Chapter 27
4 Years after the Hundred Year War
Royal Palace of Ba Sing Se
Two days following Azula's birthday party and the subsequent fallout, Zuko had finally compiled enough evidence regarding Long Feng's involvement to bring the matter before King Kuei in another round of talks. Even though there was now the new charge of breaking the rules of her house arrest brought up against Azula, in the end King Kuei had to agree to all of Zuko's demands, because the evidence showing Long Feng's involvement was incontrovertible and Kuei together with his court were desperate to save their faces.
With Aang and Sokka mediating, the following deal was struck. All charges against Azula were to be wiped from record, and Kuei would hold a special ceremony to officially renounce her status as the enemy of the state. In the same ceremony, Katara would be awarded an honorary title for averting a palace coup by unnamed Dai Li conspirators. The Dai Li were to be reformed from the ground up, ceasing to exist as they had done since the days of Avatar Kyoshi. In return, Long Feng's name was to be struck from all reports connected to the investigation and his involvement in this sordid affair would forever remain a secret.
Everyone was in high spirits after the deal had been sealed, as for once diplomacy had found a way to keep all sides satisfied. Kuei had gone even as far as to announce a three day celebration in the capital, and Ba Sing Se was about to erupt in a buzz of activity and merriment. Having toasted the agreement with a couple of glasses of rice wine, Zuko, Sokka and Aang had parted with King Kuei and his courtiers, returning to the guest wing of the palace to inform Katara that the matter had been finally laid to rest.
"I'm still surprised that Katara didn't want to be present for the meeting and argue the case herself," Sokka remarked as they traversed the long hallways of the Royal Palace.
"She takes her duty to look after Azula very seriously," Zuko nodded, dodging a scrawny palace official who appeared to be in great hurry. "Especially since she had that little relapse a couple of days ago..."
"Yes, I don't think Katara has as good a handle on Azula as she wants us to think," Aang shook his head. "But we all know how stubborn Katara can get, she'll never admit it."
"Even so, I don't see why she has to spend almost all of her time with Azula," Sokka sighed. "She's barely spent any time with us since we arrived!"
"I know," Aang added knowingly. "I still think Azula is up to something... probably manipulating Katara somehow." He glanced at Zuko. "Sorry, Zuko... I know she's your sister, but..."
"I understand why you're both so skeptical, but I can tell you for certain that Azula has changed a great deal," Zuko replied, frowning. He felt a little sick to his stomach when imagining the reactions of Aang and Sokka once Katara told them that she intended to spend months with Azula at the North Pole. With Sokka so protective of his sister, and Aang clearly still pining for her, these two were sure to have an absolute meltdown.
"I wish we would have thought to bring Toph with us, she could have helped us determine Azula's truthfulness," Aang remarked. "Although, Azula is such an accomplished liar, she could probably fool Toph just as she is fooling us all."
"Yeah, remember the Day of the Black Sun?" Sokka asked. "Toph couldn't tell if Azula was lying or not. Azula is truly one of a kind when it comes to being untrustworthy."
"Is there any way at all how she could actually convince you of being genuine?" Zuko asked, sounding genuinely frustrated.
"Nope, not going to happen," Sokka shook his head. "I'm definitely once bitten and twice shy."
"Well, I'd like to believe her, but... sorry, I just think she's using Katara for her own sinister motives, and I think Katara is too well-meaning and trusting to realize that," Aang stated.
"Are you sure that's all there is?" Zuko asked. "Maybe you're just a little upset that Katara is not choosing to spend all her time with you," he remarked, unable to resist a little dig at the Avatar.
"Well, she's not spending her time with you either, even though I know you'd like that, Zuko," Aang shot back, appearing a little embarrassed.
"Still thinking there's something between me and Katara despite how many times I've told you that we're just friends?" Zuko shook his head. "You need to reign in that jealousy of yours, Avatar. You're getting your chakras all twisted up into knots." Sokka snickered at that, giving Aang an apologetic look when the Avatar glared at him.
