of your concern."
The bold tone is surprising but Aang is used to dealing with this sort.
"The discussion can be handled by either Fire Lord Zuko or me. I suggest you turn in for the night."
Huan opens his mouth to argue but wisely closes it. He shoots a pointed glare over Aang's shoulder at Azula then with a curt nod, he turns on his heel and leaves down the hall. Aang follows the man's retreat until he disappears around the corner. Once he is sure they are alone, he looks to Azula. Catching his eye, she gives a small smile.
"Thank you."
Azula is never one to give thanks easily so Aang holds her gaze as if the answer to the mystery were in her eyes. The golden orbs reveal nothing so instead he offers, "Are you okay?"
With a shrug, she smoothes out the bodice of her dress. "The good councilor has partaken of Chief Hakoda's generosity too much tonight. I'm sure tomorrow he will be in a better mood…and more sober."
"I was serious when I said I don't want him talking to you."
Her eyes flash at him. "That is not your decision to make."
A bitter retort is on his tongue but Azula's steps in quickly covering his mouth with her hand. Down the hall, loud voices and laughing can be heard but all Aang can focus on is how cool her fingers are against his lips.
"Walk me to my room." She whispers with a wide open look in her eyes.
Silently he nods and she breaks the contact. The path they take is a painfully familiar one as they walk deeper into the palace. If the guards at her door are surprised at his presence they don't show it. The rooms are dark and quiet but Azula makes no move to light the torches as she moves through the space. Either her bending really is gone or she prefers the cover of night to avoid having to look at him. Aang is tired of avoidance.
The room flares with blue light causing Azula to pause in her step. "Surely the mighty Avatar isn't scared of the dark." She muses with a careful smirk over her shoulder.
Aang doesn't miss the wistful glance she throws to the azure flames. Ignoring what it can mean, he chooses to focus on the immediate problem. "Huan…"
"Is a spy." Azula cuts him off.
"A spy?" Aang repeats uncertainly.
Her smile is brittle and cold. "One of Jevian's. Ba Sing Se is concerned we might ally with Omashu."
While Huan is a member of the Omashu delegation, he has been an agent for Ba Sing Se for longer than his post with the ambassador. His plan was to try to woo the Fire Nation to Omashu's side while feeding information about what was on offer to Jevian. The caveat was to offer less than Ba Sing Se.
"That doesn't make sense." Aang frowns.
He gets an answering shrug in return. "No one accuses Jevian of being smart." Perhaps in some circles Jevian would be considered cunning but she isn't any match for Azula, not anymore.
"So you have been leading him along?"
"Men are easily distracted. Huan gave up more information than he realized in his clumsy attempts to win me over though I imagine that won't be a problem now." Aang narrows his eyes uncertain at her meaning. "You can be intimidating when you want to be." There is quiet approval in her tone.
"He put his hands on you Azula. He has no right."
"Oh, of course. He should have just boxed me in stone instead to make his point." She rolls her eyes. "You think because we were once involved that you can take liberties others can't."
Both Zuko and Azula have made their disapproval clear of Aang's last attempt to speak with Azula.
"I shouldn't have done that and I am sorry." Aang admits. "But you could speak to me instead of running."
The glare in her eyes tells him what she thinks about running and avoiding but she doesn't comment on it. "I'm not running now," She says instead. "Speak." She crosses her arms over her chest to emphasize her point.
Maybe it's the late hour wearing on him, or the wine beating a rhythm in his blood that causes him to be so forward. "What are you hiding from me?"
Surprise flickers in her eyes at his directness. "What do you mean?"
Her deflection has him stepping towards her. "Don't play games with me Azula. Something is going on. Zuko is being overprotective and you're letting him. Now tell me what is going on?"
Anger flares in her eyes but the temperature of the room stays the same. "It's none of your business. If you're so concerned about Zuko being overprotective then why don't you ask him?"
Aang feels like he is zeroing in on it and he draws closer to her. "I'm asking you. What are you afraid of, Azula?"
Indignation flashes on her face. "I am not afraid of anything." She hisses.
He can see the thin veneer of control slipping so he decides to push it. "Then why are you hiding behind Zuko?"
Azula's mouth gapes open but no sound comes out. She blinks in surprise at him before saying quietly. "I'm not."
"You aren't?" Aang asks, taking another step forward. "Then why did you send Zuko to talk to me instead of doing it yourself?"
Azula is not usually one to let others' fight her battles. Sending Zuko to deal with Aang was very telling.
"Loyalty works both ways. He's my brother." Her voice sounds strong but he hears the underlying tremor to it. She takes a small step backwards, feeling the wall at her back.
"What are you really up to Azula? You only give if you are getting, especially when it comes to Zuko. Just what are you getting out of being the good sister?"
He's close enough to touch now and Azula puts a hand on his chest stopping his advance on her. The touch is gentle, almost caressing. Azula is mercurial though and just as quick her hands close in the silk and she jerks him forward turning so he hits the wall behind her.
"Zuko is my brother and he is the Fire Lord. I need no other reasons than that. I am simpler than you think I am. He is worth far more to me alive and in power." She crowds his space, twisting her hands in the silk of his shirt deeper.
There is a fire in her glare and a heat in her hands that is so reminiscent of the Azula he knew before. Perhaps her bending isn't truly gone. His fingers encircle her wrists holding her in place against his chest, enjoying the feeling of having her close even if they are disagreeing.
"Then why are you hiding behind him? Just what is so important that you have to keep it from me?" He asks in a gentler voice.
"Are you offering to help me?"
"Yes." He isn't even sure what he is agreeing to.
She is so close her breath tickles his lips. "There is something you can do for me that Zuko can't."
