"Well, at least this dress wasn't a complete waste of time," The tailor fussed as he handed Katara the intricately embroidered folds of fabric. "Though, of course, I now have more last minute jobs to do…"

Katara got the distinct impression that he somewhat enjoyed complaining about his workload. "Sorry," She said anyway. He waved a hand at her impatiently and turned to bow deeply to Ursa and Ikem.

"My Lady, my Lord," He said grandly. "I am, of course, honoured to serve you. I only regret that there aren't enough hours in the day to give your robes the attention that they deserve."

Ikem was clearly out of his depth; the hassled enthusiasm of the tailor, combined with the bow, left him looking beet ret and awkward. Ursa looked a little pale, but managed a shaky smile. "Thank you, Mr Yan, but I'm sure some of my older dresses would be fine… if they're around."

The tailor looked horrified, his mouth twisted into a dismissive frown. "Those ancient, dowdy things? The court fashions these days are much brighter- with more global influences than the horrible, austere things my frankly incompetent predecessor would put together. No, the Dowager Fire Lady will not attend her own celebration looking like a wartime nun."

"Global influences?" Ursa tilted her head, eyeing what she could see of Katara's robes. "That sounds delightful."

The tailor beamed. "For your return, my Lady, we can create something truly magnificent."

Katara raised her eyebrows at Ikem, who smiled at her weakly. She understood how he felt, to a degree, they were both born into more modest communities and had found themselves in the Fire Nation Royal Palace through a simple accident of the heart.

At least Katara had experienced the ice palaces of the North Pole and the rich stately homes of the Earth Kingdom before being thrust into courtly life... Poor Ikem had never really left his island.

She left them to it, making her way out of the tailor's rooms and padding down the corridor towards the family wing of the palace. Zuko had already been called into meetings with his advisers and Iroh, who was staying until after Ursa's celebration banquet and helping Zuko with some of the policy debate.

"Katara!" Aang grinned as he spotted her. "There you are- oh, is that your outfit?" He peered at the embroidered silks curiously and Katara nodded. "I'm so glad we finally get to go to a Fire Nation party- babysitting Azula was so boring."

Katara pursed her lips. "Yeah, though I'm not sure having her at the party is the best idea," Azula would be attending her mother's return banquet, as part of Zuko's efforts to reintegrate her into society, but she was still undergoing treatment with medical staff from the clinic.

"She seems a bit better than she was…" Aang murmured, doubtfully, as he fell into step beside her. "Less unbalanced."

"But not exactly balanced, Aang," Katara focused on keeping her breathing even. "She seems more in control than she was, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. I think she's up to something."

"Up to something, bloodbender?" Azula crooned as they turned a corner, nearly colliding with her. "Whatever could you mean?"

Katara glared at the princess. "You know exactly what I mean, Azula," She said coolly, glancing around the suspiciously empty corridor. "What are you doing here? Where are your doctors?" Her eyes narrowed as she spotted the open door. "Were you in Zuko's room?"

"So many questions," Azula smiled mildly. "I haven't killed anyone, bloodbender. Don't worry. I was admiring the changes Zuko's made to the decor, though… Very 'man of the people'... Not like Father at all," She laughed and it sounded like breaking glass.

Aang frowned, concern heavy in his furrowed brow. "I don't think you should be wandering around here unsupervised, Azula."

The dark haired girl shrugged. "Well, I don't think the Fire Lady's chambers should be used for concubines but there we go," She paused, as though waiting for a reaction. Katara clenched her jaw, willing herself not to rise to the barb. Aang blinked, looking confused.

With a catlike smile, Azula walked between Aang and Katara, shoulders nudging them aside as she slipped down the corridor, the way they'd come.

"What's a concubine?"

"Not now, Aang."

He shrugged, walking forward to peer into Zuko's room through the open door. He paused, eyeing the interior thoughtfully. "He doesn't keep anything important in here, does he?"

Katara moved to stand at the door with him, clutching her robes tightly in anxiety. "Not normally," She said, looking around the room for any indication as to what Azula might have been doing in here.

