Chapter 111: A Conversation Underground

Azula followed the Dai Li agent deep beneath the palace, to the Catacombs that lurked there. She'd known of their existence, but not their purpose; the Palace, while inferior to her own, possessed an adequate library that she had taken advantage of in her down time. She'd committed the plans to the Catacombs to her exquisitely detailed memory.

The agent stopped moving beside a section of unremarkable wall.

"Which ones?" he asked lowly.

She considered that question. Mock the Avatar and his friends, or taunt her brother and uncle? There really was no choice.

"The Firebenders." She declared.

The agent nodded and adopted an Earthbending stance. A small hatch opened in the wall to her left, level with her face. She stepped forward and peered inside.

She smiled when she saw both of her traitorous relations sealed within, illuminated by the glowing green crystals embedded in the walls.

They were meditating together, and Azula couldn't help the twinge of envy. Her meditations were solitary. She frowned and shook her head slightly; meditation should be solitary. It was the whole point.

She drawled, "Hello, Zu-Zu. Uncle."

Zuko was on his feet in an instant, falling into an offensive stance. Azula was almost impressed with his reaction time, even as she wondered what he was planning on doing with his Firebending suppressed. In contrast, Iroh barely reacted to her presence.

The Dragon of the West merely allowed his eyes to drift open and a tired smile crossed his face. "Niece. It has been a long time."

"Not long enough when speaking with a dead man." She remarked.

The old Dragon's face didn't change at all, the smile remained in place. "And yet, you are unsurprised by my vitality."

Zuko cut off the back and forth between Uncle and Niece. "What do you want, Azula? How are you even here?"

"Oh, Zu-Zu." She sighed. "Haven't you learned? I go where I please, when I please. Nowhere is off-limits to me."

Iroh's smiled sharpened a little as he said, "Oh? Has my brother started allowing you to attend war meetings, Niece?"

Her face shifted into a scowl. Iroh couldn't help but notice the strong resemblance between brother and sister.

"He will." She snapped. "He'll let me do whatever I want when I do something that even the great General Iroh couldn't do."

Iroh nodded. "You seek to conquer Ba Sing Se. I understand the urge. An admirable military goal, if unrealistic."

Her glare deepened. "And yet, here I stand, in the heart of the Earth Kingdom, beneath the Earth King's seat of power no less. As free as any citizen of Earth would be. Freer even, given where we are."

Iroh nodded again, an amiable gesture. "It will take more than cunning, more than guile, to conquer this stronghold, Azula. To topple Ba Sing Se, and subdue her, will require a will that few possess."

"My will is absolute!" the Princess snarled, only strengthening the family resemblance between siblings.

Iroh just continued to smile pleasantly. His eyes drifted shut again as he murmured, "As you say, Niece."

Azula glared at him, before shifting her gaze back to Zuko. Her expression softened ever so slightly.

"Oh, Zu-Zu." She said quietly. "It does sadden me to see you here."

His face softened as well, if only a little around his good eye.

She continued, face hardening once more, "If you're to be executed, it should really be by Fire Nation hands, shouldn't it? A death befitting a traitor and deserter such as yourself."

He sighed and looked away from her. He sat back down, still facing her but not looking at her.

He was quiet for a long moment before he asked, "How've you been, Zula?"

She blinked. "Excuse me? I believe we were discussing your demise, not myself."

He nodded. "I know what you're trying to do; the same thing you've always done. Get under my skin, piss me off, make me do or say something dumb. Not today, though. I haven't seen you properly in years, not to speak to like this."

She shook her head. "You've been spending far too much time with that tea drinking old fool."

Zuko smiled sadly and glanced back at their Uncle, who still appeared to be meditating. "Not as much as I'd like."

She scowled slightly at him. He asked a different question. "Where are Mai and Ty Lee? Are they still travelling with you?"

Azula found herself replying, "They're… around. In the city."

He smiled slightly. "That's good. It's nice that you have your friends with you."

"Yes," she said, trying to regain her footing. "You never really got the hang of making friends, did you, Zu-Zu?"

He shrugged, though that remark had touched a nerve. "Things change."

He continued, "It's a shame Ty Lee had to leave the circus, though. She was a talented performer, always has been. I saw her perform, you know. Must have been, I don't know, six months ago? Seven? Before all of this with the Avatar."

"Yes, well, matters of state take precedence over matters of entertainment."

"She seemed happy there." Zuko continued. "I didn't let her know I was watching; it would have been too complicated, you know. I was trying to maintain a cover, stay in hiding. It was… nice, though, to see a familiar face, especially when it was clear she was doing what she loved. Did you see her perform, Zula? Before you recruited her, I mean?"

She looked away. "I did. Of course I did. She's my friend. But, my need was greater than her happiness. Matters of state. Hunting the Avatar, hunting you, I needed people I could trust to achieve results."

He nodded, as if he agreed with her. He finally looked up and met her gaze. "Of course. You needed to do what Father told you to. Who knows what might happen if you fail him."

Zuko's fingers readjusted the patch over his left eye. His right eye stared unwaveringly into her own.

Azula turned sharply to the Dai Li agent who'd stepped back when the conversation began.

"I'm done here. Seal it up."

She stalked off, without a backwards glance.

Iroh remarked, "Well played, Nephew. Well played indeed."

Zuko sighed and allowed the tension to exit his body. "I wasn't playing a game, just trying to get her to see."

Iroh's hand settled on his shoulder. "Nephew, everything in life, particularly the lives we live, can be seen as a game. Like Pai Sho. A series of moves, some we expect, others that we do not. What matters is how we act and react to the way that the game shifts and changes around us. And, like Pai Sho, victory is not necessarily the goal; the goal is to simply find a way to enjoy the game as we play it. You are starting to learn this, I think."

Zuko nodded slowly. "Have you figured a way out of here, yet?"

Iroh sighed. "I am… working on it. We shall have to be patient. Perhaps one of your friends will devise a way out."

Zuko nodded again. "Yeah. Maybe."