Anraq looked around with a raised eyebrow. "This is a Red Lotus hideout?"

"What, you didn't think all their bases were in underground caves, did you?" Azula said. "Some of them are a little more conventional."

Yula gave them both a brief glance before turning to study their surroundings. The supposed hideout Azula had taken them to was a small mountain town, nestled in a valley between two peaks. A river ran alongside the village and cut away into a forest in the distance. The people who lived here seemed to be simple folk—farmers, fishermen, shopkeepers. Certainly much different than big cities like Ba Sing Se. How strange, to think that the Red Lotus were hiding here. Strange, and concerning. If they were hiding in a quaint little town like this, they could be hiding anywhere.

"Master, you're sure my family is here?" Yula asked, giving her teacher a hopeful look. Her stomach knotted, bubbling with a harsh flutter. Here they were, so close. Please let Azula have been telling the truth. Please let this not have been some elaborate hoax.

"Yes, I'm quite certain. At least, this is where I left them." Azula marched down the street, watching several townsfolk pass by her. "I did tell the Red Lotus not to move your family, but honestly they were never very good at listening."

No one in town paid much attention to them, as they made their way through the market. A few passing glances here and there, but otherwise the townsfolk minded their own business. Azula may be Fire Lord, but the people here didn't know that. No one in a tiny Earth Republic town like this would have heard the news of the Fire Nation's change in leadership yet, let alone have seen a picture of her. As for Yula herself, and Anraq? Just a couple of nobodies, as far as these people would be concerned.

"Over here." Azula waved for the pair to follow her towards a noodle stand, where she sat on one of the stools in front of the counter. "Three servings of your spiciest dish, please."

The man behind the counter turned around from the stove to look at her. The moment he saw Azula, he jumped with a surprised gasp, almost knocking over his pot of boiling broth. "Oh, Aoi! Didn't realize you'd be visiting again so soon. Did Zaheer send you?"

"No, Suda, I'm here on my own," she replied, with a stern look. "I've come for the woman and her daughter. I trust they're still here?"

Suda turned back to the stove and began dishing out three bowls of noodles. "Yeah, yeah, we've been taking good care of them, just like you said."

Yula's heart jolted. That had to be them. Her mother and sister. "Where are they? Let us see them!"

Suda shifted a careful glare towards her. "Uh, and who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, don't worry about her," Azula stated. "Or Annie here, either. They're both new, so you'll have to excuse their manners."

"I see..." Suda passed out a bowl of noodles to the three of them and took a step back. "Some odd outfits you're wearing. I mean, far be it from me to question a highly ranked member such as yourself, Aoi, but you three don't really blend in that well." He pointed to Yula. "She looks like she's straight out of the Fire Nation." Then to Anraq. "He couldn't be more Water Tribe if he was carrying an otter penguin." And then to Azula. "And you..." He squinted, studying her. "You kinda look like you're dressed as royalty or something. Should really consider some simpler outfits if you're traveling around these parts, otherwise you're going to attract attention."

"I'll keep that in mind, Suda." Azula pulled her bowl of noodles close, but stopped short with her spoon. A deep frown twisted across her face. "You know, I'm not really in the mood for your soggy noodles, now that I think of it. Both of you, don't bother. You'd be insulting your taste buds."

Yula and Anraq looked at each other in a brief moment of confusion. No sense in arguing. As instructed, they pushed their bows away and waited.

"Oh, no, they've gotten much better," Suda insisted. "Honest, give them a try. You won't be disappointed."

"Is that so? Hmm..." Azula held a hand to her chin and thought a moment. "You try them first, then, if they're so good."

"Uh, w-what?"

"You heard me. You shouldn't have any trouble taste-testing your own recipe, right?"

"Well, I..."

"Unless of course there's something wrong with them." Her gaze narrowed. "Such as the three drops of liquid you added to the pot before filling the bowls. Poison, perhaps?"

Suda stumbled back a step, breath catching in his throat.

"You thought you were being sneaky, didn't you?" Azula's frown curled into a wicked, knowing grin. "I saw the vial you pulled from your sleeve. Nothing gets by me. Certainly not a bumbling fool like you."