"I just want to be done with all of this," Aang huffed irately. "As far as I'm concerned, this whole plan was a terrible idea from the start and we should have gone about it in a completely different way," he said as they finally reached the doors to Azula's quarters, the three boys so wrapped up in their argument that they entered without having bothered to knock, and what they saw made their eyes bulge and jaws drop from complete and utter astonishment.
Inside the room, Katara had Azula pressed against the wall, their lips locked in a heated kiss. Azula's leg was hooked around Katara's waist, and the waterbender's hand was gently gliding back and forth Azula's soft thigh.
"Let her go!" Aang roared suddenly, bursting forth threateningly as Katara and Azula parted with startled gasps, too lost in their kisses to notice their uninvited audience. "So that's your plan, you dirty snake!" Aang pointed accusingly at the princess. "You were going to seduce Katara and turn her against us!"
"What are you talking about?" Azula recovered quickly to glare at the Avatar. "Maybe I'm just giving Katara something that you couldn't provide, pipsqueak."
The color of Aang's face had become a worrying shade of bright red by now. "That's it! I see what's going on here!" he shouted, about to launch into his bending. "It's about time I finally took you down!"
"Bring it on, wimp," Azula challenged, slipping into her firebending stance, poised to strike back.
"Both of you, please calm down!" Katara shouted, quickly interposing herself between Aang and Azula, unaware that they both had already committed to attacking. Katara quickly bent a protective shield of ice all around her, but the sheer force of Aang and Azula's bending was too much. The blasts of air and fire annihilated her shield, and the sheer force of the attack made her crumple like a sheet of parchment. She collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
Sokka let out a cry of disbelief at what was unfolding before their eyes, too stunned to react. Zuko was too shocked to even say anything at all. Azula was standing over Katara's prone body as if she was petrified. When Aang let out another roar of rage, Azula failed to respond in any way, her eyes never leaving Katara's frame. "Look at what you've done, you monster!" Aang cried, his next attack sweeping Azula off her feet. The Avatar threw her against the wall with such force that it detached a part of the plaster, coming undone and partly burying Azula's broken, unconscious body underneath the rubble.
Finally, Zuko snapped out of his stupor, seeing only red before his eyes. He had watched the Avatar quite possibly kill two of the three women he cared for the most in his life. Consequences be damned, he would make Aang pay for this jealousy fueled insanity. "Take that, you asshole!" Zuko shouted as he sent a concentrated jet of flame towards Aang. It was a cowardly attack from behind that took Aang completely unaware, but Zuko was too far gone to care. As Aang turned towards Zuko, defenseless, a sea of fire completely engulfed him, inflicting terrible burns.
As Aang rose from the ground anew, his eyes were glowing bright white in his blackened face, a terrifying sight to behold. Zuko knew that he was in trouble now, but before anyone could attack again, Sokka jumped in between the two of them, just as bravely and ill-advisedly as his sister had done earlier. "What are you two doing?" Sokka shouted at them both. "I'm going to help my sister! Maybe you should do the same!" he pointed at Zuko before running over to Katara, kneeling next to her.
Zuko decided to ignore Aang in his Avatar State and instead followed Sokka's example, regardless of whether Aang attacked him or not, saving Azula was more important. He kneeled next to his sister, starting to clear away some of the rubble that covered her, then leaning closer to find that Azula's breathing was mercifully stable. Still, there was blood everywhere, and Zuko didn't want to start guessing how many fractures she had suffered.
"How is Katara?" Zuko risked taking a moment to ask. With the corner of his eye, he noticed Aang limping out of the room, bent over in pain, probably in dire need to have his terrible burns tended to.
"There's pulse, but it's weak... we need a healer, quickly!" Sokka exclaimed nervously.
"Sounds like Azula is more stable, I think I can leave her for a moment and go call for a healer," Zuko decided, jumping to his feet, but at that same moment a bunch of palace guards stormed the guest quarters, looking dismayed about the absolute disaster that had hit the room, turning it into a battleground. "Go, get a healer! Don't just stand there! Quickly!" the Fire Lord roared at the petrified soldiers, and eventually a couple of them sprang into action, dashing off, allowing Zuko to return to Azula's side, holding his sister's hand while praying for her recovery, as well as for Katara.
