Really, now that she thought about it, Azula should have anticipated some variation on this question. After all, her grandfather had begun the tradition of killing dragons to prove one's status as a warrior. Rather stupid of her not to have thought about it before now. It would certainly have been better to have had time to think of an answer to it before standing in the midst of a horde of dragons who had already threatened to annihilate her. But it was too late to worry about that now.

The princess still stood straight and tall, with her shoulders squared. She didn't dare to lower her gaze as she considered the question. Why should they help me? Her mind whirled. Why should they? It's not like I have anything to offer them. And they're right. My family all but wiped them out. And I would have helped, if I'd been old enough. Azula wrestled with it for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, she swallowed hard. "I don't know," she admitted.

You don't know? The whirl of color and motion ceased. There was great stillness in the cavern; the golden dragon gave something like a snort. A blast of heated air swept over Azula's skin. The daughter of a firebending emperor, and you have no answer for us, little mortal? Did you come to us thoughtlessly? Should we bend to your whims as if we were your subjects?

Well, at least the answer to that was obvious. "No." Azula hoped her voice was still steady. "I didn't come here thoughtlessly, honored dragon. My firebending was taken from me because I lost my mind. I've regained my sanity now, and I need to be able to firebend to protect someone who deserves to be protected. The Avatar told me this is the only way for me to get it back – so here I am." She took a deep breath. "I am prepared for your judgment."

You lack no courage, then. Only wisdom. The tone was still contemptuous, but there was a new note there that Azula couldn't quite place. We will question you. We will question you, emperor's daughter, and you will answer. When you had the power to command fire, what did you do with it?

Azula's jaw tightened. "I honed my skill to the best of my abilities. I fought against the enemies of my nation, to bring them under my father's control."

Truth.

"I used it to put fear into the troops that my father placed under me, so that they would use it to conquer those same enemies. I used it in battle."

Also truth. Continue.

The princess inhaled. "I…burned many of my people with it," she said quietly. She had an idea that lying would serve no purpose here. "I punished servants and slaves. I did many things to make people fear me. I killed animals with it. I might even have killed a palace servant or two, although I don't know because I never asked about them after they were taken away." There. That had been as clean a breast as she could make of it.

A red dragon to Azula's right lowered his head and narrowed his dark eyes. So you brought nothing but death and destruction with our element, and you were spawned by the men who tried to destroy us. You've used fire to destroy the very balance of the world. What makes you think you deserve to have it back?

An excellent point. The princess breathed for a minute or two. "It's quite possible that I don't deserve it," she said quietly. "I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't a stellar human being. I'm still not. But there's someone I have to protect, and I can't do it without being able to firebend. She's worth the risk to me."

What is fire?

That had been the golden dragon. Azula looked back at him and paused. For a moment, she had an absurd flashback to her days at the Fire Nation Academy for Girls, when their teachers would ask them that same question. They had dutifully recited their firebending catechism in response; the words came back to her easily. "Fire is life," she said quietly. "Fire is the force that keeps us alive. Or so they told me in school."

And what do you think?

Azula's brow creased. She hadn't consciously considered this question before, but now that it was posed, she realized she had her own thoughts about it. "I think it's true, so far as it goes," she said quietly. "But I don't think it's complete." There was silence. There was no change in the hostility she felt from the leviathans who surrounded her. The odds are I'm going to die here, Azula thought resignedly. I just hope the Avatar remembers that he promised to help Ty Lee. "I don't think it's complete," she said again. "Fire is life. It's warmth. We use it to cook our food and keep warm when it's cold, and purify things, and run our machines. But that's not all it is. Fire kills. Fire burns down forests and destroys things." Azula inhaled. "Fire is both. It gives life and death, brings purity and destruction. It's both. It's…"

A revelation. Azula's eyes widened.

"Like me."

The words rose crisply into the silence. As if she had thrown a switch, the dragons around her reared up on their hind legs. Like a swirl of gigantic autumn leaves, they leaped into the air and flew in a whirlwind around her. The wind of their flight blasted her, nearly knocking her off her feet. The princess stood her ground determinedly. Her heart was pounding in her ears. This is it. I'm dead. Azula watched in mingled resignation and fear as scaly heads turned toward her, and massive jaws opened – then came the fire. She stood tall and hoped against hope that it wouldn't hurt for long.

Flames raged all around her, blotting out everything else. The heat was incredible. It stung Azula's face and hands. She couldn't help flinching a little. After a moment or two, she realized that she wasn't dead – the fire raged about her, only inches from her skin. Fear faded suddenly, and Azula felt a rush of something like exhilaration. Instinctively, her arms lifted above her head – the flames engulfed her, and she was burning, lost in the sweet torture of fire. Everything was searing heat and the roar of fire. She breathed it, floated in it, felt it consume her…

And gasped. Azula's knees gave way, and she fell onto them.

She was alone in the cavern, and it was as black as pitch. She could see the vague glow of the entrance far off to her left. Her head was spinning. Was…was that it? Can I…go? Azula looked around dizzily. She could see no sign of the dragons that had been surrounding her only moments before. There were furtive movements, and flashes of color, but the great leviathans were gone. For a moment, she had the impression of someone giving a faintly mocking chuckle nearby. Then all motion ceased.