"I... I..." Suda stared back at her, tense and on edge. With a deep inhale, he calmed himself, and his expression hardened. "We know you're not with the Red Lotus anymore, Aoi. Not everyone you tried to recruit for your little expedition to the Fire Nation went with you. If you want Jaya and Shayu, you're going to have to get through us."

The bubbling in Yula's stomach ruptured, spilling a nauseous wave through her core. Jaya and Shayu—her mother and sister. Dear spirits, it hadn't been a lie at all. They were here!

Azula slowly stood up from her seat. "Oh yes, I'm quite aware of that. Just like I'm aware of the men you've had surrounding us during this conversation."

Both Yula and Anraq stiffened at the comment, looking over their shoulders. The entire marketplace had emptied, except for a group of ten or so men who had moved in around the noodle stand. Red Lotus, no doubt.

"So, Suda..." Azula's grin widened, challenging him. "What's your next move?"

With a combative shout, Suda took a step back and stomped the ground. A crag of earth erupted through the wooden counter in a cloud of splinters. Azula, Yula, and Anraq all flipped backwards from their seats to evade the attack. When Anraq righted himself, he pulled the water out of his hip flask and whirled around. The water whipped outward at the surrounding Red Lotus, knocking them off their feet.

"Stand strong, you two." Azula shifted into her signature bending pose, fingers extended. "You heard Suda. If we want what we came for, we have to get through them first."

Yula didn't hesitate. These men had her family. She would do whatever it took to get them back. She darted towards the man nearest her. He hadn't even returned to his feet yet when she struck with a whirling kick of fire. The heated wave knocked him off balance, but still he attempted a counter. He punched one arm upwards, launching a boulder out of the ground. Yula spun away from it. Quick, precise, perfect. The man gawked as she slid closer to him. A single rising kick collided with his gut, exploding with a blast of fire that sent him spinning through the wall of a nearby hut.

The earth beneath her feet burst upwards. Yula staggered off balance to catch herself, but the ground split and pushed her to her knees. Another Red Lotus man raced at her upon a large ripple of earth and rocks. A few weeks ago, she would have run scared at such a sight. Not anymore. She stood her ground. When the man came within range, she lunged at him, leading with a jet of flames from her fist.

The aggressive move surprised the earthbender. He tried to slide himself to a stop and shift his assault into defense. Not quick enough. Flames engulfed him. He tumbled backwards with a cry of pain, frantically rolling across the ground to put himself out. Yula waited until the flames had extinguished, and snapped a kick at his face. The man spun backwards in a crumpled heap and didn't get up.

Anraq covered her back. With water whips wrapped around his arms, he snatched a pair of attackers coming at her from behind. He yanked the men clean off their feet and tossed them through the second floor window of a barn. A third man surfed across the ground with a pair of boulders hovering over his shoulders. Anraq spread his water over that ground and froze it. As soon as the man's feet hit the ice, he catapulted through the air with a shout. Anraq lifted him with a glob of water and shoved him against the side of a building. The water hardened, leaving the man frozen to the wooden wall.

Azula faced her opponents with a casual grin. Three earthbenders attacked her in unison. She weaved through and evaded their attacks with ease. They slung boulders, split the ground under her feet, and launched sharpened stone pillars at her. She jumped away, all the while retaining her grin. When she'd had her fun, she shifted into an offensive assault of her own. Three simple blasts of blue fire, one for each opponent. Acting in unison, the men lifted an earthen wall to protect themselves. Futile. Explosive force cracked against the stone barrier, flames impacting as though a falling meteor. The wall ruptured in a shower of dust and rocks, as all three earthbenders launched through the air, singed and smoking. They hit the ground with a dull thud, and didn't move.

Within a matter of moments, only Suda remained standing. He glanced around with wide eyes at his fallen comrades, still standing strong in his bending pose.

"Well, that was a lovely warm-up," Azula said, with a bored sigh, "but it looks like the fun is over. Now tell me, where are they?"

"I'm not telling you anything." Suda took a step backwards, trying to keep all three of his opponents in sight. "They don't belong to you."

"Well they certainly don't belong to the Red Lotus. Either tell us where they are, or you'll be joining your friends here in pain and agony." Azula looked at the unmoving bodies strewn across the ground. Only a few appeared to be breathing.

