(Dragonstone: 8/10/298 AC) Mai II

"It's been seven months since Princess Azula left," Mai said in a flat tone, her fingers twitching up to adjust her spectacles, "and you choose now to come forward to me with this?" Voice slightly raised, she continued, "While Lord Stannis and Princess Azula are away, I am Overseer of the Grand Academy and the Agni Shipyard. Any delays are on my head." She rose from behind her carved wooden desk, hands gripping the armrests as she did so. Standing fully, and glowering at the man with her dead eyes, she let her arms fall to her sides. Her sleeves closely followed to cover the blades clenched in her pale hands.

"A thousand apologies, Lady Mai, but we were unsure if the facility was going to be able to handle a vessel that large," said the industrial administrator, head bowed, hands clasped, and legs shaking. "It was only meant to repair and refurbish the Ozai, and build Zuko-class Cruisers. Not construct a ship nearly three times larger. However, my team and I were, at the time, confident we could achieve what our Princess demanded even with the limited space. We did not want to disappoint her majesty with such bleak news."

"Or maybe you just wanted me to take the fall for your incompetence?" she stated matter-of-factly.

"No, my lady, it was…" he began.

"Don't lie to me," she cut him off, "you were too afraid to come to her with this, so you shifted the responsibility to me." She relaxed her grip on her knives, securing them further up her sleeves before revealing her hands and pointing at the sniveling man, "You'd best figure this out before she returns. She is long overdue in that regard, and she has sent no hawk signaling when she will 'grace' you with her presence. She wanted the Azula completed by the end of the year. You have five months left. Get. It. Done."

"Without fail my lady," he said weakly, head still bowed, as he backed out the door.

When he left the room, a Fire Nation soldier, stationed just outside, shut the door, allowing Mai a chance to continue thinking on the events that led her to this place. 'Fifteen years since I came here. Fifteen since I've seen my family, my home, my world, Zuko…,' thinking the last with her breath slightly caught in her throat. During her fifteen years, and counting stay in this world, Mai had had many suitors. Some from the Fire Nation troops who came with them, some from Westeros, and surprisingly a few from Braavos, and the Free Cities.

However, it was blatantly obvious why they were coming to her in droves. While she held no lands, she was known as Azula's right hand. That meant the moment Azula had made a name for herself and the rumors of King Robert's 'secret' orders to build a truly Iron Fleet, had been swirled, many had come to Mai with offers of marriage. The outsiders just wanted to have an inside view on Dragonstone and the rumored 'Crowned Fleet' King Robert had ordered built, while the 'insiders' just wanted to be near the Prin…the Firelord. She didn't trust any of them, Fire Nation or no, save for, ironically, Azula. Azula was the only thing remaining of her past life like she was to Azula. 'Like Ty Lee was to us,' she let out a small sniffle at the thought of her old friend.


Battle of Shipbreaker Bay (283 AC)

The three of them, along with Lo and Li, were onboard Azula's royal barge with a crew numbering three hundred strong, and loaded with a Tank Train, when they had suddenly appeared in the dead of night near the mouth of Shipbreaker Bay. This was during the Siege of Storm's End, while the civil war, known as Robert's Rebellion, was raging across Westeros. Azula had been training on deck with Lo and Li advising. Ty Lee and Mai had been off to the side, watching. Suddenly, the day turned to night, and they appeared in different waters. They heard a loud crash and the ship shifted, making Azula, and the rest of them lose their balance. The emergency bell sounded, and several crew members emerged from below, armed and ready for combat, courtesy of Azula's constant drills. No sooner had they regained their composure, as they heard shouting and cursing coming from below and around the entirety of the ship, when arrows began raining down on deck. They all scattered for cover, including Lo and Li who moved fast for decrepit old women.

Like a well-oiled machine, the soldiers rallied, reformed, and began raining fire and arrows at everything they saw below. The swordsmen and women, brandished their blades, their pikes, knives, anything and everything, and prepared for enemy boarders. Azula shot up her command tower using controlled fire blasts from her feet. Upon reaching the top, she recognized the small pinpoints of light, of lit torches, from sail ships. She began bending lightning at them, one by one sinking them as the ones surrounding the ship began retreating from the conflagration forming around the barge, crashing into one another in their confusion. Mai remembered Azula shouting, "No one attacks the Fire Nation and lives! No one! No mercy!" Everything after was a blur. Azula tasked the captain with chasing down the fleeing enemy ships, sniping with lightning from the top of her tower, with the firebenders taking pot shots at the closer ships with fire blasts. Afterward, with the rising dawn, Azula looked upon the carnage and smiled. As far as Mai could see were flaming wrecks, everywhere half-hearted cries of agony were coming from survivors using whatever flotsam they could grab onto during the death throes of their ships. Calmly and confidently, Azula gave the order, "Captain! Bring the ship around to the enemy wreckage. Archers! Nock…" Ty Lee could not bear it and ran below deck. Mai remained standing there, in shock, as the cries of the hapless survivors slowly began quieting with each successive volley. Azula earned two monikers that day. To the rebels, she was hailed as "The Savior of Storm's End," while the loyalists cursed her as, "The Butcher of Shipbreaker Bay." They would not be the last titles she held.

Once it became clear who they had destroyed, the side they had unknowingly supported, the army besieging the fortress of Storm's End broke at the slaughter just off the coast and retreated away from the fortress into the surrounding areas. The ship remained at the mouth of the bay, while Azula assessed the situation. A small vessel, captained by one Davos Seaworth, bearing a cargo of onion and salted fish, hailed them. Azula frowned but allowed him to board. After coming aboard, Azula had her soldiers search the man, and upon finding nothing she took him into her command tower. Followed by a heavy guard, she remained in the tower for several hours, while they were ordered to remain outside, and on guard, just in case any 'problems' arose. When she finally emerged, she informed them of her plan to send Lo and a small team of benders aboard the man's ship, to negotiate with Storm's End and its commander, Stannis Baratheon.

While the envoy was gone, Mai went to speak with Ty Lee, who sat alone in the far corner of the crew mess hall. She remained huddled in a fetal position, not acknowledging her, as she approached. She was clenching her eyes shut, with her hands covering her ears, and cheeks wet with freshly shed tears. Reaching out, she flinched at her touch. "Ty Lee?" she asked, unsure of where she was going with this question. She looked at her, and Mai's heart sank. Her eyes. Her eyes were not the same. Not from before, and they never would be again. Mai would often be called the dark emotionless one, but today, as every other day since, she realized she couldn't be that person. Not with her. Not with Ty Lee. She was not meant to have witnessed something like that, and to be honest she didn't even think she was.


(Dragonstone: 8/10/298 AC) Mai I
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Mai twitched as the knock shook her out of her memories...or her nightmares?

"Come in," she said quietly.
"Hello Aunt Mai!" shouted, Ty Lee, Azula's youngest daughter…