"So, your friends will babysit me?" his sister asked in a much less offended tone than he had expected.
"They'll just be there to support you in case you need it."
"Oh, you definitively didn't instruct them on when they should bother me, right?" Azula said, rolling her eyes "I get to decide when I get treated like a child?"
Something about her tone was off. He had expected her to be unhappy about his decision, but he could see that behind that cool, sarcastic way his sister was presenting herself at the moment, she was absolutely furious.
"If I let it up to you, you'd never ask anyone's help but mine"
"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?"
"And they won't treat you like a child" he ignored her interruption "They'll be there to make sure you're okay. And your doctors agree that it would be safer if you had people you can count on by your side."
"And I can count on your friends?" she raised an eye-brow "The same friends who always look uncomfortable whenever we bring up our relationship?" she couldn't keep up the calm tone she had been using before.
"But they're not trying to separate us" Zuko defended them despite himself, and despite knowing full well that Azula wouldn't like him siding with them instead of her "And that isn't relevant now. Not supporting our relationship doesn't mean they wouldn't help you."
Why is she bringing this up? She had stopped seeing them as a threat to us.
"But they wouldn't do it if you had not begged them."
"I didn't beg. And stop changing the subject and finding excuses to be mad. I'm just making sure you'll be safe."
Azula sighed "Fine"
"Fine?" that caught him off guard.
"You want me to keep arguing with you?"
Of course he didn't, but he had expected her to. Ever since they found out about the insurgent firebenders, nearly every conversation even remotely related to the topic turned into a long argument between them, and it was exhausting. But he knew very well that Azula wouldn't let go so easily unless there was something else that she wanted to go exactly her way. He had assumed she'd want to have full control of this whole operation, since it had been her idea, but she had apparently found something she deemed more important.
As if on a cue, she took a letter that was on his desk and handed it to him.
"It arrived while you were talking to your friends"
Zuko immediately recognized the handwriting and knew what it was about. All the nobles had sworn their loyalty to him again during this whole ordeal, but very few were truly helping him keep things in order. And it always came at a price: getting the Fire Lord's protection. Some of his most important allies were now in the palace, the most difficult place to invade, let alone take over. That was exactly what Ukano was asking of him now, and Zuko had been expecting him to do so at any moment.
But he had not expected him to spend most of the letter promising that he could convince Mai to come as well if Zuko had any desire to see her again. That he knew that, despite how abruptly Zuko's relationship with her had ended, she still cared about him. It was pretty clear that Ukano wasn't just trying to protect his family, but was actively testing the waters to see if there was still any chance of Mai becoming Fire Lady someday.
There wasn't any. But that didn't mean Zuko did not feel sick imagining his sister reading that. His letter didn't mention it, but the man had probably heard the rumors about Zuko's relationship with Azula. Regardless of whether he had believed them or not, he had still made a bold move. A bold, stupid, suicidal move.
"I won't let them stay in the palace" he promised Azula. There was really nothing to discuss about that. Ukano had, accidentally or not, insulted the Fire Lord's future wife and the princess. He also could have made the unfortunate mistake of not only angering Azula, but not even realizing he had done so. The palace was now the most dangerous place in the whole world for that poor man.
"And what about Mai?" his sister asked, her tone remind Zuko to choose his words very carefully "You once told me you want to see her again"
"I wanted to end things between us the right way. We were fighting much more than we ever did when we finally broke up for the last time, and there are somethings I want to apologize for. That's it. I have no desire of having to see her every day"
And I doubt she would let her parents not only tell her what to do and treat her like she's helpless, but also try to throw her at her ex-boyfriend.
Azula took a step forward and took the letter from his hand, burning it.
"As soon as we announce to everyone that we're getting married I want that man on his knees, swearing loyalty to us. To me."
She walked away, leaving him alone at his office.