Aang stands at a hazy precipice. He does not remember what is around him, and he cannot seem to figure it out. Everything is white save for the very vivid world in front of him. He stares out of an open window, except there is no frame or wall. Just emptiness everywhere, and one look at a city that is familiar.

Ash rains from the sky and the buildings are stained from the fire. His gut twists when he thinks about how he sometimes imagines the end of his entire race. The scrolls he forced himself to read talked about how smoke billowed from all four horizons for months.

This city is not an Air Temple, and not Ba Sing Se, nor Omashu. He realizes it when he sees tattered scraps of fabric.

It is Caldera.

How can the City of Fire burn to ashes?

Before he can finish pondering that thought, he wakes up. His skin drips with sweat, and he sees that the moon has barely risen in the sky. His slumber certainly did not last for very long. He sighs and goes to find a towel and a change of clothes. Maybe just his underwear would suffice for the night; it is hot in the Fire Nation, after all.

When he reaches the edge of his room, he looks out of the open window and stops trying to take off his shirt. It is the view from this window that he saw. Everything looks peaceful now, but he witnesses utter chaos. Aang swallows and closes it, darkening the room. He lights his hand to see his way to the closet.

He tries not to think about his dream until he thinks about Azula's dragon.

Could Ryzu do all of that? One dragon could probably raze a city. One very good firebender might be able to, if no one stopped them.

Could Ryzu do all of that to more than one city?

Aang feels sick.

His sweat feels cold.

###

A few miles outside of the city, Ty Lee cries herself to sleep.

She hates being a victim of love. She hates being in love with someone who does not love her back.

Ty Lee would die a thousand times to make this go away.

All she can think about is the bonfire lit by the tower. The repairs are coming along nicely, and everyone had such a sense of togetherness after the sun set. Ty Lee was among everyone, befriending everyone, feeling less sad.

But once she was alone, she broke down.

She needs people. She needs distractions. She needs to never be alone with her thoughts ever again.

###

Ty Lee wakes up and leaves her lonely tent. The morning is so cold and fresh; she feels like sleep had been rebirth. That feeling of positivity begins to waver when she sees Azula nearby. The princess was nowhere to be found last night, her son with her. Ryzu sits on her lap now and Ty Lee sees what has made everyone reluctant to harm her. It is so hard to hurt a mother… if you ever had one, or ever wanted one.

Something tells Ty Lee that Azula would not have that problem.

"Do you worry about motherhood?" Ty Lee asks and Azula stares at her.

"What?" she asks, narrowing her eyes.

"You didn't really have one. Do you think you can be a good one?" Ty Lee says, now afraid. She is very afraid and wishes she had not spoken up. She wonders if she should explain how tired she is and how sorry she is but she keeps quiet.

"Why does that matter to you? I am sure you will be a lovely mother to my brother's children." Azula lifted her hand from the dragon. "Why don't you two have any yet? I have to admit that I am curious."

"We haven't been together really long," Ty Lee says and Azula shakes her head.

"I can tell when you're lying."

"How?"

"Oh, I would never give that away, now would I?" Azula turns to face Ty Lee now. Ryzu makes a small sound, expressing protest, but Azula ignores him. Ty Lee thinks she feels flattered. "Why do you two not have any cute little princes and princesses?"

"I don't know," Ty Lee says. Because we've never been good at sex, she would say if she were an honest person anymore. Or ever. Ty Lee cannot remember a time when lies were not second nature.

"I hope you two have a big family," Azula says. Her voice burns like fire and lingers like poison. Ty Lee wishes being around Princess Azula did not hurt so much.

"Do you want me to help you teach Ryzu flying?" Ty Lee asks, smiling hopefully, and Azula scoffs. It makes Ty Lee feel like a cave hopper. Smaller and more pathetic than that, actually. The princess has many powers, and destroying a person with a single look is one of them.

"What would you know about that? You cannot even tie your own shoes, much less teach a dragon how to fly," Azula says, standing up. "I will be by the river."

"Why are you telling me that?" Ty Lee asks. She wants to run away, but she stays for some reason. "I thought you didn't want my help."

"I did not say I didn't want your… company." Azula does not say that in a very welcoming fashion. "Goodbye."

Ty Lee waves as Azula and Ryzu walk away.

###

Azula stays away from the construction. Manual labor and menial tasks do not suit a princess. Other people build her new home; she just lives in it once it is flawless.

She has set a slightly-charred but somehow-intact stuffed tiger-monkey atop a tree branch. Ryzu wants it; his eyes beg and beg. Azula leans back and waits for him to fly.

The mother and son have not gotten very far when Ty Lee arrives.

"I brought snacks!" she says, holding up her excuse to visit.

Azula knew Ty Lee would show up. The Fire Lady always seems to wind up with the princess.