The room looked much the same as it had when she'd left in the early hours of the morning to get changed; the house servants hadn't yet been in to make the bed, which was embarrassingly tousled and unkempt from the previous night but otherwise the room was neat and tidy. It didn't look as though it had been ransacked, but Azula's presence in it was unnerving nonetheless.

The hidden door in the wall, which led to Katara's rooms, was ajar though. Katara approached it cautiously; they usually kept it closed. "What's in there?" Aang asked.

Katara glanced at him. "My room. There's a connecting door."

"Cool!" Aang poked his head through. "A secret door! Why do you think-? Oh," The tips of his ears turned pink and he glanced from the doorway to the tangled bedsheets, the pieces falling into place. "Oh."

He didn't seem to know what to do now that he was confronted with the evidence of Katara and Zuko's sex life, he studiously avoided meeting Katara's eye. "Let's see if she disturbed anything in my room," Katara offered, face feeling hot and more than willing to change the subject.

Her room looked much the same as it had that morning. Perhaps Azula had simply been wandering? Katara's gut churned with unease as she carefully set her robes on the bedspread. Neither herself nor Zuko kept anything of importance in their bedrooms- surely Azula would know that? Even the paperwork Zuko would work on in an evening would go back to the study with him in the morning.

Her room looked untouched; nothing obviously out of place. Katara eyed it skeptically; Azula always had a plan, she never did anything without a purpose. "I guess she was just looking around," Aang tried.

That didn't seem right; Azula had looked so smug as she walked past them but it would also be just like her to be playing mind games with them.

Doubt and concern gnawed at her gut well into the afternoon. She hadn't seen Azula since but the little self-satisfied smirk kept replaying in her mind's eye, taunting her with secret knowledge.

"Where is Azula?" She asked Zuko that afternoon as they pored over war pension policy documents.

Zuko pursed his lips, making a little note where he was reading. "Uh- Azula? I'm not sure, offhand."

"You don't know?"

He looked up, rubbing the edge of his jaw and absently smearing ink across the skin there. His eyes met hers searchingly. "She's most likely with Mother, or maybe one of the doctors. Why?"

"She was snooping around our rooms earlier, unsupervised. Nothing seemed out of place but…"

Zuko sat back in his chair. "But?"

Katara leaned forward. "I know Ursa's presence seems to be helping but a lucid Azula isn't necessarily a safe Azula. I know she's your sister," She reached across to take his hand. "But it might be better to keep a closer eye on her."

Zuko paused, choosing his words carefully. "When I joined you guys, you didn't keep me under constant supervision; you trusted me. You gave me the space I needed to come to terms with my own change," He gripped her hand tightly. "If it had been different, if you guys hadn't shown that trust in me then- I don't know. I was an angry kid. It might have been different."

"Zuko, that was different; you chose our side. You helped us escape Ba Sing Se and take control of a Fire Nation warship…"

"Azula-"

"Azula hasn't killed any of us yet," Katara said forcefully. "That isn't the same."

Zuko frowned. "I want to give her the chance to get better- how can she do that if we keep her locked up?"

"She burned her own soldiers, tortured you. hit you with lightning and attacked your mother in Hira'a," How wasn't he on her side, here? "She's dangerous."

"She's my sister."

They met each others' eyes, both pleading and sincere. Neither let go of the other's hand.

Katara couldn't understand Zuko's desire to help his sister, she might have been able to if Azula had ever, at any point showed a hint of regret for her past actions… Katara thought back to the little smirk Azula had given her and suppressed a shudder.

"I know," Katara said at last. "But she's still dangerous."

Zuko's face crumpled sorrowfully. "You won't support me on this?" He asked softly and Katara felt indignant, frustrated tears forming in her eyes. She blinked them away, determined not to cry.

"She's going to hurt you," Katara could hear the tremble in her voice and she hated it. Zuko shook his head and looked away, clenching his jaw and pressing his lips together in frustrated disappointment. Katara reached out to ghost gentle, dark fingers across his pale cheek. Across skin that had once burned and blistered beneath his father's hand. "She will. She's too much like him."