"Screw you, traitor!"

Suda kicked a cloud of melon-sized stones into the air and shot them forward. Azula didn't move. She merely stood there, smirking. Yula jumped into their path and erupted a spinning cyclone of fire from her body. The rocks scattered, and Yula charged.

Several earthen spears burst free from the ground. Yula dodged them, twisting and ducking as she ran at the man. As she came closer, Suda lifted a sheer wall in front of himself for protection. It didn't help. Yula tore through the wall in an explosion of fire and dust. She met Suda head on with a quick combo of strikes that sent him reeling and burning. When Suda hit the ground, he washed a blanket of dirt over himself to extinguish the flames, and sprang back to his feet.

The moment he stood upright, Yula lowered her shoulder into his chest with a full force tackle, slamming him back to the ground. She landed atop him, drove her knee into his stomach, and ignited a flame dagger into her grasp. With one hand, she grabbed his collar. With the other, she held the fiery blade inches from his eyes.

"Where are they!" she screamed. Rage burned through her, fueling a strength she had only known once before, when she'd thought Azula had killed her family. She was so close to having them back. So close to seeing them again. She would make this man talk, no matter what she had to do.

"I... I can't tell you," Suda uttered, watching the flame flicker so close to his eyes. Sweat beaded along his brow.

Her rage burned hotter. Yula held the man's collar tight and pressed the flame to his cheek. "Tell me!"

Suda's screams surged through the air, as flesh began to melt from his face. He writhed, and kicked, smacked the back of his head against the ground, but still Yula held the fire in place.

"Yula!" Anraq ran forward and grabbed her shoulder. "That's enough!"

The touch yanked Yula out of her rage-induced trance. With a sharp gasp, she sat back and removed the flame. Suda immediately clutched the burn, sobbing and groaning in agony.

"I... I'm sorry," Yula said, staring down at the man in front of her. The man she had burned. Tortured.

"Don't apologize." Azula approached her, smirking wide. "You're doing well. This one isn't a particularly strong-willed one. Just a little more and he'll break."

Anraq swung a glare at her. "Are you insane? You can't just encourage her to torture someone like that!"

"Of course I can," she insisted. "Suda has her family. He's reluctant to give up their location. Pain is an excellent motivator to make someone give you information they don't want to tell you. Really, the process couldn't be clearer."

Yula clawed her fingers through her hair, closing her eyes to block her tears. "I just want my family. Please..."

"W-wait." Suda looked up at her, managing to shudder out his words between his pained cries. "Your family? I... I didn't... Okay, I'll tell you. They're up in a house just outside of town. Little path, past the bridge. It'll take you to a farm. That's where they are."

"Ah, you see?" Azula shot Anraq a triumphant smirk. "Results."

Yula stumbled back to her feet, heaving deep breaths to calm herself. "Okay... Okay, let's get my family."

"Not yet," Azula said, giving her student a stern glare. "Remember what I said about showing mercy to your opponents. Finish him."

Yula's gut twisted. "What?"

"Y-yeah, what?" Suda uttered. "Let's not... Please don't."

Anraq stepped in front the Fire Lord, putting himself between her and Yula. He glared at her, straight in her eyes. "I don't think so. That is where we draw the line."

Azula didn't back down. She returned an even fiercer glare, as if challenging Anraq to remain defiant. "Yula is never going to get anywhere if she's afraid to end her opponents when the need calls for it. You know that well, don't you? Your hands are hardly clean."

"Killing an enemy in the heat of battle when they're trying to kill you is one thing," he countered. "This man is already beaten. He's defenseless and at our mercy. What you're calling for is an execution. It's murder."

"Y-yeah, listen to him," Suda pleaded.

Both Azula and Anraq turned to him in unison and shouted, "Shut up!" Suda sank back with his head bowed, still nursing his cheek.

"Master?" Yula said, swallowing down the bile that had climbed into her throat. "I get that I need to be strong, I do. But Anraq is right, isn't he? I know this man is with the Red Lotus and deserves anything he gets, but I can't just kill him like that. Besides, we're supposed to be taking prisoners, aren't we?"

