A sour, generally silent house became a rather boisterous one once Yuudai learned to talk and walk. He seldom gave his mother and caretakers any respite, except for the blissful hours of the afternoon reserved for his daily nap. He'd recharge his energies through sleep and return to his antics by the evening, but Ruon Jian would be home by then, and Mai could count on him to help her keep tabs on Yuudai – the child couldn't be trusted to have the run of the house without supervision after what would have been an unremarkable day if only he hadn't stumbled across his mother's dagger collection while ransacking cabinets and furniture, looking for more toys to play with.

But he was asleep now, safely so, and Mai could finally sit down, close her eyes, relax if just for a few moments… until a powerful knock at the front door dispelled- Manage Stories all delusions of tranquility.

"I will get it, Lady Mai" said one of her maids, smiling reassuringly at the exhausted noblewoman, who nodded gratefully at her offer.

Even before knowing for sure what awaited behind the front door, Mai's stomach twisted with unnatural nervousness. The unsettling days they'd lived through over the course of that week could only herald more unwanted developments, she suspected… and as much as she wished she could understand whatever was happening in the higher echelons of the Fire Nation's leadership, she suspected, as it had often been across the past years, that she wouldn't know until she had a chance to talk with Azula about whatever was going on.

She didn't expect that chance would arrive anytime soon, if ever, after the rumors Ruon Jian had shared with her once he'd returned home yesterday: the sky had been blackened by ashes and smoke when the Grand Royal Dome burned down with no apparent explanation. Word that the Gladiator Business had been dismantled had reached Mai a few days ago… it was already a strange development to begin with, and it grew more muddled and disturbing once that uncontrollable inferno consumed the building down to its foundations. Even Mai, someone who had scarcely set foot within it a handful of times, was uncomfortable by the absence of that staunch, golden building in the city's landscape when she glanced in that direction from one of her house's windows.

The unrest in the city, the uncomfortable, tense silence that had settled after the fire, only made everything worse. That all theories regarding whatever was happening suggested that Azula was, potentially, at the very center of the destructive event, did nothing to appease Mai. She had scarcely eaten her dinner last night after Ruon Jian had told her about those rumors, and even today she found all notions of food sickening. She, certainly, had never expected to feel such empathy for anyone… but deep down she dreaded that she knew exactly what was happening, exactly what had triggered the Fire Lord's sudden destruction of a whole sector of Fire Nation economy and entertainment. What could she even do if her suspicions proved correct…?

The rushed footsteps of her maid only drove the knife of unease deeper inside Mai's chest. She breathed deeply just before the woman entered the room again, twisting her hands anxiously.

"What is it?" Mai said, bluntly.

"Well… i-it was a group of Imperial Guards, Lady Mai" the maid explained, swallowing hard "The… the Fire Lord has summoned you to his Palace, at haste"

Mai's brow furrowed: she couldn't repress a grimace, and a pained groan, as she covered her face with her hands. Right, the Fire Lord had summoned her right after something catastrophic that likely involved Azula had taken place over the past days. No doubt he just wanted to offer her a cup of tea and give her advice on how to endure her son's chattiest growth stages; the Fire Lord was ever so generous that way, wasn't he…?

"Can you and the others keep an eye on Yuudai while I'm out?" Mai asked, softly "Until Ruon Jian arrives, at least."

"Of course, Lady Mai. Anything you ask" the maid bowed just as Mai unwillingly rose from her chair, wishing she'd had a chance to sit on it for longer than two minutes.

"Then I guess I'll be on my way…" she said, trying not to sound too ominous as she spoke… but knowing that, if her suspicions were spot-on – and they frequently were –, what awaited her in the Palace could even prove deadly unless she made her moves more carefully than ever.

She didn't march to the front door immediately, taking a detour to her bedroom and changing into more regal clothes, even applying a light layer of makeup for good measure. Were the circumstances any different, any summons by the Fire Lord ought to be met with absolute propriety: she had to dress finely, to present herself as carefully as possible, for he was none other than the highest authority of the Fire Nation. As she had to play up her innocence and ignorance as best as possible, she had to behave just as she would have if she had been summoned by the Fire Lord two weeks ago, for instance, when all had seemed right in the Fire Nation.

She stopped by Yuudai's room one more time, pressing a soft kiss on her son's head, setting aside her usual stoic behavior, no matter if the maid would witness the display of affection. Yuudai didn't wake, though… and Mai didn't want him to wake up anyway. With one last gentle caress on her son's cheek, she rose to her feet and marched downstairs to the front door: the guards seemed to resent having waited for as long as they had, but they expressed no such displeasure once Mai bowed in their direction.

"Excuse my delay, I wasn't expecting to visit the Palace anytime soon" Mai said, rising to her full height "I apologize for any inconveniences I may have caused you"

Her rehearsed, false politeness eased the guards, who perhaps had expected defiance, rebelliousness, anxiety and panic. That Mai seemed so calm proved reassuring: they urged her to climb aboard the carriage they had brought for her as they escorted her all the way to the Royal Palace.

Unnatural silence settled across the city, causing the rumbling of the carriage wheels to echo within Mai's mind. She didn't want to think too much of this… she didn't want to think she'd kissed her son for the last time only a few moments ago. Whatever the Fire Lord wanted, there would have to be some way to ensure she would return to her family safely, or as safely as could be, anyway. Navigating the battleground Ozai would likely present to her would be no easy feat… but she had spent most her formative years learning how to handle tense encounters with highborn people in the most dignified manner possible. This was the moment to make the most of her knowledge, to navigate this hazardous encounter with Ozai as safely as could be.

The carriage slowed down, stopping at what Mai suspected would be the Palace's front gates – the heavy drapes over the carriage windows didn't allow her to identify her current whereabouts, and she wasn't foolish enough to tug them to the side just for a glimpse of the city. The Palace had been heavily guarded over the course of the past days, preventing anyone from entering its premises unless the Fire Lord called for them. Within half a minute, the carriage took off anew, this time crossing the building's walls, only stopping at the very foot of the Palace's entrance.

"We have arrived" announced the guard who pulled her carriage door open. Mai nodded graciously in his direction.

She climbed off the carriage, glancing across the Palace's grounds with feigned carelessness that concealed her scrutinizing intent: nothing seemed particularly out of place, but the same tension out in the city appeared ten times as bad within the Palace's walls. She waited by the carriage, expecting the guards to convey she should follow them… but they didn't make any moves immediately. Instead, she had to wait, standing still for about three more minutes until another carriage appeared by the Palace gates.

Mai had a foreboding feeling that she knew exactly who was in that carriage. Her pretense of calm perfection nearly shattered at the thought: it was one thing for her to handle Ozai deftly, to feign ignorance and pretend she would have never been complicit to Fire Nation treason – despite finding the nationalism that ran rampant within the hearts and souls of so many other citizens, such as her parents, utterly pathetic. It was a whole other matter, though, to mislead Ozai successfully if Ty Lee was part of this likely interrogation as well.

Even then, Mai held out hope that it wouldn't be her friend… right until the carriage door opened as well, and a trembling, panicked young woman in her favored pink, midriff-revealing outfits stepped off the vehicle. Mai gritted her teeth, wishing Ty Lee were slightly less in touch with her innermost feelings. At times like these, those sorts of reactions could be damning before the uttering of a single word.

"Did she give you any trouble?" one of the guards to escort Mai asked the leader of the group who had escorted Ty Lee: the newly arriving woman glanced at her friend just then, a streak of relief blended with fear crossing her eyes once she identified her. Mai, however, only regarded her with a perfectly calm grin, one that seemed utterly out of place in her face.

Of course, the smile perplexed Ty Lee, but Mai hoped she'd understand the meaning of Mai's behavior soon enough: their very lives, the future of everyone they loved, hinged on that understanding.

"Not much, though her earthbender wanted to come along too" said the other guard "At least he had the sense to back down before doing anything he'd regret"

"Very well, then" replied Mai's assigned guard, who now motioned at her and Ty Lee to follow him "Come along now. There's no time to waste"

Still apprehensive, Ty Lee obeyed once Mai did. The two women entered the Palace slowly, daunted by a building that, while never friendly, had never proven as unsettling as it was today. It was disquieting to know that they wouldn't likely see Azula today at all: it would be the first time they entered this Palace without intending to meet the Princess at any point in time.

Long, dark, silent corridors led them to the Royal Gallery: they glimpsed very few servants, and those who crossed their path seemed to shrink away from the guards, their harrowing fear in plain sight as they slouched and cowered from the Imperial Firebenders. Mai gritted her teeth upon noticing Ty Lee's evident, undisguised apprehension. She wasn't nearly as trained as Mai was in terms of containing her trepidation and anxiety… the more they walked, the more apparent it became that Mai would have to achieve the impossible today if she intended to keep both herself and her friend safe from whatever harm the Fire Lord might want to inflict upon them.

The guards stopped right by Ozai's portrait: Mai and Ty Lee refrained from glancing at it, turning towards the dark curtain that led into the Throne Room instead. When their footsteps quieted, the crackling, whooshing sound of pouring fire brought frowns to their faces: a voice, female, seemed to plead, and then a male roar… Fire Lord Ozai's roar.

Ty Lee almost whimpered: Mai's hand shot down to find hers, squeezing in a gesture of comfort, of reassurance. The guards, fortunately, focused on whatever had happened within the Throne Room and missed out completely on the silent exchange between the two young women. Ty Lee's tearful eyes met Mai's, who shook her head promptly. They couldn't speak, not right now, there was no way they could convey their thoughts, fears and plans to each other… but Mai's determination brushed against Ty Lee's nerves, easing her into believing they might avoid the fate that Ozai was inflicting on whoever was inside the Throne Room with him. Ty Lee had to trust her friend… even if she was terrified, deeply, that their meeting with the Fire Lord might yield a devastating outcome.