Zuko closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath. "I won't change my mind," He said. "I want to try."

Katara let the tears fall. "Then I'll support you as best I can," He smiled softly. "But if she tries to hurt you again…"

She didn't say it. She didn't need to. Nevertheless, Zuko kissed her hand gratefully and she felt like she'd cheated to win some sort of competition she hadn't wanted to take part in.

.

Katara didn't see Azula around the palace without an escort after that, though. She didn't know whether or not Zuko had deliberately requested for Azula to be kept under stricter supervision but either way, it made Katara breathe a little easier to see Azula accompanied by a firebending guard alongside her doctor or Ursa.

Not that it seemed to bother Azula.

Whenever she would catch sight of Katara, her mouth would curve into that unnerving smile and her eyes would dance with amusement. She certainly still looked like a threat, clothed in her old clothes and hair evenly trimmed.

She no longer wore a crown, though, and as the sister of the Fire Lord, was no longer allowed the title of princess.

"Master Katara," She crooned as she swept past with her doctor and guard in tow. "I had no idea you were such a fan of Fire Nation ships."

Stopping in the corridor, confused, Katara stared after her. "What?"

"Just something I read somewhere," Azula smiled that sinister little smile and turned to her doctor. "I do so enjoy reading these days. I find it soothes my mind."

Katara glared after her irritably as her doctor scrawled something in his notes, Azula looked like the cat who'd gotten the cream- smug satisfaction oozed from her even with her back to Katara.

Determined not to give Azula the satisfaction of acknowledging her unease, Katara continued down the hallway towards the training grounds. She would have a good enough outlet for her frustrations there.

The damp, sticky heat of the Fire Nation summer had well and truly given way to the pleasant airy warmth of Autumn. As Katara stepped out of the palace doors to the outdoor arena, she shed her outer robe to better feel the warm sun on her skin.

A wolf whistle caused her to whip her head round sharply, face splitting into a wide grin at the sight of Suki, Ty Lee and Mai with their weapons drawn. Suki took her fingers from her mouth. "Here to join us?" She called, snapping shut a golden fan and wagging it at Katara in a mock scold. "You're late!"

Katara walked over with a little wave at the acrobat who slowly, gracefully cartwheeled to meet her halfway. "Ty Lee- did you just get here?"

"Yeah- I got a ride with Toph from Kyoshi. When I heard about the party I just knew I couldn't miss it!" As though unable to contain her excitement, Ty Lee lunged forward and seized Katara in a bone-crushing hug. "I can't believe you guys found her! Zuko and Azula must be thrilled."

"Wait," Katara gasped from the lack of air, trying to pry Ty Lee's arms off her. "Did you say Toph?"

The ground lifted and shifted beneath them, trapping Katara and Ty Lee together up to the waist. "You let your guard down, sweetness," Toph smirked over them and Katara laughed breathlessly.

"Toph! You came!"

"Well the Fire Lord did summon me, personally," Toph picked at the dirt under her fingernails with a smirk. "And I wanted to show off how important I was to my useless students."

With a gripping, tearing movement, Toph pulled the rock slabs away from Katara and Ty Lee. Katara found herself tripping over the strewn pebbles and uneven surface, envying Ty Lee's acrobatics as she lightly leapt out of the rubble.

"Did you bring them?" Katara asked, feeling rather sorry for Toph's ragtag group of students; Toph was a harsh teacher and from Katara's own visits to her school she knew just how tired and strung out the kids were from Toph's relentless attempts to teach metalbending.

But Toph blew a raspberry and waved a dismissive hand. "No way. The brats can barely get metal to pucker- they don't deserve a party. I left them in metal boxes that they've got to bend their own way out of by the time I get back."

"You didn't."

"I did," Toph grinned devilishly. "Anyway, enough about those losers- when's the party?" She punched one hand into the other and Katara winced in sympathy for the many bruised arms they'd all be suffering from now that Toph was back.