Azula pressed her lips together, giving Yula a long look. Her attention shifted back to Anraq, and then to Suda. Finally, she huffed out a defeated sigh and waved them off. "Very well, bind him and the others. We'll take them back to the airship and lock them up, then we'll get Yula's family."


Yula poked her head into the doorway of the small farmhouse. It was a simple, quaint residence, with Earth-style décor of greens, browns, and yellows. Her heart raced, as she made her way farther into the home. What would she find? Was her family safe? Or would she discover them chained up in a basement, beaten, tortured, and wallowing in filth? No telling what was possible with the Red Lotus.

Voices emanated from a distant room within the home. Yula froze, listening. She knew those voices. Familiar, wonderful voices. Elation tore through her, pushing her into a run towards them. She rounded the corner, stumbling into a small kitchen near the back of the farmhouse. A small teapot sat on the stove, steam billowing from its spout, and the table had been set with cups, and plates of fruits and vegetables.

Two figures sat at the table, sipping from their teacups, chatting with each other. Smiling, laughing. Happy, both of them. Neither of them hurt. One, an older woman of stout stature, a neat bob of brown hair framing her rounded face. The other a teenage girl, seventeen years old with strikingly similar features to Yula, including the same long ponytail. No glasses, though. She'd always had better eyesight.

Yula stood frozen in the doorway, staring in disbelief. There they were: Jaya, her mother, and Shayu, her sister. A surge of warmth and relief blossomed in her heart, taking root throughout the rest of her body. She coughed out a sob, breath fluttering at her lips. Tears welled in her eyes. Happy, joyous tears.

Jaya noticed her first, looking towards the doorway with a lifted brow. She broke out into a smile and stood up from the table. "Oh, honey! You're alright!"

Shayu shot a look towards the door. When she saw her sister standing there, she grinned and jumped out of her seat. "Yula! It's about time you showed up. We were starting to get worried."

Yula stood still, unable to move through the thick haze descending over her. Her breathing increased, rapid and stuttering. When they threw their arms around her, she hugged back tightly, sobbing against their shoulders. "Mom, Shayu... It's so good to see you. I thought... I really thought..."

"Honey, are you alright?" Jaya said, giving her daughter a concerned look. "Why are you crying?"

"I... I just really missed you," Yula said, as she wiped her eyes. "Are you guys okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

Jaya lifted an eyebrow. "What? No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Yeah, your friends took great care of us," Shayu said. "At least we're away from that whole mess in Ba Sing Se."

Yula blinked in confusion. "My friends?"

"Yes, those nice young men from the counselor's office," Jaya said. "They've been so nice to us, especially Suda. He's really gone out of his way to make us feel at home here."

"Oh. Right." Yula blinked again. "Of course. Those friends."

That didn't make any sense. Suda and the others had been with the Red Lotus, definitely not from the counselor's office, but they had been nice to her family? Certainly, neither Jaya nor Shayu seemed to have been mistreated in any way. But why? If they had been Red Lotus prisoners, why would they have been treated so well?

Before Yula could wonder any further, Azula entered the room, hands clasped behind her back. She offered a warm smile, and spoke in an uncharacteristically friendly tone. "Jaya, Shayu. It's so nice to see you're doing well." Downright cheery, in fact

"Oh, thank you," Jaya said, returning a bright smile. "It's Aoi, right? You're another one of Yula's friends, the one who brought us here?"

"Yes, I am." Azula held her hands together and gave a traditional Fire Nation bow. "However, I'm afraid I was dishonest with you before. Due to extenuating circumstances, I couldn't tell you who I really was."

"Oh." Jaya raised a questioning eyebrow. "Well, then who are you?"

"My name is Azula. Well, it's Fire Lord Azula, actually."

Jaya uttered a quiet gasp, eyes widening. "You—you're the Fire Lord?"

"Wait, I thought the Fire Lord's name was Izumi?" Shayu said.

"It was, until recently," Azula explained. "Leadership of the Fire Nation has since passed over to me. Again, extenuating circumstances."

"It's true, Mom." Yula moved to Azula's side and gestured at her, to properly introduce her. "She's the Fire Lord."