After another minute of the same sounds, often shifting in intensity, finally the Throne Room fell silent. Still clinging to each other's hands, Mai and Ty Lee watched in chagrin as two more guards marched out of the Throne Room, carrying a woman clad in the now torn, charred uniform of the royal servants. The woman cried uncontrollably, whether over the outcome of the meeting or the pain caused by whatever burns Ozai's wrath had inflicted upon her skin. Ty Lee trembled violently and Mai tightened her grip, urging her to stay strong and calm, though her own serenity had been shaken powerfully by that visual: who was that servant? Where were the guards carrying her off to? Was her fate the same one that awaited her and Ty Lee?

One of the guards with them crossed the curtain next, entering the Throne Room on his own. By the time he returned, his predictable words seemed poised to tear their world to pieces:

"The Fire Lord will see you now"

Mai released Ty Lee's hand, almost unwillingly, before marching ahead. Ty Lee kept up with her, even though she longed to run in the opposite direction instead. The guard stood stalwart by the curtain, pulling it open so they could enter the ominous Throne Room, a location in the Palace they had never set foot inside before. As children, Azula had often dared them to do so, hiding within the room when they played hide-and-seek, knowing both Mai and Ty Lee would be too intimidated by the Royal Gallery and the fear of angering the Fire Lord if they were found carelessly playing about in his royal court. They entered it now, trying not to tremble, stifling the urges to flee, as the towering barrier of fire flared before them. Even with that potent source of light ahead, the room retained a dark ambience intended to further daunt whoever would kneel before the Fire Lord, who sat up in his throne, glaring fiercely through the flames.

"Kneel" the guard accompanying Mai and Ty Lee commanded, curtly: the two women pressed a fist to their respective palms, bowing as gracefully as they could upon kneeling before the Fire Lord.

The guard stepped back by then: he would witness their encounter, Mai suspected, but interfere in no significant manner… much as the guards who had marched out that servant had likely merely stood by and watched as the Fire Lord unleashed his wrath upon her. She gritted her teeth for a moment, knowing her facial expressions would be hidden from the Fire Lord at the moment, while her head was tilted… knowing she would have to school herself into complete tranquility again soon, albeit she didn't expect she'd be able to hide all her apprehension anymore… which, in turn, might lend further credibility to her performance.

"The ladies Mai and Ty Lee…" Ozai's voice boomed across the Throne Room, sending unwanted shivers down both their spines. The edge with which he spoke said enough about how displeased he was… how willing he was to take out his wrath on anyone who rubbed him the wrong way in his interrogations "Raise your heads, now"

They obeyed, though Ty Lee took longer to straighten herself up: even then, she kept her head hung, unwilling to show her panicked face to the Fire Lord.

"You were summoned to the Palace today for a simple reason: I want answers" Ozai hissed "I have no doubts the two of you will have heard of the commotion, the chaos across the city over the past week, haven't you?"

"I'm afraid I've been quite busy taking care of my son" Mai said, truthfully "My husband did comment something seemed amiss with the city as of late, but I hadn't evidenced it myself until I was summoned today"

"Is that so?" Ozai asked, his eyes narrow "And what of you, lady Ty Lee? You were always the more worldly out of the two of you: are you, as well, blissfully unaware of the reason why you've been brought here? Is it rumors truly haven't spread across this city of gossips, for once?"

Ty Lee flinched, and for a moment Mai thought she'd lie… but for once, it seemed her friend would make a more sensible choice, one that might risk the Fire Lord's wrath just as much as lying to his face might.

"I've… heard many rumors" she admitted "I saw the fire, from my house's garden… when the Grand Royal Dome was burned. The Gladiator League has been abolished, too. I… I've heard perhaps the chairman displeased you somehow, but many rumors say that… t-that it's because of…"

"Because of Princess Azula?" Ozai finished, when he realized the young woman might not even work up the courage to utter her friend's name "Do you happen to have any suspicion as to how her actions, her choices, could result in an outcome like the one you've mentioned?"

"W-well, I…" Ty Lee said, trembling more violently now.

"You do know, don't you?" Ozai said, his eyes narrowing "You were aware of the Princess's betrayals, her disloyalty to her very nation… then again, you were guilty of the same crime, were you not? And it was Azula who defended you from the public shame you would've endured otherwise. Isn't that so, lady Ty Lee?"

By now, it was apparent the young woman couldn't quite hold herself together: her shoulders shook with a sob, and she covered her face with her hands. Mai, beside her, frowned before gazing up at the Fire Lord with pained eyes.

"Princess Azula was carrying out an affair with her gladiator?"

That she'd ask it, rather than state it, seemed to worsen Ozai's mood… but Mai achieved her intent, flawlessly: Ozai's gaze shifted towards her, and that was how she needed it to be, for as long as possible.

"You speak of it as though you were unaware of it. Raising your child must have been quite taxing if you were completely oblivious to the treasonous activities Azula dallied in" Ozai hissed "Do either of you have anything to say about this? Any ill-timed confessions of intent to convey this despicable crime to me, blocked by my daughter's threats, perchance? Or would you sooner pledge utter ignorance, pretending you were clueless about my daughter's treacherous misdeeds?!"

Mai lowered her gaze, stilling herself with difficulty while under the Fire Lord's merciless scrutiny and harsh raised voice. She held her silence as she found herself thinking back on the very day she and Ty Lee had discovered the truth, so many years ago: Azula had insisted the two of them would have been better off not knowing what had happened between her and Sokka, for their own good. This dreadful confrontation with the Fire Lord was always likely to take place, none of them had been ignorant of that possibility. Mai had reassured Azula that they could play dumb… that they could feign they hadn't known anything at all. Clearly, that path had been cut off by now, but perhaps there was another path forward. An unforgivable one, maybe… but a path, nonetheless.

"I… I didn't believe Azula would act on her impulses in this manner" Mai blurted out. Ozai's fury froze cold at those words, but she knew it was only a momentary respite… if it wasn't the herald of a cruel storm instead "But I did recognize those impulses of hers, a long time ago. I warned her… any closeness with a man like that couldn't result in anything good. Ty Lee, as well, reminded Azula of what had happened to her in the past. She believed her own story, her own mistakes, would serve as a cautionary tale for Azula… but if Azula did let her impulses run away with her, it means the two of us were mistaken to hope she'd see reason"

"You… you warned her?" Ozai repeated, frowning. Mai breathed deeply "This means you knew of her crimes. You were aware of her affair with that vermin…?!"

"Not quite, my Lord" Mai said, swallowing hard "We did grow to suspect her interest in him might go beyond professional boundaries, but we didn't know for sure that their relationship had become immoral over time. Yet… it makes enough sense that it did, considering how she has gradually pushed us away, ever since she hired him"

"Pushed you away?" Ozai repeated: that… didn't sound like a lie. He had even encouraged her once to meet with her friends more often when she had been distraught over the White Lotus's attempt on her miserable gladiator's life. Who'd have thought he'd ever find himself wishing Jeong Jeong and his goons had succeeded that night, after all these years…?

"The closer she grew with him, the further away she drifted from us" Mai continued. Ty Lee glanced at her through her tearful eyes, as Mai shook her head "Eventually… our usual weekly meetings were only me and Ty Lee unless she needed her gladiator to train with Ty Lee's. We have seen less of her, constantly and consistently, across the years… and the only factor that has changed since we were teenagers was her gladiator. Until she found him, she was the Princess Azula we'd always known. Once he came along… she started changing. I guess… he influenced her in many more ways than we could recognize. And the more we warned her to be careful, the more she must have disregarded our warnings. So… I have to apologize profusely, my Lord. Perhaps, if we hadn't allowed her to build walls between us, to push us away as she did after we begged her to see reason, none of this would have happened… though I don't know how, exactly, we could have stopped her from damning herself if she was so hellbent on it that she refused to listen"

Ty Lee shivered, gazing at Mai in amazed disbelief. Mai allowed her eyes to flicker towards Ty Lee, a silent motion intended to convey that she should follow her lead as best she could. Ty Lee swallowed hard, turning her gaze to the now silent Fire Lord…

"Is this the truth, then?" Ozai asked, scowling "Wasn't she involved in planning for lady Ty Lee's wedding recently?"

"We saw more of her in that month than we had in years, yes" Mai admitted.

"I asked… both Mai and Azula to be my maids of honor" Ty Lee whispered, her voice fraught with emotion "E-even then, Azula was busy with so many things that… that she couldn't involve herself a lot, at first…"

"She has always been driven and capable of performing her duties to the best of her abilities… without showing any signs of deception or foul play of any sort" Mai said, quietly "I don't know for how long she acted on her urges with that man… but regardless of whenever this started, she has succeeded at countless missions and achievements many times, even after Ty Lee and I warned her not to throw her life to waste. I suppose she… she must have thought she could outsmart everyone, to carry out this ridiculous affair and keep it a secret successfully as well. Do forgive me for my candor, but she… she has always been that arrogant"

"Arrogant…" Ozai repeated, though he soon scoffed "Yes, I suspect that would be the correct word for it. Though, if you were so concerned over her behavior with the gladiator, why didn't you share them with the appropriate authorities, especially once the Princess started to drift away from you?"

"Well… I suspect I may have made a mistake by going to the wrong authorities about it" Mai whispered. Ozai's eyes narrowed at her words "I… I thought the former Captain of her Royal Guards, Rui Shi, was a responsible man, one who wouldn't turn a blind eye to the Princess's missteps if he recognized them. I shared my grievances with him, for I'd noticed she seemed to rely on him, perhaps even trust him… but it just may be that I misjudged him, although he seemed the picture of the perfect guard, on the outside. Then again… it's also possible he warned her right after I did only for her to refuse to heed his advice just as she disregarded mine"

"Unlikely. He is every bit as much of a traitor as she was" Ozai hissed. Mai flinched and shook her head.