"Tomorrow night," She glanced over to where Mai was listening to Ty Lee's stories about her time with the Kyoshi Warriors with the most deadpan, bored expression on her face possible. If Katara hadn't been spending so much time with the girl, she'd have missed the appreciative gleam in the narrow, dark eyes and the way her head tilted towards her old friend. "Everyone will get to meet Ursa and her family tonight though, I imagine."

Suki nodded. "We're having dinner in the family dining room at eight."

"With Azula," Katara growled and Ty Lee swung round to stare at her with wide eyes.

"Azula?" She twisted her hair around her fingers, nervously. "Oh," Mai's hand fell on her elbow, stilling her anxious fidgeting with a stern look. Don't give Azula the satisfaction. Mai's eyes seemed to say. Ty Lee swallowed hard. "How nice…"

Toph frowned. "Azula? Isn't she locked away and super crazy?"

Katara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She wasn't sure how best to explain Zuko's decision to give his sister relative freedom. "No to the first one, at least," She sighed. "She's out. Zuko thinks we should give her the same chance we gave him."

Suki's eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully and Toph scowled. "Whatever- I'll bend her into a wall if she tries anything."

"I'm glad you're here Toph."

"Obviously. Who wouldn't be."

With a grin, Katara spiralled a whip of water overhead and smacked Toph on the side of the head. With a growl, the earth beneath her shattered and she iced it over, gliding out of Toph's range.

Golden fans snapped outwards and Suki gave chase as the girls descended into a frenzied sparring session.

Sometime later, tired and sweaty, they collapsed onto the steps with wide, flushed grins.

"Ouch," Katara wince, reaching up behind her and plucking one of Mai's training senbon from the fabric of her undershirt. "You got me in the back."

Mai smiled languidly, plucking the thin blade from Katara's fingers. "You need to get better at covering your blind spots."

"Like Azula?"

Mai shrugged. "There are rumours amongst the nobility about you."

Katara went cold. "Me and Zuko, you mean. Azula must be getting the word out."

"Possibly," Mai turned to look over the shattered training arena, leaning heavily on her elbows. "But I think several people have been suspicious for a while."

Katara slumped against the wall with a groan. "Well, I suppose it had to come out sooner or later. I just wish it wasn't like this," Suki reached over and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The girls sat in silence together as Mai absentmindedly spun a knife in one hand.

"What does Zuko think?" Suki asked gently, and Mai's knife stopped spinning.

Katara shrugged. "About going public? He wants to," She met Suki's smiling eyes. "He doesn't want to hide anymore. Neither do I… I'm just worried what Azula has up her sleeve."

"I can tell," Ty Lee said softly. "Your aura's all pink and happy but you have these little blue spots of worry."

"Why is worry blue?" Katara frowned and Ty Lee shrugged.

"They don't like that Ursa's back either. She'd been branded an adulteress and polygamist," Mai warned. "Everyone will need to be very careful at the feast tomorrow."

Toph scoffed. "They'd rather she stay married to the worst person in the world?"

"I think they'd rather that she really was dead," Mai's voice was cool and calm, despite her shocking words. "They like Azula, though. Is Zuko still hoping for a family reconciliation?"

"I think so," Katara admitted.

Mai's eyes narrowed. "He's naive if he thinks Azula can be redeemed. They both are."

Katara bit her lip but Suki was nodding in grim agreement. "Right. Remember how she burned her own soldiers at the prison?" She shook her head.

"She also tortured Zuko," Toph agreed.

But she was also a child, left alone with an abuser and a tyrant, Katara thought to herself. She had no love for Azula and was under no misconceptions about what the princess was capable of… however.

She knew enough about Zuko's childhood to be able to… not understand, exactly, but empathise with the little sister who had been groomed to be the perfect killing machine. She would have thought Mai would, too, but it seemed Mai had shut Azula out of her heart the moment she'd changed sides. Perhaps it was her general attitude of detachment or perhaps it was simply that her former friend had hurt her too much… either way, she had no allegiance to Azula anymore.