"Oh my spirits." Jaya stared a moment longer, before hurriedly returning a low bow. "Yula, you never told us you knew the Fire Lord. It's an honor."

Shayu frowned, planting her arms across her chest. "Yeah, seriously. You never thought to mention that before?" Her mother gave her a firm slap to the shoulder, prompting her to follow suit and deliver a bow of her own.

"Um, well, it's just, I met a lot of import people at my job," Yula said, with a shrug. "It's hard to remember them all sometimes. But, um, I'm also sort of her student now? She's really been helping me improve my firebending."

"Yes, and I have to say your daughter is incredibly gifted," Azula added. "She's come a long way in such a short time."

Jaya beamed. "Goodness, Yula, that's wonderful!"

Yula blushed, heat rising into her cheeks. "Thanks, Mom."

"There is one more thing." Azula smiled, holding a hand to Yula's shoulder. "As my student, Yula will be moving to the Fire Nation with me to continue her training. You're both welcome to join her, of course. You'd be staying in the royal palace. I have to imagine that would be better than some stuffy old farm, or trying to wait out the turmoil in Ba Sing Se, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh! Oh my." Jaya stared, her jaw steadily falling open in shock. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, quite serious. It would be a pleasure to have you."

"Mom! Mom!" Shayu tugged at her mother's sleeve in earnest. "She said the royal palace! We're going, right? Please tell me we're going."

Jaya looked back and forth between her daughters, words straining with difficulty in her throat. Looking back to Azula, she gave her throat a firm clear and bowed again. "Yes. Yes, of course. It would be an honor."

Azula grinned. "Excellent. I'll leave you all to have some time alone while you prepare, then we'll take you back to the Fire Nation right away." To Yula, she added, "Once they're settled in, we can continue our mission."

"Mission?" Jaya questioned.

"Yes, a very important mission for the Fire Nation," Azula said. "It's part of her training, actually. I promise to take great care of her, of course. Your daughter will be safe with me."

"Oh, yes, of course." Jaya gave another bow. "Thank you again, Fire Lord."

Azula returned the bow and exited the room. Out in the hallway, Anraq appeared and grabbed her wrist. With a simple tug, he pulled her back through the house.

"A word," he said, with a heated glare. "Now."


Anraq dragged Azula outside. When the door closed, and they were safely out of earshot from the others, he turned around and pushed her against the wall of the house, fingers tight around her shoulders. "What is going on here?"

"Careful, Annie." She fired a scowl of equal displeasure back at him, although she made no attempt at breaking free of his grip. "Laying your hands on your Fire Lord like this is grounds for treason."

"Cut the bisoncrap," he retorted. "I asked you a question. What in spirits name is going on here? Yula's family sure didn't look like prisoners to me."

"Oh they were," she said, with a simple shrug. "Just not in the conventional sense."

"What are you talking about? They're in there sipping tea!" He paused, glancing up at the window. Closed. Shifting his glare back to Azula, he continued. "They were talking about those Red Lotus goons like they were friends, and they seem to be on good terms with you, when you're the one who captured them in the first place. How exactly does that happen?"

"Captured?" Azula rolled her eyes around in a slow circle, lips pursed. Smug, mocking. "Hmm, no. Close, but not quite."

Anraq's grip tightened on her shoulders. "Would you just explain?"

With a sigh, Azula set her head back against the wall. "Very well. See, when I found them in Ba Sing Se, I told them that Yula had some important business to take care of, but she wanted to make sure her family was safe. It made sense, of course, what with the city falling apart. So, I took them out of Ba Sing Se, set them up here, and told the Red Lotus to watch them—not as prisoners, but as guests. Evidently, they all hit it off rather well with each other. Come to think of it, that's probably why they attacked us. They must have thought they were protecting Yula's family. From me, obviously."

"You... what?" Anraq's grip eased ever so slightly. He stared at her, eyes shifting with confusion. "But why do that? Why wouldn't you just take them prisoner like anyone else?"

"Please, what did those two ever do to me? No, Yula was the one I was trying to hurt at the time, by making her believe her family was dead. Besides, in the case I needed them as bargaining chips later, I wanted to be sure they hadn't been damaged."