Footsteps approached. Then Azula felt a hand on her back, and Aang's concerned gray eyes peered into hers. "Are you okay, Azula?" he asked softly.

Pride dictated. "I'm fine." The princess struggled to her feet, but a wave of dizziness struck her, and she overbalanced. The young monk caught her before she could go sprawling into the ground. "I'm okay! I…I just…"

"Easy. Sit down." Aang eased her back to the ground. Scowling, Azula rubbed her temples and tried to get her head to stop spinning. "Are you all right?" he asked again. "Did they give it back?"

"I don't know," Azula muttered. "They didn't say if they were going to or not. Your little dragon friends just threatened me, asked me some questions, flew around, half-torched me, and flittered off into oblivion." She looked down at her own hands. She didn't feel any different – but then, they were still in the Spirit World, where bending didn't exist. Then her eyes widened. I'm…I'm still alive. I'm still alive, and Ty Lee's waiting for me in that gods-be-damned tower. "Let's get out of here," she growled, standing up abruptly. She still felt a bit unsteady, but she impatiently pushed it aside. "Ty Lee's still sitting in jail waiting for me to come back." She paused. "Wait. Can I get back from right here?"

The Avatar nodded. "Sure, you could. But I bet Lady Ursa'd like to find out what happened," he said.

"Oh. Right." Azula felt a faint embarrassment at having forgotten about her mother. "Let's go, then. I don't want to keep Ty waiting any longer than I have to."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Azula's eyes opened.

It felt like the whole thing had taken far too long. She'd been glad to see her mother again, of course, and had reveled in the woman's joyful hug. But Azula wanted more than anything to get back to Ty Lee and look her in the eye and kiss her again. She found herself not even caring whether she'd regained her firebending or not; the mere fact that she was still alive and able to be with the acrobat again was enough for her.

It was still dark in the tower, but the moon had risen, and some pale light filtered through the numerous slits in the prison walls. Azula's ear was resting against Ty Lee's chest. She could hear the girl's slow heartbeat, and feel the weight of her arms clasped firmly around her waist. The princess blinked a little, and then slowly looked up. Ty Lee was half sitting up, her head propped against the stone wall of their prison. Her eyes were closed; she had fallen asleep. Even in the dim light, Azula could see that her rounded cheeks were tearstained.

Gods, I love her. Azula felt a sudden rush of emotion so strong that tears came to her eyes. Slowly, she shifted her weight and moved up until she had drawn the little acrobat into her arms. She tenderly kissed Ty Lee's forehead. "Hey," she whispered. There was no response but a sleepy murmur; the gymnast cuddled into Azula's body and lay still again. A small smile curved Azula's lips. "Hey," she said again, a bit louder. "Wake up, Ty."

Huge gray eyes blinked groggily up at her for a moment. Abruptly, Ty Lee's hands gripped Azula's. "'Zula! You're okay!"

"I'm okay." Azula's voice was hoarse.

"Are you sure?" The little acrobat sat up and began to feel Azula's arms, peering into her face. "You're not hurt? You're really okay?"

"I'm fine." The princess tugged her close. With a choked sob, Ty Lee returned the embrace. Azula gently traced circles on the girl's back with her hands and kissed the top of her head. "I love you," she whispered.

"I'm so glad you're all right." Ty Lee leaned up to kiss her lips. The kiss deepened. Azula felt the acrobat's hands slide up under her shirt to brush bare skin, and her breath caught. "I'm so glad," Ty Lee murmured against her mouth. "I'm sorry I fell asleep. I was just crying, and praying, and…I guess I was tired…"

"Shh. It doesn't matter. I don't care." Azula kissed her again. Her fingers began to pluck at the laces that held Ty Lee's collar closed.

"Were there really dragons?" The little acrobat leaned back, pulling Azula with her. The princess felt her lover's hands slide slowly up her back, drawing her shirt with them. "Weren't you scared?"

"Yes, there were." Azula peeled open the collar and pressed her lips against the smooth flesh beneath it. "Yes, I was." She shifted, and felt her shirt being discarded. Ty Lee's hands returned, warm against the chill of the cell. "All I could think about was how much I wanted to come back to you," she said softly, as she kissed her way down Ty Lee's breastbone. "I love you, Ty."

"I love you more." The gymnast stroked Azula's back.

"Mushball."

"Grouch." Ty Lee giggled as Azula's lips teased her navel. "Did they give you back your firebending, 'Zula? Did they ask you about…"

"I don't know yet. And shh." Azula hugged Ty Lee's legs and peered up at her, resting her cheek against her flat belly. "It's not important anymore. You are. We can talk about all those other things later." The charmed, adoring look in those beloved gray eyes was reward enough. Azula began to tug gently at Ty Lee's waistband.

Loving hands tenderly wove themselves into Azula's hair, and she found herself being drawn up into another kiss. Their bodies relaxed into each other, weaving together as if they were two parts of a whole. This was love, Azula thought dazedly, just before coherent thought fled. This was joy.

Everything else could wait.