"That healer better get here fast," Sokka remarked nervously, speaking in a trembling voice. "I think she's fading... I can't lose my sister, Zuko. I can't lose her..." he began to sob.
Zuko released Azula's hand, quickly crawling over to Sokka and Katara, trying to see if he could do anything for the waterbender. Outwardly, Katara appeared better off than Azula, but the way she had been struck, her body twisted so unnaturally, hit from both sides by powerful forces, it was likely there was considerable damage done to her internal organs. Her breathing seemed to have been impaired, and Zuko guessed that a punctured lung was most likely to blame. He did his best to straighten Katara's body in a more natural position, turning her to lay on her side, and it seemed that her breathing evened out somewhat, becoming steadier.
"Pfew... thanks, Zuko," Sokka looked relieved.
"She's not out of danger yet," Zuko sighed. "Neither of them is. Damn it... Agni, what was Aang thinking, blowing up like that!"
"What I want to know is what by the spirits was Azula up to... doing stuff like that with my sister," Sokka shook his head in disbelief.
"I'd like to know that myself," Zuko admitted, feeling puzzled when he remembered the two girls making out so passionately. "Let's just hope that they recover and are able to enlighten us..."
Many anxious hours of waiting at the Ba Sing Se university hospital followed, Zuko, Sokka, Suki and Ty Lee desperate to hear any news about the patients in the care of the best healers in the Earth Kingdom. Aang was released the first, and he staggered out on his own strength to briefly meet them, all wrapped up in bandages from head to toes. A nurse had escorted Aang to his room shortly after, with Sokka following his friend. Suki went with them, but only remained inside briefly and Zuko thought he could hear some raised voices coming from the room. Suki didn't say anything when she returned to the waiting room, but there was firm resoluteness and anger in her eyes that spoke volumes.
Zuko couldn't bring himself to go and speak with Aang. He was still too angry with the Avatar, and didn't want to say something he would later regret. Still, when Sokka finally returned to rejoin them in the waiting room, Zuko felt that it was only polite to ask about Aang's wellbeing. "How is he?" the young Fire Lord inquired.
Sokka shrugged in response. "Upset and in a lot of pain. But he'll be alright." The Water Tribe youth let out a deep sigh. "I hope I can say the same about my sister," he added.
"And about Azula, too," Ty Lee added passionately. Zuko shot the girl a grateful look.
"Obviously, none of us here wish for someone to not make it," Suki spoke firmly. She sounded very irate and frustrated about the whole situation, and from the way Sokka cringed from his girlfriend's tone of voice, Zuko imagined that Suki had probably given both Aang and Sokka some serious verbal chewing out. He felt very grateful to the leader of his bodyguards for maintaining an unbiased view of the situation, which was obviously hard for her considering how strongly she disliked Azula.
"Let's just hope that we hear good news about them both soon," Zuko said, trying to sound reconciling.
In the end, they were forced to wait two more hours before the healers allowed them to see the two patients, exhausted after long stretches of healing. They were led into Katara's room first, while Azula was still fast asleep from the herbal mixture used to sedate her. The waterbender rested peacefully on her bed, the occasional wince crossing her face when she moved slightly, clearly still in a great amount of pain and discomfort.
Sokka rushed ahead of the others, Katara's brother first to approach her bed, barely holding himself together. "Spirits, Katara... you scared me out of my wits, sis," he managed, reaching out and taking Katara's hand. "What possessed you to do something so reckless?"
"I wasn't going to let Aang hurt her," Katara spoke, firm and determined. "Azula... how is she?" her voice trembled slightly as she asked.
"The healers say that she'll be alright, you don't have to worry," Zuko replied quickly.
"You'll have to tell us what happened, sis," Sokka pressed. "I mean, with you and Azula. What's going on?"
"I'd say it was painfully obvious for anyone with eyes, Sokka," Katara sighed weakly. "You walked in on me and Azula kissing."
"But... but... it couldn't be what we saw!" Sokka protested. "I mean... not with Azula! You couldn't be! She's tricking you somehow, she must be!"