"So this whole time..." Anraq lowered his gaze, gears turning in his mind. Now he understood. "...you knew her family wasn't in any danger. You knew they were being treated well, and hadn't been harmed."

"Well, I strongly suspected," she said, with a simple shrug. "Those were the orders I gave, but I still couldn't be certain the Red Lotus hadn't decided to do otherwise."

Anraq's face twisted with a scowl. Fiercer this time. Hateful. "You let Yula think her family was being held captive, like any other prisoners. After letting her think they were dead!" His grip tightened, and he shoved her harder against the wall. "This whole time she was freaking out over whether or not they were alright, and you could have put her at ease!"

Azula breathed deep, hardening her own glare back at him. Any remnants of smug amusement vanished, replaced with stern, adamant resolve. "Yula needs an edge, Anraq. She's too soft, too timid, even with her brief flashes of ferocity. By letting her think her family was in danger, I gave her the means to gain that edge."

"Wait." Anraq's eyes flared. He glanced up at the farmhouse again, and back down to Azula. "You knew they were here at this farm. You said you set them up here. So we never needed to go into town in the first place! Then what was that? Just a ploy to push Yula over the line? To make her kill someone?"

Azula sighed, rolling her eyes again. "Oh, would you relax? We're trying to take down all the remaining Red Lotus hideouts, remember? We would have needed to go into town to get them anyway."

"But we could have done that after Yula was sure her family was safe."

"True," she said, with a gentle nod. "But then I wouldn't have been able to see just how far she was willing to go. Not quite all the way, but she did torture a man. That's the kind of edge I'm talking about."

Aanraq removed a hand Azula's shoulders. Water sprang free from his hip flask and sharpened into a frozen spear. The spear hovered above him, aimed at her throat. "You can't keep doing this to Yula! You can't mess with her emotions like that! You're hurting her. You're changing her into something she's not meant to be!"

"She's my student, Anraq." Even in the face of a spear pointed at her neck, Azula didn't back down. She retained her glare, retained her edge. "I'll do what I want with her. When all is said and done, she'll be stronger than she ever thought possible, both physically and mentally. Breaking her down is all part of the process. You've already seen what I've been able to push her to do so far, and that's in just a week. In time, she won't be that shy, mousy little twit anymore. She'll be fierce, and powerful, unforgiving." She stared straight into Anraq's eyes, as if daring him to attack. "And you know what? She'll thank me for it."

Anraq stared back at her, hand raised in preparation to strike. The spear quivered, mere inches from Azula's throat. A flicker of doubt and hesitation stayed his hand. He could end her, right here. A single attack, and their Fire Lord problem would be over. So why couldn't he do it?

"What's the matter?" she asked, darkening her gaze. "Not going to kill me? Ah, of course. This isn't the heat of battle, is it? That would be murder."

His heart sank, dropping like a stone into his gut. Spirits damn him, she was right. With a frustrated scoff, he let his water fall back into his flask. "You're a monster."

The world around Anraq spun wild, a nauseous wave of vertigo exploding through his vision. With a simple shift of her stance, Azula broke his grip and swung him around. A mere instant, and she'd reversed their positions, slamming the larger man against the wall of the farmhouse with one of his arms twisted in such a way he couldn't move it without causing himself intense pain. With her free hand, she burst a flaming dagger into her grasp and held it inches away from his throat.

"Don't call me that!" Azula stared at him with wide eyes. "Don't you ever call me that! It'll be the last thing you ever do, do you understand?" Her throat quivered, and she pressed the fiery blade closer, close enough that the heat began to sizzle his flesh. "Do you understand!"

"Sure." Anraq stared back at her. That wasn't anger he saw. Not at the forefront, at least. No, something else churned deep in her gaze. Pain. Grief. No mistaking it. He knew that look all too well. "I understand."

"Good. Good..." She released him and took a step away, breathing deep to compose herself. Her gaze lowered to the ground, unblinking. "Now go back to the airship. We'll meet you there soon."

He watched her a moment longer, before turning to march away from the farmhouse. "Gladly."

As he distanced himself down the path, Azula glanced up and called after him. "Contrary to what you might think about me, I'm not heartless!" Bowing her head again, she squinted her eyes shut. She almost managed to hide the tears. "Not entirely..."