"I am occupied with teaching Ryzu to fly," Azula says as Ty Lee sets down the basket. "I do not have time to pretend you're more than a pretty face and make you feel like you have worth."

"I'm so sick of people saying that kind of stuff to me," Ty Lee snaps. "I'm not shallow or self-absorbed or obsessed with my own looks."

"If I stuck a mirror to the bottom of a pond you would drown," Azula says, her lips twitching. Is it a new or particularly funny joke? No. Does it elicit a very pleasing angry reaction from Ty Lee? Yes. Azula is content with it.

"And I don't need you to tell me what I'm worth," Ty Lee adds. Her ears are red, redder than her cheeks. Azula loves this. She has the power again and it feels good.

Once Ryzu grows up, Azula will be able to finish her ascent. Talking to Ty Lee feels like a taste of what ruling the world would be like.

"Well, yes, I am certain you found someone else to do that in my absence." Azula smirks.

Ty Lee opens the basket. Ryzu moves towards it but Azula reaches it first. She smashes down the lid right on Ty Lee's hands, but pays her wail no mind.

Azula says sternly, "You will eat when you fly."

Ryzu glares at her. Ty Lee laughs while rubbing her hurt hand.

Azula pouts at her disappointing son. He needs to fly.

"Ty Lee, you're clearly a whore, give me some advice," the princess says, trying to make this less boring.

The comment does not give Ty Lee time to be insulted.

"Uh… uh-huh?" she replies, dumbstruck.

Azula asks nonchalantly, "Do you think if I seduced a man, I would have another… another, or would it be a human?"

Ty Lee does not even try to think about it before she answers, "I think that's a question for smart people not… whores."

Azula rolls her eyes. Predictable, but still annoying. "Apparently you are neither. Fine, from your chaste and idiotic perspective, what do you think would happen?"

"I don't even know what happened to make Ryzu. That's not supposed to be possible." Ty Lee eyes the basket of food and wonders if she should make another dive for it.

"But it happened. Therefore, it is possible," Azula says, sitting down on top of the basket.

"Are we possible?" Ty Lee whispers, forgetting her throbbing hand for the first time in minutes.

Azula knows what she means, but she does not want to ever have this conversation. Her feelings bother her enough without her discussing them.

"No. Because we never happened." Azula gets up to leave, gesturing for Ryzu to follow.

Ty Lee stops her by saying, "We did happen. I thought we did, at least."

"It wasn't real, and you made sure of that." Bitterness, resentment, hatred. Azula feels all of that and Ty Lee does not know if she can fix it.

"I didn't want to hurt you," she says, as she has said so many times before. Azula will never forget the Boiling Rock and Ty Lee should accept it.

"But you did," Azula says, as she has said so many times before. "You destroyed me and I see how much it tortures you even after all of this time. You look at me in a way that is just so satisfying. You are so pretty when you're guilty."

###

Ty Lee has to ask. She cannot help it. She has to ask.

She finds Azula inside of the tower. The moon is high in the sky and the stars sparkle and shine. The fires outside burn, and Ty Lee realizes Azula is a flame. But Azula is not the kind that offers warmth or light or food; she is the kind that burns villages to the ground.

Ty Lee is a moth. A moth that is drawn solely to wildfires.

"Are you thinking about… trying to make… another?" she asks, flushing bright red and feeling foolish.

"No," Azula says. It is always so unclear if she is lying or not. "I have concerns about my birthright."

"And that's why you were asking about me and Zuko. Because if we can't have a baby, that makes yours next in line for the crown, and yours isn't even human."

Ty Lee's intellect stuns Azula, but not as much as it would anyone else. Azula has always known that Ty Lee is not as dumb as she plays herself out to be. The princess will never divulge that observation, even under torture.

It would be partially admitting that she sees Ty Lee in a truly positive light.

It would be partially admitting that they see each other in ways that nobody else can.

It would be partially admitting that they were in love once.

"Maybe." Azula shrugs. She sighs. "You're right. I find that I want to rule the Fire Nation, no matter what other role the Universe throws at me."

"I thought you'd rather be a Dragon Mother than a Fire Lord," Ty Lee says, sitting down in front of Azula without invitation. It irks the princess.

"I want to be both," Azula says, staring at the flames. "But I know that I can't have it all. No one can. Not even the beautiful and happy Fire Lady. What is it that you're missing?"

Ty Lee shakes her head.

"Nothing. I'm really this happy. My life is great," she says through a smile.

Azula sees what that means.

Ty Lee isn't missing something in her life; her life is missing Ty Lee.

It must hurt.

Azula should feel better about that than she does.

###

Azula is not always happy about it, but she was recalled to life for a reason.