"It was my mistake. I… I didn't think it would've made sense to go directly to you with my concerns, my Lord. But, perhaps if I had… none of this would have happened" Mai bowed her head once more, in submissive apology. Ty Lee followed her example, constantly glancing at her friend in sheer astonishment, awe and horror at how smoothly and easily Mai seemed to lie to the Fire Lord. If she hadn't been aware of the truth at all, Ty Lee would have believed Mai completely.

"Perhaps…" Ozai said: the dangerous, sharp edge in his voice sent shivers down their spines yet again… "But admittedly, you two are… civilians. Going to a Royal Guard would be, I suppose, a natural course of action for the likes of you. It's only a matter of poor luck… and of the Royal Guard in question being a disloyal, dishonest fool, traitor to his own nation. If you had spoken to one of my Imperial Guards instead, we would've spared ourselves this miserable spectacle… but you wouldn't have had access to Imperial Guards easily, no matter if you are Ukano's daughter"

"I underestimated Azula's recklessness, for sure" Mai said, closing her eyes "I expected our warnings would serve their purpose. I didn't want to cause a larger problem by spreading rumors that could have devastated the stability of our nation… any ill-intended rumors against the Royal Family are treason, whether baseless or not. I didn't wish to smear my friend's name… by now, though, knowing she disregarded my warnings so callously and betrayed this nation with no remorse, I'd dare question that we were ever friends at all"

"As well you should" Ozai said, cuttingly. Ty Lee flinched beside Mai "And what of you, Lady Ty Lee? Is this all true to you as well? Did you warn the Princess against this dalliance, based on your past experiences and tribulations?"

"I… I attempted to. I did my best…" Ty Lee said, trembling violently "I told her… she didn't want to give anyone any reason to… t-to perform a purity examination. T-that even being too friendly with him… c-could get people to spread bad rumors. That even if nothing happened, many might suspect… that there was something going on. I told her she didn't want her life ruined the way mine was… I thought she'd listened. I really thought she'd understood…"

She sobbed again, shaking her head as she cried as quietly as she could, aware that Ozai would be most cross with her if she were noisier than she already was. The tears poured down from her eyes, and she certainly hoped they'd be persuasive enough… for she couldn't trust her lies, based on Mai's own, would be strong enough to withstand the Fire Lord's interrogation otherwise.

"Azula has always been guarded about her private life… she must keep thousands of secrets none of us can even begin to imagine" Mai whispered, closing her eyes "Whether secrets that could endanger the Fire Nation's stability, or the Royal Family's integrity… if she could hide these truths even from the father she claimed she admired and respected above anyone else, no doubt she could hide them from the rest of us as well"

Ozai huffed, a spark of fire glistening in his exhalation. Mai gritted her teeth, uncertain if her last words might come off as insolence in the Fire Lord's eyes…

"That must be so" he said, finally, and the knot in Mai's throat seemed to loosen up, if only a little.

Unbeknownst to them, the Fire Lord's exhaustion was finally getting to him. He remained tense, furious, a pulsating headache persisting inside his skull, a pain he'd experienced non-stop ever since that accursed night when Iroh had conveyed the truth to him. After a day spent organizing the retrieval efforts to drag his daughter back home, as well as preparing a strategy to ensure she would never, ever attempt to escape the consequences of her actions anew, he had also spoken to each staff member in the Palace who had served his daughter, whether during Azula's brief tenure as Fire Lord or all along, those who might have been likely to suspect what was happening between the Princess and her gladiator. Their insistence that they had known nothing, seen nothing, noticed absolutely nothing amiss, had driven him to madness time after time: he had unleashed that wrath with flames more than once, scarcely restraining himself, possessed by an increasing rage that flared at every fool who sought to escape his anger through false claims of innocence. His daughter couldn't have hidden this relationship as successfully as to leave no trace of her misdeeds… he refuse to believe as much.

Everyone to claim otherwise had already been demoted into slavery, regardless of the severity of their new burns and wounds. All those servants, even those who had never been slaves in the first place, descendants of long dynasties of born and bred servants for the Fire Nation's Royal Family… all of them would suffer his wrath and pay for their carelessness with their very lives. All of them had been taken to Shaofeng after Ozai was finished interrogating them: the General's bright spirits displeased Ozai profoundly, but who else could have taken over Azula's damn slavery laws if not the man who had dealt with slavery in silence across the first ten years of the practice's existence? Regaining the power Azula had taken from him a little over half a year ago had done wonders for the usually grim man's mood.

Still, Mai's words reverberated in Ozai's mind, forcing him to confront a reality he wasn't ready to face: all these punishments, all this retaliation… it was but a way to exteriorize his own frustrations with himself. A way to hold others accountable for not noticing a crime that had been perpetrated under his very nose. He had trusted his daughter and her judgment… so had Mai and Ty Lee, perhaps so had her staff, and everyone he had already demoted into slavery. He had no intentions of withdrawing such orders now, he was furious enough to believe Azula's staff deserved to suffer consequences for their lack of insight and observation… but perhaps he wasn't exempt from such accusations either. He had seen it enough times, hadn't he? That closeness Mai and Ty Lee referred to. He had laughed off the notion of letting Azula marry the fool so long ago, right after he had coerced him into withdrawing his troops from the South Pole… she hadn't appeared appalled by his words, had she? Shocked, certainly… but if she had found the man repulsive, she might have even protested the notion in a frantic manner, well before Ozai could reveal he had no intentions of letting her marry a foreigner, let alone that specific foreigner.

It wasn't the only sign of evidence: her willingness to share important information with him, that he had reportedly accompanied her in the first raid of the Enforcers, that Seethus had revealed they'd chased him down together, that she would spend so many days in the man's company… curses, she had even spent a night in his house once, causing a rather wild panic to spread across the Palace when she failed to come home with no warning. The evidence had been there… all along, all over the place, always before him, waiting for him to pick up the thread and pull apart the seams of her lies. He had foolishly refused to do so, and now everything came undone by its own weight… both Azula's deception and Ozai's willful ignorance of it.

"I've learned enough lessons over the course of the last days, however" he said, breathing deeply: the fire curtain flared anew, and both Mai and Ty Lee tensed up again once he spoke "You two may be speaking the truth… but it's entirely possible that, much like Azula, you could be lying between your teeth. If I ever discover any evidence that either of you have deceived me today… there will be nowhere for you to hide. I will see to it that you receive the punishments you deserve for daring lie to your Fire Lord. You are both citizens of this nation… and your loyalty is mine. Show any signs that this is not the case, and you will find I was far too agreeable and lenient with the servant who preceded you in these hearings. Am I understood?"

"Yes, my Lord" Mai said, promptly. Ty Lee trembled beside her.

"Yes… my Lord" she echoed moments afterwards. Ozai breathed deeply.

"You will remain under suspicion until I determine your words were sincere all along" Ozai stated "But there is one way for you to persuade me to ease up on you, as long as all goes according to my plans in the coming days"

"Whatever you desire, it is our duty as citizens of the Fire Nation to serve you" Mai recited, bowing her head immediately. Ty Lee did the same, and Ozai hummed.

"We shall see if it is so" he said, though Mai's submissive words certainly sat well with him "I've sent troops to track down Azula. She has escaped… presumably to the South Pole, with the vermin she gave herself to, no less. Her former Royal Guards are missing: they are presumed to have helped enable their escape, commandeering her Royal Barge for that purpose. Their treacherous actions condemn them every bit as much as they've condemned the gladiator: I will have them found, each of them, and they will be executed accordingly for their crimes. Azula, however, will live: she has a duty to this nation even now, a duty I shall see her performing, whether willingly or not. She will resist, I have no doubts that she will, but she will break eventually: the two of you, then, shall help me achieve that goal. Once Azula is back… you will be expected to help dissuade her from committing further treachery. You will see to it that she obeys the Fire Lord's every order above all else. Am I clear?"

"Yes, my Lord" said the two young women – Mai's certainty contrasted against Ty Lee's dubitative voice.

"As for you, Lady Mai" Ozai said, his eyes narrowing again "Your family has served me well for many years as it is. You, no doubt, will wish to follow on your father's footsteps and honor me with your service as well?"

"I… of course. Whatever you may require of me, I will serve you" Mai said, though her hesitation revealed she was utterly perplexed by Ozai's sudden question.

"Then I will task you to inform me of my daughter's activities, whenever you learn of them, once she returns" Ozai said, frowning "It is, after all, what you would have done, you say? If only you had believed you could speak with me directly…"

"Yes, my Lord, I… I would have, without question" Mai said, as firmly as she could present herself.

"Then you have a chance to prove that's the truth, from this day onwards" Ozai stated, his voice deep "Upon each of your future encounters with Princess Azula, you will provide me with a full report of any incriminating, dangerous claims she might make. You will acquire as much information about her crimes as you can muster without alerting her that you intend to report to me. Azula will be watched constantly once she returns: if you ever skip on any report, or I find any reason to believe you are feeding me false information, my previous promise about the nightmares that will await you will be fulfilled: you do not wish to cross your Fire Lord"

"I would never dream of it, my Lord" Mai said, struggling to suppress the shivers that threatened to rush through her body.