"I can't deal with this right now," Katara simply shook her head. "Sorry, Sokka, but I'm too weak to tell you off for being the buffoon you currently are."
"I'm not going to just stand by and let Azula hurt you," Sokka insisted.
"Maybe you should watch Aang instead, he's the one who's more likely to hurt me and Azula," Katara rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Sokka... I don't want to have this conversation right now. I find it very draining."
"Of course, Katara," Suki spoke up quickly, cutting off Sokka when he was about to protest. "Sokka and I are going to take a walk outside... have a little talk, while you get more rest," she walked up to her boyfriend, and when Sokka appeared reluctant to leave his sister's side, Suki pulled him away while at the same time deftly elbowing him in the ribs. At that, Sokka had no recourse but to allow himself to be dragged away and out of the room.
"Zuko?" Katara asked in a quiet voice, now that only the three of them were left in the room. "I know that you must be concerned about what happened today. And I know that you have a lot of questions..."
"They can wait until you get better, Katara," Zuko smiled at her.
"No, honestly... I was in no mood to endure Sokka's childish tantrums, but I can trust you to remain rational," Katara said. "And... well, talking distracts me from hurting all over."
"Well, if you're certain, then I do have a few questions," Zuko nodded uncertainly.
"I'll leave you two alone," Ty Lee decided, turning to leave.
"No, Ty Lee," Katara surprised the other girl, her voice insistent. "I think you have earned the right to be present."
"I agree," Zuko nodded at the girl, who beamed back at them both with her brightest smile. "Katara, I was just as stunned as the others when I saw you and Azula... uh, well... you know, kissing. How... how did that happen? I was afraid that you two would end up in a fight for life and death, not with your lips locked."
Katara chuckled weakly at that. "I know... and I wish I could explain it to you," she sighed. "The more Azula opened up to me, the more I began to feel something for her. And then it just grew and grew, day after day, until I realized that I... really liked her in that way. Well, more than liked... you know," she blushed darkly. "And at some point, I began to notice the signs that she felt the same way, so... in the end, the truth came out and well, you saw the outcome."
"Amazing," Zuko shook his head.
"I think it's beautiful," Ty Lee smiled wistfully. "Many years ago, I dreamed that I might have something like that with Azula, but I now know that it was never meant to be, and I have moved on from those feelings for her. But I'm so happy that she has something like that with you, Katara."
"It might not be all that easy, Ty Lee," Zuko spoke, looking at the ever cheerful girl by his side. "Katara, you have played such a big role in Azula's healing and recovery. Is this not going to be a problem? Feelings can get pretty messy..."
"I know," Katara admitted ruefully. "That was the main reason why I tried to fight it for as long as I could, but... I just couldn't. And when I realized that Azula had feelings for me as well, I figured that maybe it was better to try and make it work. I thought I would only hurt Azula more if I were to reject her..."
"Hmm... you're probably right," Zuko admitted thoughtfully. "But I have to ask one last thing, Katara. Are you prepared for the backlash that you will receive? What happened today… is not a good sign."
"I honestly don't expect that everyone will react the way Aang did," Katara tried to joke, but it fell rather flat. "You're right, of course, people will disapprove, most of them will. My own family will disapprove, I'm sure. And yet, I'm willing to fight for this relationship. Zuko, you know how stubborn and righteous I can be," she smiled at him, receiving a smile and a nod in return. "The more people tell me that there's something I can't do, the more motivated it makes me to prove them wrong. But I could use at least someone in my corner. I hoped that Azula and I could lean on your support for our relationship, Zuko," she gave him a hopeful stare.
"I..." Zuko began, already knowing that he could not deny her request. Then he noticed Ty Lee also looking at him, with those pleading and hopeful doe eyes of hers. Now it became plain impossible to refuse. "I'll do what I can for you, Katara, but before I commit to anything fully, I want to speak with my sister first. I think she ought to be awake by now."
"Please tell her that I'm alright, she must be worried out of her mind," Katara whispered. "And... maybe you could ask the healers if they could move us both into a shared room?"