Waking in that open grave was one of the worst experiences she had ever endured. She saw the world above her and clawed her way to it for some reason. It would have been easier to lay down and die, but she simply could not.

Now she is at last entering her new home that she will share with a true monster of a son. Ryzu is hers and Ryzu has turned her world upside down.

Whatever reason there is, Azula will pursue it.

The workers completed construction, and now Azula walks across the grass to the front of the tower. She cannot figure out how they got it into such good shape after so many years of wear and tear.

Despite her acceptance of Ryzu, when she opens the door of the refurbished dragon prison, she wishes she had never been resurrected or went through the horrors of the Spirit World. Her life is about to become much worse and much more complicated and Azula is not ready yet.

She is insane, to tell the truth. She is broken, to be honest. She is incapable of caring for a baby dragon on her own in captivity.

"I don't know about this," Azula whispers as she forces herself to step inside. It smells better than it used to, and the rooms look habitable, but that does not make the chilly air and bars on the windows feel any less daunting.

"You don't have a choice," says Uncle. Azula despises him for voicing the truth; he has no right to intrude upon her new life. "I'm sorry."

"No, you are not sorry. You have never liked me and I have never liked you. We should accept that," firmly says Azula, walking towards the stairs. The room up there would have to fit Ryzu once he is fully grown, which will be a difficult task.

Iroh says nothing, which Azula takes as acceptance of her accusations. He gestures ahead and she walks into the heart of her new home.

Is she letting this happen to her? She has a dragon and she is letting her brother have her locked up forever? Is she honestly going to raise Ryzu in a cage?

Yes. Azula hates to face the facts, but the answer to every one of those questions is yes.

For now yes is her response, but she will not resign herself eternally. She will have her revenge one day.

Her imprisonment is temporary, as she tries to remind herself.

###

Ty Lee rarely has strange dreams. Hers are quite boring, but last night she had a very vivid nightmare that lingers with her like strong perfume on old clothes.

It began with Azula and Ryzu in a field. Ty Lee stood on the edge of the grass, blending into the tree line as she watched them. As Ryzu flew, he grew and grew into a formidable monster. Azula did not seem to fear him, but Ty Lee did.

The tranquil meadow went up in intense flames.

Ryzu rose higher and Azula lay against the fire, shimmering like sunlight underwater. The sky turned black and ash rained from the sky. Ty Lee felt her lungs constrict, but there was nothing she could do. Azula glowed brighter yet until she was the sun itself, and maybe all of the stars too.

Ty Lee woke just as the fire began to consume her helpless body.

###

That afternoon, Ryzu finally flies.

He flutters up through the air and then plummets, excitement in his golden eyes and then pain as he hits the stone floor. The princess lunges out to try to help him, a motion that would have been alien to her in the distant past. Becoming a mother has… changed things. Changed reflexes. Changed thoughts. She wonders why upon occasion, but does not linger on it.

Azula has been sitting in Ryzu's room for hours, trying to help him figure out his azure wings. The wide windows are barred but humongous. They allow in cold air and copious sunlight, which gives Azula some small comfort. Ryzu is as close to outside as Zuko will allow.

Until Azula overthrows Zuko, of course, with the help of her beautiful son.

Her beautiful son who has at last begun to fly. It brings tears to her eyes.

"You're wonderful. Good job," Azula gushes. "That was perfect and please do it again."

From behind Azula, Ty Lee says kindly, "You're really sweet. You're a good mom and I love you and love it and stuff."

Azula's expression sours. She grinds her teeth and stands up, stepping away from her son and towards her traitorous ex-girlfriend.

"You have ruined this glorious moment, as you ruin all things in my life. I would appreciate it if you would just go home to my brother's bedroom and let me be," Azula says frigidly, gently stroking her son's face. He chirps and she smiles at him, pointedly ignoring Ty Lee.

Despite Azula's cold shoulder, Ty Lee watches the eerie scene, unable to forget the nightmare that has been burned in her mind. She feels envious of Azula and Ryzu. All Ty Lee ever wanted was to be a parent… of Azula's child. That will never happen and that breaks the heart of the acrobat.

"Can I help with him at all?" Ty Lee asks and Azula shakes her head. Ty Lee looks crestfallen, but collects herself before Azula can judge her.

"You should go home. I am surrendering to my new life with honor and dignity," Azula orders, tapping into her princess powers.

Ty Lee sighs.

"I don't want to go home," she gently says, reaching to touch Azula but recoiling before she can. The princess would not accept that warm touch.

"I want you to leave, and this is my decision, unless you want to camp out on my new lawn. Oh, perhaps Zuko will allow you to deliver my meals and make sure I stay locked in." Azula knows Ty Lee will never do that, but she can pretend.

"You understand why he's scared, right?" Ty Lee inquires.