"Very well, then. Prove yourself, and you will be rewarded" Ozai said, simply "Fail to do so and both of you shall pay direly for your mistakes, Lady Mai"

Mai nodded, bowing her head submissively to Ozai again: she tightened her eyes shut, knowing she had walked herself into a most unpleasant corner… knowing, just as well, that there would have been no other way out besides this one. At least he had singled her out as the one to bring him reports… she supposed Ty Lee displeased Ozai for enough reasons, chief among them that Ty Lee had committed the same crime as Azula, even if with someone less inappropriate than Sokka. Mai, though, was the daughter of one of his most loyal subjects… and she had taken the lead throughout this meeting, presenting herself as a faithful Fire Nation citizen as best she could. He still wanted answers, insight on his daughter and her future actions and decisions: Mai could only hope, most earnestly, that Azula would know better than to return under these circumstances. She still didn't know how or why her friend's secret had been discovered, let alone how that discovery had resulted in the Grand Royal Dome catching fire… but every word she'd spoken so far, every submissive claim, had been done to ensure her and Ty Lee's survival. She hoped they'd be much more useful to Azula alive than dead… yet this sudden, new job as a spy for Fire Lord Ozai had caught her by surprise. After so many years of standing in the sidelines of the political intrigues that Azula had always been enthralled by, that she skirted around and even jumped headfirst into, the Fire Lord had dragged her into them, against her will.

"Guards… take them away" Ozai called: the men standing by the curtains stepped forward, and relief nearly flooded both Mai and Ty Lee, albeit they had yet to leave the Palace's premises.

"We will not fail you, my Lord" Mai said, bowing towards him again once they rose to their feet. Ozai huffed.

"See to it that you don't" he replied, curtly.

The two young women were led down the corridors again in the opposite direction through which they'd arrived. Neither one could seem to hide they had been shaken deeply by the meeting with the Fire Lord, though Ty Lee certainly showed it more, still breathing with difficulty as occasional tears poured from her eyes. Mai attempted to steel herself, to stay calm… but as the two were led to their respective carriages, all she could do was exchange a quick, worried glance with Ty Lee, knowing they wouldn't have a chance to talk privately, to further strengthen their deceit, to continue dissuading Ozai from believing they were, in any sense, at blame for not reporting Azula's activities to him. Perhaps on the next day, if they could slip past the curfews and restrictions imposed on the city by the Domestic Forces, they would have a chance to see each other again and talk things over… until then, however, they would have no choice but to go home and hope, perhaps even pray, that Azula would manage to avoid capture for as long as possible.

There was no sign of the heat and urgency of the previous night in the exchanges between the two lovers once they returned to their cabin. That they could finally call it theirs, thoroughly, that they could hold one another while basking in that silent, blissful understanding that coursed between them through every kiss they shared, broke their hearts and amended them again on equal measure.

Gentle, tender lovemaking preceded a long, thorough spree of kisses that seemed never-ending, perhaps precisely because of their awareness that it wouldn't be. They rebelled against their own future by ensuring the last kiss would still be far away, still impossible to glimpse behind the countless ones they intended to exchange until their time was up.

Their dark room was scarcely lit by a lantern on the wall, so weak it couldn't shed enough light upon the crumpled clothes they'd discarded upon reaching the cabin, after their dance underneath the stars. Even though they hadn't thrusted for almost ten minutes by now, Azula's arms and legs remained locked around Sokka's body, keeping him in place insistently, wanting the link between their bodies to endure for as long as possible. Her needs were met by his own, for Sokka wanted nothing but to stay atop her, kissing her deep and slowly, memorizing every inch of her body a thousand times over, as though rereading his very favorite book, wanting its words etched across his soul until the end of time.

The blissful spell could only be broken by one thing, and it was Azula's light wincing once she shifted her left arm: Sokka broke off their kiss, glancing at the lines across her shoulder as the Princess grimaced, displeased with herself for reacting to the incidental pain.

"The… the ointment Jianghuo gave you. I should apply it right away… probably should have done it before we got carried away" Sokka said, pressing his lips to the tip of her nose. Azula hummed, finally nodding and relenting to release him, albeit most unwillingly.

"I'd expect getting carried away is the better way to heal me, rather than that ointment…" Azula mused. Sokka smiled knowingly, pressing one more kiss to her lips before uncoupling their bodies and rising from the bed, to search through Azula's discarded clothes for the small box Jianghuo had given the Princess "It was before, wasn't it…?"

"I'm not sure regenerating your chi is the answer for that swelling… but if it is, I have no doubt we're making good progress to do away with the pain" Sokka said, smirking at her over his shoulder. To his delight, she smiled too "And if you don't mind, I intend to continue doing as much, even if I also intend to take care of your shoulder…"

"Does that mean I'll have to lie down and you'll always be on top…?" Azula asked, teasingly. Sokka chuckled.

"Could be I'll lie on my side the next time, how about that?" he said "Then you can lie on your right shoulder: not the left, never the left…"

"Sounds good" Azula smiled, closing her eyes as Sokka finally found the object of his quick quest.

"And there we are" he said, rising enthusiastically to his feet, thrilled to have another chance to sit by her, to return to touching and holding her as right away "Mind sitting up for me, beautiful?"

"Beautiful…?" Azula repeated, with an amused scoff. Sokka grinned and nodded, taking his seat beside her to help her sit up too, his hands supporting her back and waist until she settled into a lotus position, right beside him.

"You're not going to question the absolute truth of that one pet name now, or are you?" Sokka smirked "Maybe you think it's tacky or cheesy: I don't care. You're beautiful and that's that"

"You're still struggling to find a good term of endearment for me, that's all" Azula smiled "No other new ideas come to mind yet?"

"Eh, no, but I'll figure something out, don't you worry…" he grumbled while pouting, maneuvering to open the box with the ointment as Azula laughed quietly beside him.

The ointment was of a pale amber color, cold to the touch. Sokka gathered some with his middle and index fingers, careful about how he'd smear it across his lover's wounds: he wanted to believe the redness wasn't as visible as it had been last night, but he couldn't say so for certain underneath the poor lighting in the room – not that the previous night had any better lighting, truth be told.

Azula flinched when his fingers came into contact with her skin: Sokka withdrew them quickly, but she smiled at him over her shoulder.

"It's cold, is all" she said. Sokka smiled and leaned close to kiss her cheek.

"Let me know if it feels wrong in any way, though" he whispered "Whether because I'm a clumsy nurse or because the ointment is weird…"

"You're a great nurse as it is, you have more than enough experience tending to that damn shoulder of mine" Azula whispered. Sokka smiled gently and shrugged, rubbing the ointment softly all across the damaged skin, most of all upon the reddened areas.

Azula closed her eyes and enjoyed the light massage Sokka offered her shoulder: he saw to knead her skin quite gently with the pads of his fingers, attempting to ease the circulation of blood and chi, just as he had learned to do back when she had first received the wound too. By the time the three scars were fully covered in the ointment, Sokka set the box on the nightstand before leaning close to kiss his lover's cheek. Azula sighed and relaxed against him, silently encouraging his hands to fall upon her bare skin again.

Sometimes, forgetting the looming, impending future that awaited them was easy. Sometimes, they could close their eyes and pretend the moments they were sharing would last them a lifetime. Reality would hit harder once they returned to it… but those brief moments of truly careless bliss appeased their weary souls, in their own way.

"We… probably should talk about a lot of things, shouldn't we?" Azula finally dared say the words that had hung over their heads throughout that day. Sokka swallowed hard, wrapping his arms around her body, though his voice sounded far firmer than Azula's when he finally spoke anew:

"Probably, yeah" he said, raising a hand to brush her long hair gently with his fingertips. Azula closed her eyes again, letting him do as he pleased with her long tresses.

"A-are you…?" she started, but again, uttering her thoughts proved too challenging, even when she had hoped that moment of careless peace might have afforded her enough strength to do so. Oh, to hell with her rampant emotions, really… "Are you alright with this? With… what I've decided to do?"

"Alright?" Sokka repeated, softly, pressing his face to the back of her head "No, I'm not. But I'm sure neither are you, so… I can't say I feel like fighting anymore"

"Those are words I never thought you'd say…" Azula whispered, with a light teasing tone that couldn't be as sincere as she wished it were.

"Want me to get back to badgering you about how you should stay with me, then?" Sokka asked, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her head as Azula fell silent, unable to answer his last question "See? Better this way, for all of us, isn't it?"

"Sokka, I…" she tried, but again, the words fled her. Curses, this was impossibly hard… was she sick, somehow? Was it common for someone to find herself at a loss for words as often as she had been lately?

Fortunately for her, he understood her even when she hardly understood herself. His arms tightened affectionately in a warm embrace, his lips pressing against her cheek again.

"This isn't easy. Not for you, not for me" he whispered. The knot in Azula's throat seemed to thicken, to tighten… "I'll never want this, Azula… but I know neither do you. I know why you intend to do it… I understand, even if I wish there was another way out with every ounce of my being. But I haven't come this far in life by distrusting your judgment…"

"I've led us astray more than once, haven't I?" Azula said, swallowing hard in a pointless attempt to dissuade her body from flaring up her emotional responses when all she truly wanted was to talk with Sokka… to make things better, as much as she possibly could "I've made mistakes…"

"We both have" Sokka whispered, but Azula shook her head.

"I nearly got myself killed barely a month ago, didn't I?" she said "You had to rush in to save me… and then you've spent all this time looking after me"

"Where I falter, you step in to fight in my stead. Where you lose your center, I help you regain it. Whenever either of us is weak, the other is strong. That… that's how we've come as far as we have" Sokka said, dragging his thumb gently over her hip, trailing across her smooth curves "Don't punish yourself for what happened in the past, for any of it. As it is, Azula, we… we had an amazing run, I'd say. As partners… as lovers. As everything we are and mean to each other. I may be a selfish piece of crap for saying I can't regret any of it, considering what the outcome has been, but… I can't regret us. I know I never will. You… you gave my life purpose again. Which is why I, well…"

"Why you… what?" Azula asked, finding his hands with hers: she could tell he was choked up as well, much as she was.