"Well, what example did she have to follow?" Katara tried. "She saw their father try to burn Zuko's face off just for speaking out of turn."

Everyone's heads snapped up at a nearly inaudible intake of breath, their finely honed warrior senses detecting the implication before Katara could realise what she'd said. She turned to see a stunned Ursa coming around the corner from the gardens, her hand up at her mouth.

"Lady Ursa," Suki scrambled to bow. "Is there anything…"

"What did you say?" Ursa asked softly. Katara shot the other girls a guilty, uneasy look. "Katara, tell me, what did Ozai do to him?"

That was not the face of a woman who had been told about Zuko's burns. Suki stood, tactfully pulling Toph with her as the others followed, leaving Katara alone with an increasingly pale Fire Lady. Katara stood, biting her lip. She didn't want to burden Ursa with the knowledge and besides, it didn't seem like it was her place to tell her about Zuko's Agni Kai if he hadn't done so himself. "Let's get Zuko," She tried but Ursa stepped forward and grabbed her wrist in a surprisingly tight grip.

"He's with his council," Ursa said quietly. "Discussing Azula… Please," She pulled Katara back down to sit on the steps together. "Tell me."

"It's not my place," Katara said softly. "I'm sorry."

Ursa's lips clamped tight and she looked away. "Ikem told me about a rumour from the capital… back when I was Noriko," She was still gripping Katara's wrist tightly. "He was always listening for news of them even after I'd given them up…" Her eyelashes glistened with heavy, unshed tears. "But he doesn't have a mark. I know what burns do to skin, Katara, and Zuko doesn't have a scar."

Katara sat in silence, wrist aching from the vice-like grip of the older woman.

"Wasn't it just propaganda?" Ursa whispered. "The great and powerful Fire Lord who would burn his own son for treason, for love of his country… he didn't really do it, did he?" She finally released Katara's wrist, leaving behind the early beginnings of a bruise. "I'm sorry-" She breathed. "I hurt you."

"No," Katara brought a ring of water to her wrist, healing the marks before they darkened. "No, you didn't. I'm the one who- I shouldn't have said anything about it before... Anyone could have overheard me."

Ursa's eyes were fixed on the pale blue glow. "... You did that for him?"

Katara paused, unsure. "I… Yes," She didn't want to lie. "I had some Spirit Water and… I wasn't sure it would work but I offered to try," Katara's senses filled with the memory of that heart-stopping moment. The green glow of the crystal catacombs, the feel of rough, ravaged scar tissue beneath her hand.

Beside her, Ursa crumpled. "I thought they'd be safe with him," She whispered. "I knew what he was capable of, but I didn't think… his own child…" She covered her face with her hands. "And I left them with him."

Katara wasn't sure how to respond. How must Ursa feel, knowing what Ozai had done? The son, scarred and banished, the daughter, twisted and driven mad.

Ursa took a quick breath in, wiping her eyes. "How bad was it?" She asked.

"Bad enough."

After a long pause, Ursa nodded. "Thank you for helping him," She said softly, her hand coming to cover Katara's.

The waterbender thought back to those early days- the weeks of Zuko not even being able to look in the mirror at his own face. "I didn't do much," Katara denied. "He's the one who helped us," The boy who turned his back on his father, on the honour and forgiveness he'd pursued so relentlessly... to help the Avatar restore balance.

Ursa leaned down and kissed Katara's hair gently in a way that reminded Katara so vividly of her own mother it sent a pang through her heart. "My dear girl," She said gently. "What's important is that you help each other."

It was so close, so similar to what Ikem had said on the boat that Katara burst into inexplicable tears. Ursa held her close and rocked back and forth, murmuring gentle words into her hair. "I'm so worried," Katara confessed. "I'm so scared that I'm going to cause problems for him."

"Me too," Ursa confessed, her hold on Katara tightening. "But I'm never leaving him… I'm never leaving either of them again."

Sorry! Had a touch of writer's block this chapter and still am not really in the swing of things again. Fingers crossed this week is kind to me!