Mai sat quietly in her private drawing-room, gazing out the window on one of the palace flower gardens. She and Tom-Tom had been more or less confined to her quarters for two days already, under the watchful eyes of imperial guards. Now that the initial shock had worn off, she was handling the situation better; after all, this attempt on her life wasn't really so different from the many times that she'd been close to death in the Earth Kingdom.

She glanced over at Tom-Tom. The boy was curled up in a cream-colored armchair, engrossed in a book about the Hundred-Year War. When he had first been brought there by the guards, Tom-Tom had been quite visibly worried. He'd even betrayed his humanity by anxiously asking if she was all right. When she had explained to him what had happened, he had seemed stricken. He'd regained his calm exterior after a few minutes, of course – he was still a Tsang. But Mai had been reminded of just how young her brother was, and how untested in any real political context. Mother and Father will have taught him how to behave, how to observe, and how to think. But he's never really seen the cutthroat behind-the-scenes power plays in the Fire Nation itself...and he's only ten years old.

There came a light knock on the door. As Mai rose to her feet, it opened, admitting two imperial guards and a tall, dark-haired man. She felt a sudden flood of relief. "Lobsang," she murmured, extending her hand.

"My lady." He bowed, then took her fingers in his. "I came to see how my cousins are doing. How are you holding up, Mai?"

"I'm fine," she said quietly. "I wasn't hurt." She looked away. "Can't say as much for my royal taster, though." Guilt washed over her. She'd asked one of her guards about the girl the morning after the incident. The servant had been only fifteen years old.

He squeezed her hand a bit, then looked over at Tom-Tom. "And how are you doing, your lordship?" he asked.

"I am well," the boy said sedately. "I'd like to be able to go back to my own rooms soon, though." He glanced quickly at Mai. "Not that I tire of your company, of course, Sister Mai..."

The noblewoman shook her head and waved a hand, ignoring his misstep. "I'm sure we'd both like to rejoin the rest of the world, Tomeo. As soon as it's safe, we will." She turned her attention back to her cousin. "Have you heard anything, Lobsang?"

"No." He shook his head and smiled a bit. "Your husband is playing his cards very close to his chest, my lady – as well he should. I'm sure that you will hear any news long before I do." Mai nodded slowly. His eyes searched hers. "Are you sure you're all right, cousin?" he asked quietly. "You know you can trust me."

She nodded tiredly, turning away and resuming her seat by the window. "I know," she said. "I'm all right, Lobsang. Really. I was a bit shaken up afterwards, and I feel bad for the servant who died, but I'm fine." She gave him a small smile. "It's not the first time someone's tried to kill me, you know. We were actively hunted all across the Earth Kingdom for years."

"Yes. I suppose you were." He gave her a curious look, as if he hadn't really thought about that. "That's probably going to be useful experience..."

The door opened again, this time without a knock. Mai turned and found her gaze locked with the Fire Lord's. Zuko was flanked by more imperial guards. Even though Mai's private drawing room was a large one, she felt it was beginning to get a bit crowded – and most of the people were soldiers. Nevertheless, she quickly rose to her feet and bowed her head. "My lord," she said, as her cousin bowed from the waist. "You have news?"

"Perhaps." Zuko looked at Lobsang. "I would have a word with the princess in private, sir."

"Of course, your lordship." Lobsang glanced at Mai and nodded. "I must take my leave, my lady. Until tomorrow?" She smiled a bit, and watched as he left, with Tom-Tom in tow.

When the door had closed behind them, Zuko moved to take Mai's hand. Without speaking, he drew her to the sofa and sat down beside her. "We've exposed most of the players in the plot," he said. "The poison was meant for you." He paused, watching her to see how she would take this. Mai simply nodded; she wasn't surprised. "It was smeared on the plate itself. We traced it back to one of the royal chefs. Once we questioned him, we found he'd been strongarmed into it by a man, who was in turn employed by Lord Mateo Ronin."

She pursed her lips. "The Ronins," she murmured. "I remember them. Lord Mateo is your father's cousin's oldest son, is he not?"