"Why I don't want… to spend whatever time we have left arguing about our future, whatever it might be" he confessed. Azula swallowed hard, gripping his hands tighter yet "I know you're right… I know it, deep down. It's hard to admit it because I never would want this… in many ways, I can't accept it. But… you're right. I just don't know how I'll ever let go of you, but… maybe I just never will, eh? Maybe I'll just set out to follow you right away, whether you like it or not…"

"I… won't like it, at all" Azula said, shaking her head, her voice strained, just as Sokka's humorless laughs.

"I know… I know you wouldn't. So again, I… I wind up doing whatever you ask of me if that's what will bring you peace of mind, heh" he said, pressing a soft kiss to her neck "I… I shouldn't ask this, I'm sure I shouldn't, but… do you think you'll ever be able to…?"

"To… what?" Azula asked, when Sokka failed to finish his sentence right away. He gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the likeliest answer to his question.

"To come back for me… someday?" he whispered. Azula's eyes widened "I… I'd wait as long as you need me to. I don't mind, I… I might even endure everything without as much complaint if it means I'll get to see you again. However long it might take, I… I just…"

Azula gritted her teeth, tears burning in her eyes again. She couldn't utter a direct answer to his question, not in the form of anything but the lowering of her head… and then Sokka flinched.

"F-forget I said that. It's fine, Azula, it's fine, I…"

"Sokka, don't…"

"It's okay. It's fine. I'm sorry" he said, pressing his face to the back of her head.

"I… I've already told you apologies don't suit you so well…" she responded, struggling to turn in his arms… to face him, as he continued to hide from her, keeping his face pressed to her right shoulder as she attempted to look at him "Sokka…"

"I'm sorry. Might be they don't suit me, but… I am sorry" he said "I don't… I don't want to give you more baggage. That's the last thing I'd ever want. It's just…"

"You… are going to miss this. Miss us" Azula finished, her throat burning just as the tears that rolled down her cheeks did.

Sokka raised his head then: his own tears ran down his cheeks, his hands moving up to hold her face, to gaze at her with whatever dim light he could possibly make out the details of her face that he had committed to memory countless times by now.

"I'm going to miss you" he said, directly, enduring the strain of speaking his thoughts aloud. Azula gritted her teeth, pressing her brow to his… admiring his strength, even now, as he bared himself to her as he had. If only she could be half as strong as he was…

"I… I'm going to miss you too" she finally managed to say, her voice almost completely faded as she spoke, overwhelmed by emotions she wished she'd never had to experience… emotions that seemed to do away with what little self-control she had left "I… I don't know if I can come back, though. I don't know… I don't know what's going to happen, going forward. At best, I… I'd have to wait for my father to die. Or perhaps not wait that long, after all this I really just wish I could kill him myself sometimes…"

"You… you shouldn't have to. Not you" Sokka whispered, shaking his head: Azula let out a soft laugh, caressing his chest gently.

"Even when all this has happened, you see through me, huh? Like… like no one else can. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, even if he deserves it. I… I can't do that to my own father…"

"Because you're a thousand times the leader he ever was and ever could be" Sokka determined, brushing her tears away with his thumbs.

"I don't know about that, not for sure, but… whatever the case may be, I… I don't dare promise anything like that, Sokka. If I did, if I kept you waiting for years, I… I wouldn't forgive myself, ever. I can't…"

"You might not promise it at all… but I'd look forward to the day I'd see you again anyway" Sokka said, swallowing hard "For every last day I have left to live without you… even if I can't ever come back to you, even if you can't come back for me… I'll never stop thinking of you. Ever"

"I… I won't stop thinking of you either. You're… you're everything. You've always been…" Azula said, her voice so strained she could barely speak before a sob shook her powerfully.

Sokka tightened his grip around her body, reeling her in for a fragile kiss. He had pressed his lips to hers so many times, in countless occasions when her heart was breaking, and his own broke alongside hers. He had shared in her tears, finding an uncanny intimacy with her the first time they had shared a bed, after she had nearly broken down under the weight of her fears and confusion… how distant it all seemed to be now as they held each other, trading so many helpless kisses as they cried together, holding one another close in a most desperate attempt to never let go.

"Well… if this is what's coming, then… I have something for you" Sokka whispered, swallowing hard again, trying to still himself once their kiss broke. Azula sniffled, dabbing at her cheeks clumsily to wipe away the tears.

"Something…?" Azula repeated: Sokka slid off the bed, rising to his feet as he made his way to his bags, the heavy luggage the guards had assembled for him.

He had put away the necklace in one of the bags' pockets, suspecting it would come to this… suspecting he might truly be looking at a future where they would be torn apart irremediably. Had she given him any hopes, false or no, he might have considered using the necklace as a promise, instead… but it was pointless if she truly expected this to be the very last of their journeys.

Azula's breath caught when she recognized the necklace: the tears she had intended to retain flowed freely now, as Sokka sat before her on the bed again, his hands trembling as he offered her the necklace, reaching for her hands so he could deposit it delicately upon them.

"It… it's yours. It's always been yours" he said, his heart shattering as he spoke "If… if this is really it, then… I want you to have it. I… I need you to have it. To remember me by, if you will…"

"I… I don't need it to remember you, Sokka, damn it…" Azula said, her shoulders shaking with new sobs as he wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against his body.

"It belongs to you… same as my heart does" Sokka said, gritting his teeth "You should have it… you should have always had it. Just like… like in Firelight Town, like in Shu Jing, when you wore it and nobody cared. That's how it should be… but I guess that's not going to happen anyway, eh? S-still… I think it's only right, isn't it? Even if you can't wear it, even if nobody else will ever see it, I… I can only rest easy if you have it. I was crazy enough to take it with me to the fight, you know? I hung onto it all along. I thought, if maybe I didn't make it, you might still be able to take the necklace back, if nothing else…"

"I want… I want all of you" Azula sobbed, shaking violently "I don't… I wouldn't know what to do… I don't know what to do, even if I know this is… this is the right way to go forward. B-but if it's right… why does it feel so wrong, damn it? I… I don't want this. I don't want to be left with just… just a necklace to remember you, I… I want you. All of you, n-not just reminders of what we had, I…"

"I know… I know, Azula, I do…" Sokka sniffed as well, tightening his embrace around her as she sobbed helplessly in his arms.

"I love you… I can't ever imagine a day when… when I won't love everything about you…" she cried, clinging to him with far more strength than she even knew she had left in her "I can't imagine a day when… when I won't miss you with everything I have. Sokka…"

"Neither can I" he said, gritting his teeth "But… heh. W-what about… what you always said before, huh? About… about once your dad died… that we'd get married by then, remember? However long it takes… maybe that's what we should vow to do?"

"S-Sokka, by then I…" Azula started, gritting her teeth.

"You'll be all wrinkly and white-haired…? Yeah, me too" he smiled sadly "But I… I don't really care. If I can ever be with you again… it doesn't matter how long it takes. I just want to see you again…"

"Even if it takes… fifty years? Sixty…?"

"Whatever it takes" Sokka determined, stubbornly. Despite herself, Azula managed to laugh softly.

"You'll regret it…" she whispered "You'll remember me… as I am now, as I was a month ago, and… and then you'll see me slouched, and moodier than I've ever been, whining that the bad weather hurts my hip…"

"I will hurt the bad weather for hurting you, then…" Sokka teased her, prompting Azula to laugh again, and a genuine smile to spread across his own face for the first time in what felt like an eternity, despite it hadn't been one "You think I'll be much better off? I… I might be worse than white-haired, you know. Maybe I'll go bald, how about that?"

"Bald? You? Perish the thought…" Azula smiled. Sokka chuckled, rubbing her back gently.

"Alright, alright… I'll wear a wig for your sake by the time that happens, I promise" he smiled, kissing the top of her head.

"You wouldn't have to wear anything like that…" Azula whispered, breathing deeply as she rested her head against his chest "As long as it's you, I… I won't need anything else. Wrinkled, toothless, bald as we may be…"

"Yeah… yeah" Sokka's fingers trailed her hair softly, caressing her scalp lightly "If… if we can have that much to look forward to, at least, it… it will be enough. It'll be something to live for, and that's all I need, so…"

"So… you want me to promise that, if I have a chance, I'll… I'll come back for you, even if it's decades away?" Azula asked, softly. Sokka nodded weakly.

"I won't hold it against you if you never have the chance" Sokka mumbled "But if we can believe our paths might ever converge again… it'd be easier to believe our sacrifices are worth something"

Azula breathed deeply before nodding, her nose brushing against his bare skin. Her hands rose to his bandages, grazing the fabric that covered the many wounds he had sustained over the last week. As ever, the reminders that she had nearly lost him pushed her to make decisions she might have considered too irresponsible otherwise…

"If there's any mercy in this world… any at all, this won't be the last time we'll be together" she finally spoke, despite her soul seemed to shatter at the possibility that her words might backfire on her "I can't… I can't vow something like this with complete certainty. But I do know that… that that's what I'll hope for, for however long I may live. Though… you have to promise me you'll be patient. That you won't do anything stupid… that as hard as it may be, you'll learn to live with our shared sorrow, and wait until we can be together safely again. Don't take unnecessary risks… there's no point in trying to return to me if it'll cost you your life to make the trip, is there? I… I can live on, I told you so, if I know you still live, too. I can endure anything if you're safe. I'll do whatever I can to ensure that you are, so… please, promise you'll wait. Even if it's all those decades… even if it winds up being our next lifetimes, as well. Just… promise that, and I'll be… I'll find peace far more easily if you do"

Sokka gritted his teeth, tightening his grasp around her body, but he nodded weakly. Azula raised her head at last, and he dove forth to kiss her lips softly, holding her closely.