"Oh, I do, and he absolutely should be, but that does not make me any happier about this."

"That makes sense, I guess." Ty Lee rubs her elbow and tries not to make eye contact. "Azula, I'm sorry that they're doing this to you."

Azula shrugs.

"I didn't expect anything less. I'm going to be a prisoner for the rest of my life," says Azula, sitting down on the floor. She rubs her knee and tries not to look at Ty Lee.

Princess Azula will not let this happen to her. When Ryzu is grown, she will have the revenge she so desperately craves.

But for now, he can barely fly, much less turn the world to ashes. She has to play along with her brother and hide in this tower until her time comes.

Revenge takes patience.

That is simply a fact of the Universe.

"I'll see you," Ty Lee says.

It is a lie.

Ty Lee never returns to the tower after today.

One year later, Azula wakes on a cold and sunny morning.

She had another dream about the world on fire, burning, blackened. They might mean something, but she does not care much.

Azula sits up and walks up the stairs to her son. Ryzu is old enough to light the world up like a tinderbox on a dry day. Her revenge never happened. She has been placated by time and this tower.

When she reaches the top floor, he stretches his wings. She watches him and her mind drifts away to the fantasies she once had. He is old enough now… but she is too old now, perhaps.

Azula spins around when she hears someone burst in downstairs. Her keepers tend to knock first, in order to avoid being roasted by Ryzu.

"AZULA!" screams Zuko, the last person Azula ever expected to speak to today. "AZULA!"

"I am coming," she mutters, well aware that he cannot hear her. She turns to her son. "Wait here; I'm sure he brought food."

Azula skitters down the windy stone stairs. Zuko makes some dreadful noise and she quickens her pace. When she reaches him, he grabs her by the shoulders. She seizes him arm and shoves him off of her.

"Calm down. It can't be that much of an emergency," Azula snarls, stepping backwards until she is out of his reach.

He takes a deep breath and rubs his temples.

"You know the spirit attacks haven't stopped, right?" he asks and the princess nods. She does not care much about the outside world now, but she knows about it. "There's been a horrible one."

"Why does that concern me? No one seems to acknowledge my existence; why should I mind if they exist or not?" Azula demands, crossing her arms. Zuko shakes his head.

"The spirit was a dragon."

"You still don't seem to understand. You can all burn to death." Azula turns around and begins to walk back up to Ryzu.

After two steps, she suddenly falls down the stairs, hits her head, and blacks out.

"It's time," says a familiar voice. Azula cannot place it until she looks up; above her is the spirit who held her captive and trained her for two years.

"How did I stay alive?" Azula mouths, reaching up.

The shadows around her race like a rushing river. It overwhelms her eyes and she begins to feel like she is falling.

"It's time. You've waited too long," again repeats the spirit.

Azula tries to sit up and struggles, paralyzed.

She at last gets to her feet…

and Zuko grabs her elbow.

"You hit your head. Are you okay?" he asks, like he cares. Azula jabs him with the point of her elbow and steps away again.

"I just slipped," she says softly. She does not know what 'It's time' even means, but she does not like it. "Now tell me about this spirit attack."

Azula hears Ryzu make an impatient noise.

This has all become too confusing for her to bear.

Six months later, "She wouldn't trust me. She wouldn't trust me in a million years, Zuko," Ty Lee says sharply, crossing her arms. If the idea of what he has just suggested is not bad enough, it also sucks. "She'll know something's wrong in an instant."

Ty Lee and her husband stand in the woods outside of Caldera. They have narrowly escaped Azula and her army of dragons. Dragons. Azula and Mai are in the palace, and Ty Lee is somehow supposed to infiltrate it.

"Maybe she won't trust you, but I don't think she'll turn you down. You're persuasive," Zuko says earnestly and Ty Lee does know that this horrible, ill-thought out plan is way better than waiting to be dragged out of the forest and eaten.

Ty Lee gulps and again looks at the nearly sheer dress pressed against her tan skin.

"Maybe she'll want to sleep with me, or maybe she'll see through it because she's the smartest person I've ever met," Ty Lee says. She knows this is the only way, despite her protests. "I'll go there, but I really don't know if I'll come back."

"We're going to get found at some point," Zuko says, rubbing his dirty face. "It's better to take some initiative than to just… give up. Please don't give up."

"I haven't talked to her in almost two years," Ty Lee whispers. "I don't know what I'd say."

"Please do this. Please," Zuko begs, and Ty Lee cannot deny him.

Perhaps there is no romantic love between them, but he is her best friend, like Azula once was, a long, long time ago.

"I'll…" Ty Lee just nods.

She leans forward and swiftly kisses him on the cheek before running into the woods, towards the outpost where she intends to turn herself in.

This better go well.