"I'm sure that can be arranged," Zuko smiled at her, then turning to leave the room. "You coming, Ty Lee?" he asked the girl.
"Oh! S-sure, if you want me there, Zuko," Ty Lee nodded at him.
"Always," Zuko smiled. "Come, let's allow Katara to rest a bit," he added, exiting the room with Ty Lee in tow. Shortly after, they were shown into the adjacent room where Azula rested on her hospital bed, looking pale and exhausted, but above all extremely sleepy, her eyelids drooping slightly and a few dribbles of drool running down her chin. That she was not absolutely scandalized about her own appearance simply proved how out of it Azula was.
"Hey, sis," Zuko smiled at her, as together with Ty Lee they walked up to Azula's bed. "How are you doing? Can you talk?"
"Katara… how's Katara?" Azula managed in a hoarse voice.
Zuko blinked in astonishment. This was his supposedly cruel and heartless sister who had never cared about anyone but herself, and yet, lying here after having suffered terrible injuries, the first words out of her mouth was to ask for someone else's wellbeing? It was astonishing and warmed his heart like nothing else could.
"Katara's fine, Azula, she just needs rest, same as you do," Ty Lee smiled, replying for Zuko as she stepped around the bed to stand on the other side, taking Azula's hand into hers. "You're both going to be alright."
"Good... guess I won't have to kill Aang then," Azula said tiredly. "Not yet, anyway."
"Let's just try to avoid confrontations like that in the future," Zuko sighed. "I know, I know... don't even go there with the 'but he started it'. I was there, Azula, I know that he started it. But you should know that hurting Katara's friends means hurting her. And as I understand, you no longer wish to hurt her."
"N-no..." Azula ground out. "Listen, Zuzu..." she spoke up, almost timidly, not protesting when Zuko took her other hand in his. "I'm sure you have questions..."
"I do, but they can wait," Zuko smiled at her. "But you should know that we have already spoken with Katara. She satisfied my curiosity about everything that has happened between you two. Though I would be interested in hearing your side, sis."
"It seems crazy, doesn't it," Azula sighed. "I thought I'd hate traveling with an overbearing, moralizing busybody, and a water peasant, no less. But there's just... something unexplainable about her. I tried to convince myself that her concern for me was fake, but… she's just so damned genuine! I didn't know I needed or wanted to be cared for like that... nobody had even tried to care about me like she did, even my own mother gave up on trying. The more I tried to hate Katara, the deeper she seemed to pull me in. Ugh, it sounds so trite and cliché."
"I think it sounds beautiful," Ty Lee gushed happily.
"Of course you would think so, you sap," Azula chuckled at the other girl, but with no malice or insult to her words, and Ty Lee didn't take it that way.
"There are not many people like Katara out there, Azula," Zuko said earnestly. "I can't think of anyone who would have taken on this mission to help you, and who would have the necessary skills for this task. Katara's compassion and empathy is boundless."
"I know, she's amazing in every way, and not to mention, absolutely gorgeous," Azula winked slyly at him. "But I think I know where you were going with this. This thing we have… it is not some game for me, Zuko. I don't want to ruin and lose this, brother." A solitary tear rolled down her cheek. "She makes my old life feel so cold and empty."
"Aww, Azula, I knew you were able to love someone," Ty Lee grinned broadly, barely able to restrain herself from hugging the princess, something that was highly inadvisable considering the injuries she had suffered. "Katara asked Zuko for his support for your relationship," Ty Lee added, giving Zuko the kind of stare that spoke volumes about her devotion to him. "She also really wants to make this thing between you work out."
"I was hoping that she was equally serious... she said so, and Katara never lies," Azula smiled hopefully as she looked up at Zuko. "So... will you give us your blessing and your support? After the events of today, I think it's quite obvious that we'll need it."
"Of course, Azula," Zuko smiled, glad that he could make his sister happy. He had wished to have that opportunity for as long as he could remember, and finally, Katara's efforts had given him that chance. The least he could do was to help this unlikely relationship between Katara and his sister to flourish.