"I have a purpose…" he whispered "You've been giving me one for as long as you've been part of my life. That purpose has changed in nature many times… by now, that purpose is to look forward to the day our paths will join again. I will wait as long as I must… I will be ready to wrap you in my arms just like this once we meet again. Doesn't matter if it takes one year, or ten, or a hundred… I won't ever give up my faith that we'll find each other again, Azula. I swear it"

She swallowed hard, pressing her brow to his, letting his promise envelop her warmly. Whether they could make it into a reality or not remained to be seen… but he was right to say that at least a shred of hope was something to cling to, something to live for. Her hand tightened around the necklace's fabric, her whole soul aching with the need to fasten it across her neck, to show to the whole world she belonged with him… yet another fantasy that would have to go unfulfilled, she knew as much.

"I… don't know if it's safe for me to keep it" Azula admitted, trembling "The necklace, I mean. If anyone were to find it…"

"I guess you might have trouble finding someplace to hide it safely?" Sokka mumbled quietly. Azula shrugged half-heartedly.

"And on top of that, I… I can't give you yours back. I couldn't even remember to fetch it in my room, but if I had, the guards probably would've ripped it out of my hands just upon opening the cabinet or so…"

"The bastards were watching you inside your room…?" Sokka asked, tensing up. Azula breathed deeply and nodded, sensing the edge of fury in Sokka's question "Ugh. You'll have to knock me out and toss me overboard if you really want me to give up on keeping you with me. Damn them… and damn your father for giving all those blasted orders. I thought they'd only done that crap to me, not to you…"

"My father thought we'd try to escape, and… and he wasn't wrong" Azula conceded "If I go back willingly, he might not think it's necessary for his people to watch me at all times anymore. He'd likely interpret my return as a surrender of some sort…"

"He'd be an idiot if he did. You don't surrender" Sokka whispered, rubbing the space between her shoulder blades pleasantly. Azula sighed, compelled to relax and rest against him.

"I do my best not to…" she whispered "But it'll be better if he believes otherwise, at least. I know it sounds dreadful, Sokka, but…"

"But you need me to let you do this, I know…" Sokka sighed "I'll try, Azula. I… I'm doing all I can to wrap my head around it… but it's not easy. Every time it hits me what you'll be returning to, I… I end up pondering how to feign I climbed off the Barge while I hide elsewhere on the ship, so I can stay with you without your awareness…"

"I'd be so mad if you did that…" Azula said, though a smile spread over her face as she spoke. Sokka grinned too.

"Really? Doesn't look like it to me" he teased her, letting his fingers slide down to her flanks, tickling her gently. Azula pulled away from him instinctively, still smiling as Sokka grinned mischievously, making to pounce on her.

The pounce lacked the danger that might have been inherent to it, under other circumstances: minding both their injuries, Sokka merely settled atop her, smirking still, holding his weight up with his flexed arms. Azula's amusement hadn't receded yet, though Sokka answered it with a tender kiss, which she reciprocated gladly: again, that brush of their lips seemed to be a lifeline, one she never wanted to let go of.

"I bet… there's some storage rooms in this big ship you've never been in" Sokka teased her, prodding her nose with his own once the kiss ended "Heck, I bet if I sneak off to the engine room, you'll never notice that I'm hiding there…"

"You underestimate me this much, Sokka?" she smirked. Sokka snickered, shaking his head.

"I know better, love. You'd be onto me immediately, that's why I'm not going to do that" he confessed, pressing one more kiss to her lips.

"Ah, that's why?" Azula smiled, raising a hand to his neck, holding him in place by letting her palm rest upon his nape "Are you truly not going to persist in this madness of yours, or is this some feigned defeat just to coax information out of me, Sokka?"

"Uh… can be whatever you want it to be, I guess" he answered evasively, smirking a little as Azula laughed, pulling him closer.

"It's futile, I'm afraid" she said "The best place to hide at all in this Barge is well out of your reach, sad as it may be"

"Sounds juicy. What's the best, top-secret hiding place, huh?" Sokka asked, nudging her by prodding her nose with his own. Azula chuckled, daring venture a kiss he returned gladly.

"It's… not too far away. Right by the foot of the bed…" Azula said, gesturing at it offhandedly "Roll the rug away, just as it was back in my room in the Palace, and you'll find a locked trapdoor that only opens with…"

"Firebending" Sokka finished, bitterly. Azula laughed and shrugged.

"Were you truly expecting anything else?" she smiled warmly, and he couldn't resist the urge to kiss her "There's always been a secret room right below us. I've never used it… but I was told about it when I first climbed aboard the Barge. It's a naval tradition of some sort in the Fire Nation, in case the ship is attacked or so. The most important person aboard can hide safely in there for days, as long as they remember to stock up on resources if need be…"

"I'm surprised we've never used it at all, honestly" Sokka smiled a little "Could've made for a good hiding place if…"

"If anyone caught us like this, in the past?" Azula asked, stroking his cheek "Curiously, that never was necessary, was it? Whenever someone knocked on the door it would be Rui Shi… and you were generally stealthy enough to sneak off to your room before anyone noticed you. That the guards couldn't seem to know for sure that we were together suggests you were far more effective with your stealth than I ever expected…"

"Heh. Who's underestimating me now, Princess?" he teased her, and Azula laughed as he covered her face with kisses "I'd be the stealthiest guy ever if that's what it took to spend nights with you. I'd be the smartest guy ever if that's how I'd learn to keep up with your wit. I'd be the strongest guy ever if that's how I'd fight side by side with a warrior of your caliber. Whatever you'd need from me… I'd give my body, mind, heart and soul to ensure you'd get it, no matter what it might be"

"I know… but you didn't need to give any of those things to achieve that" Azula smiled, warmly, her brow against his "You're all I wanted… you're already the best man I could ever hope to find in this world. Whether I was ever worthy of your love or not, I…"

"You always have been"

"Not true" Azula smiled sadly "Not for a while, I wasn't. But just as you walked forward, just as you strived to become the man you are now, so did I. We've both grown in a thousand ways, Sokka… we've grown until we found and built balance between us, as best we could. I am who I am today because of you"

"Well, that's a lot of credit you're giving me, Azula, but I guess… I guess I can accept it, eh? Because I, too, am who I am today because of you" Sokka admitted, pressing his brow to hers "I've changed… so have you. We learned how to be partners, didn't we? And we did pretty damn well at it, too…"

"Better than anyone else, as far as I can tell" Azula smiled, closing her eyes as she held him close.

"It's undebatable, as things stand" Sokka grinned, letting his fingers stroke her cheek tenderly "I love you, Azula. I'll always love you"

"I love you too…" she managed to say before they joined in another heartfelt kiss. She breathed deeply, her brow against his once they parted "I love you, Sokka. I lived most my life not knowing how to say those words, not having anyone worth saying them to, either. By now, I… I don't know how I'll get by without saying them to you every day"

"You won't have to" Sokka said, smiling sadly. Azula swallowed hard "Take the necklace… and whisper those words to it. Say them, and no matter where you are in the world, I will hear it. I know I will"

Azula swallowed hard, her eyes burning with tears again as she threw her arms powerfully around him. Sokka released a breath slowly, trying to still his own rampant emotions as he wrapped her into his own embrace. Their last night together still lingered over a week away, if Tai Wei's estimations for their trip were accurate… but bottling up these thoughts and emotions throughout their journey would have made their final days a nightmare for sure. Talking thoroughly had always proven to be the best way to clear up their conflicts since the earliest days of their relationship, a vital lesson to ensure their bond remained as honest and pristine as it could be.

After the difficult days they had already faced, this journey would be a respite, a chance to regain their strength together, to lie in bed and embrace intimately, sharing as many kisses as could be before they were breathless, uttering their love countless times breathily, taking in the warmth in each other's eyes just moments before closing them and letting themselves surrender to their need for rest, most unwillingly. If only they could remain alert, awake, for as many days as they had left, wasting no time, ensuring to make the most of each instant they would spend together…

But when the night faded, and morning arrived, the two lovers woke still wrapped in each other's arms, enveloped by the tenderness of every soft kiss and shared smile. Again, they were free from the rush, from the fear that had permeated their love since its very beginnings: they lingered in bed for most the morning, giving themselves to each other slowly, generously, smiling and laughing together often, although tears surged in their eyes with each small fissure the impending future streaked across their battered hearts.

Near noon, they finally settled on dressing up and finding something to eat: bodily needs went forgotten easily, frequently, over the stress they'd undergone across the past days. Even after one full day of apparent rest, as the previous one had been, neither the Princess nor her gladiator felt all that normal just yet, and healthy habits proved more difficult to return to than expected.

They had only finished dressing up when a knock on their door surprised them: the man standing behind it didn't surprise them, however, and Rui Shi appeared most relieved to find his friends not only seemed to act perfectly civilly now, but they were fully dressed too, a miracle as far as he was concerned.

"Well, I expected something a lot worse when I finally made up my mind to come here" Rui Shi confessed, earning himself a set of rolled eyes from the Princess he served and a sympathetic grin from Sokka "Will you head downstairs for breakfast? Or lunch, as the case may be. I had hoped, with how frantic you both are about keeping each other safe, that you wouldn't disregard common sense and force each other to eat, at least, but…"

"We were on our way there, actually" Azula clarified, raising her eyebrows "Thank you for checking on us, it wasn't our intent to dawdle, but…"

"I don't need any explanations. My imagination suffices, and I don't even want to exercise it when it comes to the two of you" Rui Shi said, raising his hands defensively: he earned himself a scoff and a light bump from Azula's uninjured shoulder as she passed him by, on her way to the stairs, though Sokka still grinned remorsefully at the guard before they set out after her.