"He is, indeed. Mateo's father was one of the main noblemen backing my sister before her exile, I believe." Mai nodded and turned her eyes away from his. She remembered the man. When Azula had been plotting to steal her brother's throne, she'd had Mai contact the Ronins a few times to help set up the coup. Lord Mateo's father, Tezon, had been both a lord and a decorated admiral in the Fire Nation navy – a formidable man. It didn't surprise her that his son would hire an assassin. "We're still keeping everything quiet at the moment. I've got a few of my people finding out just how many members of the Ronin clan were involved in this. Once I know that, I'll act. You shouldn't have to stay under guard in here much longer." Zuko smiled then, sadly, relaxing his businesslike manner. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Mai repressed a slight twinge of annoyance at having to answer that particular question yet again. She paused. "Do you know if that girl had a family? - The servant, I mean. The taster."

The Fire Lord nodded a bit. "I had her parents informed the same night," he said quietly. "I made sure they're taken care of, Mai. Her funeral expenses came out of the treasury, and I gave her younger sister a job working in the kitchens." She couldn't restrain a sigh of relief. Zuko closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he looked weary and troubled. "Mai...I have some bad news for you. Do you think you can take it?"

More bad news? What now – have my parents been killed? She frowned a little, searching his eyes for clues. "I can take it," she said shortly. "What's happened?"

Reaching into an inner pocket, the Fire Lord produced a small scroll of paper. "A messenger hawk arrived an hour ago," he said. "It's from my mother." He paused, searching for words. "They're traveling on an Earth Kingdom ship. There was good security on board, but someone slipped through the cracks – a Freedom Fighter, a young man." Mai's eyes widened a touch. She knew the Freedom Fighters; they were one of the organizations after Azula's blood. "He attacked my sister and stabbed her through the heart with a knife," Zuko finished, his voice soft.

"What?" Mai was on her feet before she realized she had moved. She could feel the blood draining from her face; her heart began to beat faster. Azula...stabbed... "Zuko, are you saying that...is Azula dead?"

He lowered his eyes. "When mother wrote, Azula was just barely alive. The healers were working on her around the clock. That would have been two days ago," he said quietly. "I don't know if she survived or not. She may well be dead by now. We should prepare ourselves for the possibility, anyway." It didn't seem possible. After all the storms they had weathered together, all the assassins and bounty hunters and vigilantes they had defeated and escaped from – could Azula really have been felled by something so trivial as a boy with a knife? Mai slowly sank back down onto the sofa. It doesn't seem possible for Azula to die at all, she thought numbly. I mean, I guess I know she's mortal, but... Zuko laid his hand on hers. "Are you all right?" he asked, his voice soft.

"Yes. I have to be." Mai's lips tightened. I can't afford to lose it. There's too much at stake here. She inhaled deeply and turned her gaze back to his. "What are we going to do?"

"About Azula? Nothing – yet. I can't plan until I know if she's alive or dead. I'm going to leave things as they are until I know what's happened." He paused before he spoke again. "My people should be reporting back to me soon about who exactly in the Ronin clan was responsible for the plot against you. Once I have that information, I'll be sending out soldiers to make some arrests. It should be safe enough for you to come out after that."

"Good. There's nothing to do here," Mai said absently. She sighed. "Do you think it's a good idea for Tom-Tom to stay here with me? Maybe it would be safer for me to send him back to New Ursa to live with our parents again."

"I guess you'll have to do whatever you think best about that," he replied. "But really, I think Tom-Tom would be safer here than in the Earth Kingdom. Anyone who wants to harm him here has to get through the imperial guard first. I'm sure your family has well-trained soldiers guarding them in New Ursa, but they're no match for my bodyguards." The noblewoman nodded thoughtfully. Zuko glanced out the window, then back at her. "I have to go, Mai," he said apologetically. "I'd like to stay with you, but I want to get the Ronins dealt with as quickly as possible. Will you be all right?"

She sighed again and smiled at him with slight exasperation. "Zuko, I'm fine. Really. Go and do whatever you have to do."

"Okay. If you're sure." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I should have the situation under control by morning," he said quietly. "I'll come to you again the minute we have the culprits in custody, all right? I promise."

"Thank you, Zuko." She brushed her lips lightly against his. "Come back soon," she whispered. With a nod, he rose to his feet and made his way from the room. Mai watched him go. Then, taking a deep breath, she got up and went to look for Tom-Tom.