The scent of her perfume and press of her body against his is intoxicating. "What is that?"
Her lips are heated against his, soft but demanding. He feels an answering heat coil in his stomach as she presses more against him, one hand slipping behind his neck, holding him to her. Instinct takes over and his arms wrap tight around her waist lifting her against him.
Aang breaks away, turning away from her questing lips. Azula never breaks stride as she nips her way down his jawline and neck.
Azula wants. It's difficult to keep up the façade of indifference when he is right there in front of her. There aren't any disapproving Fire Lords or mooning acolytes spoiling the mood. Everything around her has been unraveling and she wants nothing more than to pick up a few of the threads to salvage the cloth.
Aang's hands are in her hair, pulling the strands out of the complicated style and letting them spill over her shoulders. She feels the room spin as he turns her against the wall, pressing her to it and capturing her lips in another kiss. She relaxes in his arms as the tension of the evening, the tension of the last several months, melts away. Azula knows what she needs and when she feels his fingers pulling at the ties of her dress, she knows she's going to get it.
Suddenly though he is pulling away. Her eyes open in confusion and see the apology in his own.
"I can't, we can't just fall back into bed together."
Azula stills as if trying to comprehend his words. "Surely you didn't forget how?"
A look of annoyance flashes across his face. "No."
She rolls her eyes. "Then what is the problem? I want you, you seem to want me. Is it that Lien girl?" Straightening off the wall, she smoothes out the fabric of her skirt, affecting a calmness that she isn't really feeling. Anger flares in her chest at the thought of that woman touching what is hers.
"This has nothing to do with her." Aang's words are spoken quietly. "It doesn't help anything if we cheapen what we had with meaningless sex."
Azula scoffs with laughter. "When has sex ever been meaningless?" He answers with a glare and something in her relents at it. "Why would you even think it would be?"
The conversation is frustrating him and he looks everywhere but at her. "Because we aren't together anymore. It would be one night and that's it. Do you really want that?" His eyes lock with hers as if to challenge her to disagree.
"I want things to go back to the way they were before." She admits solemnly. Her admission catches him off guard. Seeing the questions in his eyes, she sighs and looks away. It was more than she wanted to disclose. The hour is late. She snuck too much champagne. Dealing with a scheming Ba Sing Se and now a furious Omashu is leaving her drained.
"It can't ever go back to how it was before." It hurts to say it but it's the truth. Aang has seen a side to Azula he thought was laid to rest.
He sees the moment she shuts down emotionally. The impassive mask of royalty falls over her face as warm gold turns to cold brass. "Then this is good night."
She pushes off the wall, turning to the door, but his voice stops her. "If you are in danger, I need to know." He warns.
"I'm always in danger." She gives a small laugh that sounds just this side of maniacal. "It's nothing Zuko and I can't handle. "
There's that inclusion of the Fire Lord in her words. Azula has never truly relied on anyone else in all the years he has known her so why now?
"Why can't you bend anymore?"
Azula halts her path to the door, to escape, and rounds on him, surprise shining in her eyes. "What?"
He steps forward, critically eyeing her now. "Your chi is blocked. You can't bend, not like you used to be able to. I want to know why?" He can't see auras the way Ty Lee can but having her so close he can see something is clearly wrong.
She finds herself on the retreat again as he comes closer. It was bound to come up sooner or later when it was noticed that she no longer trained and stopped the matches that had kept the Court so amused. No one had dared bring it up though as they must have thought the stress of the wedding was keeping her busy. Few would dare to question Azula anyway.
It's useless to try to lie her way out of this one. More pointedly, Azula doesn't want to lie. "It's not gone."
"Do you want to elaborate?"
"No, not really. I don't see how it is any of your business anyway."
Aang scowls at this. "Because I care about you and I want you to be happy."
She laughs again. "Just when do you ever think I have been happy? For a time I was content but then you had to go and get all noble and Avatar about things." The derisive tone conveys her feelings about that.
"You choose to be unhappy."
Her eyes roll and she crosses her arms over her chest. "Air Nation wisdom is it? I suppose you would make me happy then?"
Aang isn't falling into another trap of arguing with her. "No, not at all. No one can make you happy but yourself, Azula. It's a choice."
"Choice." The word is poison in her mouth. "There is no choice. There is duty. There is responsibility. We serve the greater purpose. That is our only choice."
The words are twisted and cruel but so very honest; so many depend on them to take up the mantle of their station.
Aang concedes somewhat. "We choose to do this."
"Precisely. It's not like we can run from it. Look what a disaster that turned out to be."
The jab hits its mark. She smirks at the darkening gray of his eyes. He knows what she is doing. The steps to this dance are familiar but no less painful.
"You aren't pushing me away. Why can't you bend?"
He swears he sees smoke roll from her lips when she hisses. "Who says I can't?"
"Show me."
Scowling at the demanding tone in his voice, she weighs her options. Zuko is the only one she has trusted to speak about her Fire Bending with. But she has trusted Aang with other aspects of her life and the Avatar has not ever once betrayed her. Reluctantly, she holds out a hand. The orange flame sputters to life but it is steady and strong. She watches his face, carefully gauging his reaction.
The color is surprising and looks so out of place that close to Azula. The sapphire fire had always been hers, at least until she shared some of her knowledge with Aang. Knowing how important and integral her bending is, he is careful to not react to what she trusts to show him.
Carefully stepping forward he slides a hand under hers, the same way she did for him the night she helped him focus his chi. He feels her tense at his touch but relax when she sees what he is doing.
"It's not gone." Her voice is a near whisper.
Aang focuses on melding the energies and the flame reacts, sparking dangerously before burning brighter and flickering to a soft blue.
"No, not gone, just hiding."