"Sorry about this… guess you had other duties to tend to" Sokka said "Though, come to think of it, you probably shouldn't have any. When's the last time you got any sleep?"

"Eh… I wouldn't know. I don't particularly care" Rui Shi confessed, surprising his two friends "If there's such a thing as being too tired to sleep, that's exactly how I feel right now"

"Well, if you thought to ensure we had to eat, you can't disregard your need for rest either" Azula said, casting a glance at him from over her shoulder.

"I shouldn't be surprised you'd use that argument" Rui Shi smiled, shaking his head "Ah, well. I only came to find you because the others insisted that I took a break too. I guess I can try to nap for a few hours after I've made sure you haven't starved yourselves to death while locked up together in your cabin…"

"Well, you already know we won't do that, so no need to worry anymore" Sokka said, patting his back gently "You can go rest for now, unless… you needed food too?"

"Lunch in my case, but yes" Rui Shi said, as his semblance darkened "I, uh… fear the last of the packed food is about to run out now. Might as well make the most of it while we have the chance, right?"

That confession gave Azula pause, as she slowed and glanced at Rui Shi remorsefully. Sokka as well appeared uncomfortable by Rui Shi's revelation, lowering his hand as his eyes met Azula's. The same hesitation arose in both of them as they stood halfway down the tower's staircase… in front of the very room Song had used whenever she had joined them in their travels.

"You… you can have it all, you know?" Sokka said, swallowing hard "I can try to cook something, maybe…"

"I can help. As long as we have supplies for the kinds of food we've cooked before…" Azula said, and Sokka nodded promptly.

"We can take care of our meal just fine, Rui Shi" Sokka insisted, but Rui Shi scoffed in their direction.

"I hope you can. But you'll try your luck with cuisine in the meal after this one, anyway" he declared, stubbornly. Azula and Sokka blinked blankly, unsure of how to respond to Rui Shi's unexpected choice.

"You don't have to share it with us, Rui Shi…" Azula insisted, but Rui Shi shook his head.

"If anything… I do have to" he said, sternly "It only feels right. If I wanted to be selfish and hog everything up for myself, I wouldn't have come here looking for you. Whatever your choices may be in the future, Princess, Sokka… you can let me have this at least, can't you?"

They were floored by his petition, by how he worded it as well. Rui Shi swallowed hard and kept walking, past Azula, down to the next flight of stairs. Sokka stepped closer, sliding his hand into hers.

"He shouldn't…" Azula whispered. Sokka shook his head.

"I know. But… you don't mean to bring them with you either, is what you said" Sokka spoke quietly "You already told him so, didn't you?"

"I might have" Azula acknowledged, with a deep sigh.

"Maybe that's why he wants to do this" Sokka mused "If I had a chance to share my favorite meal with friends for the very last time… I wouldn't want to hog it up for myself. Even if it's my favorite meal, and that's saying something, eh?"

"I suppose I can understand the sentiment… I'm just not sure we deserve that generosity" Azula said, swallowing hard before tugging Sokka onwards "But if it is what he wants… I guess we can leave him with the better and bigger shares of food, right?"

"If we get there before he does and distribute the food ourselves, yeah" Sokka smiled a little, nodding as he fell into pace, following Rui Shi down to the dining deck with Azula's hand tight around his own.

The dining deck was empty: every other guard was hard at work, easing each other's loads by sharing in the difficult duties to keep the Barge sailing at full speed successfully. Only by their insistence – and upon confirming that they had everything under control – had Rui Shi relented and decided to take it easy, to rest for the day, if possible. Even as he worked with Azula and Sokka to distribute the food on their respective trays, his shoulders hung heavily, as though tugged by an anchor downwards. The bags under his eyes looked darker yet when the shade of his disorderly bangs fell upon them, yet as uncharacteristically disheveled as he might be, Rui Shi continued to work as best he could, putting up little protest upon realizing Sokka and Azula were attempting to sneak him the better portions of food: that they'd agreed to eat with him was enough, a better outcome than he'd expected, if anything.

The table they picked stood close to a wall, away from the door and most potential intrusions, offering them further privacy as they took their seats before their respective food trays. Rui Shi sank into place across Azula, and Sokka took his seat beside her, although he refrained from openly displaying any affection while Rui Shi could see it, for once.

Again, silence hung between them for longer than expected once they'd taken their seats: it was good to confirm it wasn't only a problem that surged between her and Sokka, Azula realized. That suspended, uncomfortable silence was but a lingering consequence of everything they'd been through… as well as an unpleasant reminder that the future wasn't as bright anymore as it once had been.

Rui Shi breathed deeply, breaking the silence once he picked up his chopsticks and collected one slab of roast duck, ever one of his favorite dishes as prepared by Song. He bit into it slowly, closing his eyes… picturing her bright, expectant smile as she waited to know if the food was to his liking: it always had been.

"Might be a good idea to eat slowly, huh?" Sokka mumbled, biting his lip as he gazed at his own plate sadly.

"Probably" Rui Shi said, halfway through chewing the first bite of his meal. He swallowed before speaking anew "The longer it lasts, the better. It… it feels as though she were here with us, despite everything"

"Rui Shi…" Sokka said, eyeing him compassionately as Rui Shi breathed deeply.

"I'll return to her one day. I know I will. It's just… difficult to accept that the last meal we shared was that morning… just before your fight" Rui Shi said, quietly "All four of us, I mean…"

"I guess we're all thinking the same things all the time, aren't we?" Azula mused "If we'd known what might happen, we would have done things differently… though I guess, if we had done some things differently, a lot of this wouldn't have happened at all"

"Possibly. But now that it has… the moments we cherished as best we could seem even more valuable than they already were" Rui Shi sighed, lowering his gaze.

"You got her to safety, though…" Sokka whispered "You'll return to her one day, Rui Shi. I know you will"

"I intend to" Rui Shi said, nodding.

"Eventually… we'll all be back together" Sokka said, his voice trembling with a lack of conviction both Azula and Rui Shi recognized immediately "The four of us… I don't know how long it'll take, really, but… I want to believe that wasn't the last meal we shared, not for good"

Rui Shi gazed at Sokka wistfully at first, but his brow drew with determination moments later. He nodded, raising his cup, filled with water.

"I… suppose toasts ought to be done with something stronger than this" he admitted, prompting both Azula and Sokka to smile a little "But in all our rush, we didn't bring any liquor, so…"

"Considering how difficult this whole operation was, I don't think liquor should have been anyone's priority" Azula said, pressing her lips into a tight line.

"Could've made some things better, I suppose…" Rui Shi laughed softly. Azula smiled awkwardly.

"Or worse. Entirely possible too" she said.

"Toasting with water can't be a crime, though, can it?" Rui Shi asked. Azula shook her head, as Sokka grinned and raised his own cup.

"If Azula approves of it, it counts" Sokka decided, prompting Rui Shi to chuckle quietly as the Princess smiled, rolling her eyes.

"It's hard to say what the future has in store for any of us…" she admitted, yet her hand wrapped around her own cup, and she raised it delicately "But if there's any chance we might find our way back to each other someday, we'll have to do our best to make it happen. All of us"

"For sure, Princess" Rui Shi smiled, nodding.

The three friends brought their cups together, letting them clash softly. Despite the pain that dwelled in their hearts upon making such a vow, their determination shone brighter than their misery. In one more meal that the three of them would share, it almost felt as though Song sat with them, right beside Rui Shi, as she ever did, smiling proudly at their resolve, looking forward, just as they did, to the day all four of them would meet again.

Despite spacing out the food as much as they could, it ran out eventually. Rui Shi sat in place, eyes closed, clinging to yet another connection to the love of his life for as long as it lasted. Sokka sighed too once the food was finished: Song's culinary abilities always had amazed him, but now that he knew he wouldn't eat any of her meals anymore for many years to come, it felt as though his friend's absence breached his broken heart just a little further. Just how much more devastation could he take? Most of all, when he couldn't help but hold himself responsible for all of it, no matter if deep down he knew the man at blame was Fire Lord Ozai…

"I should go check if everything's going well with the rest of the guards" Azula announced, startling Sokka and Rui Shi from their respective, reflective silences "If Jianghuo's not that busy I'll probably ask him if he can give you another look right now, Sokka"

"Ah… sure, then" Sokka smiled weakly "I can go with you, if…"

"No need… you can wait here with Rui Shi" Azula said, with a small smile "He can use the company, I'm sure… and you're wounded still, even if you keep forgetting about that. You probably shouldn't drink the midnight nectar today"

"Eh… true" Sokka admitted: he wasn't looking forward to the likely pain, but he guessed that if it got too awful, he would ask for a small dose, at the very least.

Just as Azula made to stand up, Rui Shi closed his eyes tightly again and covered his ears with his hands, startling both Azula and Sokka.

"I'll play blind and deaf now, if I must…" he declared "Just get on with your displays of affection quickly, will you?"

"Are you kidding me…?" Azula started, just as Rui Shi began rambling syllabic nonsense at an unnecessarily loud volume, an obvious intent to dwarf out the sounds of Sokka and Azula's romantic exchange, which they hadn't intended to exchange at all.

"He's… silly" Sokka admitted, with a weak laugh "But heh, guess that way I can kiss you good luck anyway, right?"

"With Rui Shi acting like this, I'm not sure it's me who needs the luck" Azula admitted, though she smiled as she leaned carefully to press her lips softly and quickly to Sokka's "See you in a bit. Try not to move around a lot, alright?"

"I'll be good. As good as I can be, at least" Sokka answered, prompting Azula to grin fondly at him as she rose to her full height… and then she turned a skeptical glare on Rui Shi, whose nonsensical rambling had yet to cease.

Azula had to clasp Rui Shi's hands in her own and yank them away from his ears, catching him by surprise to the extent where he had no choice but to open his eyes. Despite her surprise at his childish behavior, she couldn't help but smile anyway.

"All done. You can return to your normal status now, we'll just pretend you haven't lost any of your dignity" she said, releasing him from her hold and patting the top of his head. Rui Shi nodded solemnly in her direction.

"I would appreciate that very much, Princess" he answered, as serious and stern as ever.

The ridiculousness of his behavior, of the situation itself, found Azula laughing quietly to herself as she walked to the dining deck's doorway. Sokka's eyes followed her, his fond smile fading once she was out of sight. Rui Shi finished his cup of water before glancing at Sokka with unease.

"Guess you couldn't persuade her to change course in any sense, could you?" he asked, softly. Sokka breathed deeply and shook his head.

"I… tried. I don't know if I could've succeeded if I'd come up with something more solid, but…" Sokka started.

"You still have a few more days to think of something, if that's how it is" Rui Shi interrupted, and Sokka eyed him with uncertainty "Or… have you desisted?"

"Well… I'm not happy, obviously" Sokka admitted, averting his gaze from his friend "But after that last attempt, I… I can't bring myself to try again. Not if my words will only hurt her even more than everything else already has"

"It will hurt all the more to let go of her… believe me on that" Rui Shi said, but Sokka shook his head.

"The more I think about it… the more obvious it becomes this is, in many ways, my own damn fault" he said, with a sad smile "From the earliest stages of our partnership, I… I kept telling her I believed in her. That I knew she'd make the right choices for her people, for the rest of the world. Even when she had barely said she had any intent to change anything for the better, I was already convinced she would do exactly that… and then she started changing things indeed. She only helped people when I badgered her to do so, back in the day. As time went by, she started doing it all by herself. She took to protecting others, to taking a stand even against her own father if need be. She took so many risks… countless ones, whether by doing the right thing or by enabling me to do it, like when she told me about the slave riot. I always appreciated it, of course I did, I still do, but… but I can't help but think that all my wishes that she'd change the world for the better have backfired on me. What she's choosing… it's what she hopes will be better for countless people. It's not easy for her… it never could be. But she's doing the right thing… she's setting out to face Ozai again, to protect everyone she can by doing so. How can I begrudge her, or beg her to make another choice… when she's making the selfless, right choice while I'd only be selfishly wanting to protect her, at the cost of the whole damn world if that's what it takes to keep her safe?"

"Well… that's all true, no doubt. But it sounds like… like you begrudge her a little, anyway" Rui Shi pointed out. Sokka gritted his teeth and shook his head.

"No… I really don't. I just wish it could be me, you know?" he said, covering his face in his hands as he rested his elbows on the table "That I could be the one fighting, that she could be the one to recover safe and sound with people who won't bring her harm. That I could stand up to Ozai and make him regret the day he ever tried to force us apart. And if it can't be me… then I wish it could be the two of us together, instead. That she intends to fight alone… it terrifies me. I don't know what will happen… I don't know if it will pay off. I'm… I'm scared of whatever's going to happen once I climb off this Barge, Rui Shi. And yet… after pushing her for so long to do the right thing, to take advantage of her power and position to set our world on the right course, what damn right do I have to ask her to be selfish and stay with me instead? I… I don't have any. She has made her choice… and maybe it's not the right one in the end. But for now… it's the better one, as far as the world may be concerned"

"I suppose that's true" Rui Shi conceded, lowering his gaze "You're a much stronger man than I if you can see it that way, truly…"

"As if. You've sacrificed everything to help us, Rui Shi" Sokka whispered "If anything… you're just like her. You had no idea how things would turn out… so you saved Song before taking action. Azula's doing the same thing, apparently: she already saved me… and now she intends to go back and fix what her father's hellbent on breaking. I don't know if she'll succeed… but I'm not sure any alternative would be better for the world. For us, no doubt, staying together would be ideal… but we have already gotten away with much more than I ever expected us to. Maybe… maybe this is just the point where all our luck has been spent and run out. You won't get to stay with her forever either… if you did, I'd just ask you to remember our old promise, back from when Jeong Jeong attacked me, but…"

"She intends to drop us off someplace… or see us off, somehow" Rui Shi said, quietly "I haven't told the others yet. I'm not sure they'll take it well… or rather, I'm sure they won't"

"I can't blame them" Sokka admitted, breathing deeply and shaking his head "The knee-jerk reaction from anyone who cares about her, upon hearing she intends to commit figurative suicide by turning herself in, is never going to be positive. I still see a thousand, a million things wrong with this, but like I said…"

"You don't think you have the right to make demands from her" Rui Shi finished. Sokka shrugged.

"At the end of the day… I am the gladiator, aren't I?" he said, sadly "She's the one who calls the shots, even now"

"Really?" Rui Shi said, skeptical "Sokka… you are her partner. You are the man who helped her achieve so many of her dreams she probably can't even keep count of the fulfilled ones anymore. No one has reached her as deeply as you have. No one has ever understood her as you do. Sell yourself short with someone who doesn't know you any better… I'm aware of how much you mean to her, of how much you've inspired her growth into the incredible leader she is right now. At the end of the day… you are her gladiator just as you are her husband. Maybe she calls the shots, fine… but you are more than just a slave. I think we all knew that, from the very beginning"

Sokka swallowed hard, glancing at Rui Shi with unease. Despite they understood each other far more acutely these days than ever before, forced apart from the ones they loved against their will, aware that it was the better choice even if it destroyed them on the inside, it startled Sokka to find Rui Shi offered him a fragile, respectful smile. He bowed his head curtly towards Sokka, raising it only after a short moment.

"We're not at the end of the line just yet, but… I wanted you to know it was an honor serving alongside you, gladiator" Rui Shi said, still smiling in the same way.

Sokka offered Rui Shi a sad grin of his own as he raised his hand towards the man he had grown to think of as a friend… as one of the very best friends he'd ever had. To think they had started off at odds frequently, that Rui Shi had even taken offense often over Sokka's antics, that the once-Captain of the Royal Guards had been so outraged by discovering the truth behind their relationship… and now they found themselves exchanging words and gestures of honor, of true friendship, after doing their best to protect Azula as best they could…

"It was an honor, Rui Shi" Sokka said. Rui Shi hesitated before attempting to clasp his hand, but Sokka lunged further, wrapping his hand around Rui Shi's forearm instead.

"You… you did this, once before" Rui Shi said, smiling a little "It's a gesture from your people, isn't it?"

"A gesture of respect, yes" Sokka said, nodding "Can't think of many people who would be worthier of it than you, Rui Shi"

"I don't know if that's the case, but…" he said, softly, as his hand gripped Sokka's forearm the same way "Thank you, Sokka"

Sokka smiled and nodded: it wasn't a farewell yet… but it almost felt like one, more than anything because Rui Shi knew Sokka would want and need to spend most his time left with Azula. They had both been blessed and cursed with a much longer period to say goodbye than he and Song had… it meant they'd have a chance to be together for a little longer, but it might make it far more difficult to go their separate ways once the time came.

It wouldn't come yet, though. No, Jianghuo had to check on Sokka first, and as the two men lowered their hands, Azula strode into the dining deck with the guard trailing behind her. Sokka would make more progress in his recovery before they reached the South Pole… as would Xin Long, whose scorched scales mended gradually, Azula confirmed as much right after Sokka's medical check was finished. The dragon lounged on deck, still lacking drive and energy to take flight, and as no one had enough skills to amend the burned saddle, it wasn't likely that Azula would be able to fly with him, even once he recovered fully.

The days grew shorter, the nights longer: it was the middle of the fifth month, and where the sun would stay high in the sky in the Fire Nation during these days, that wasn't the case the deeper they traveled southwards. Still carefully avoiding every known patrol route, and every mass of earth recorded upon their maps, the Barge sailed onwards, still at alarming speeds that only decreased under one night's battering storm: it had been quite the eventful, even frightening situation, seeing how none of them were fully trained sailors, and even Tai Wei's orders weren't enough to reassure anyone that they'd get through the fierce winds and rain without trouble. Tall waves rose, crashing chaotically against the main deck… and by next morning, once the skies were perfectly clear and blue again, they found quite a few fish had been slammed onto their ship by the force of the wild storm. Most of them seemed edible, and the guards were quick to gather them for cooking before they began to rot.

It was a wild, strange journey, far less controlled, less reliable than any others they'd been on before. The guards did their best, but their lack of training certainly made this job grievously exhausting for them. Despite the men's insistence that they shouldn't help at all, Azula and Sokka still did their part aboard the Barge by helping with several meals whenever they were feeling up to the task: Sokka's slowly decreasing dosage of midnight nectar often found him squirming in pain in their shared bed as Azula held him delicately, rubbing the ointments Jianghuo had recommended across his battered, damaged skin. Her shoulder seemed to make improvements of its own, but whenever she rolled in bed carelessly, she flinched and even cried out if she ever supported any weight on it by accident. Sokka tended to it as best he could, but his face showed evident remorse that he couldn't be of more help than he was… a concern Azula shared, deeply, regarding his own health.

Even if the wounds plagued them, though, the Princess and her gladiator made the most of their journey together. It wasn't only the tender mornings spent in each other's arms, making love leisurely if their many wounds allowed for it, or the dark nights where only a few bright lights allowed them to see each other amid so many shadows, as they gave themselves to the other once again. It was also the meals they shared, whether with a few guards or just by themselves, the hours they'd spend sitting with Xin Long on deck, the frequent visits to the command and engine rooms, to ensure everything was going well, that they weren't out of resources yet, that no pursuers had caught up to them, either…

All the while, it grew colder. At first, it was only a light breeze: then it was a stronger one that would chill the firebenders to the bone, prompting Sokka to wrap his arms protectively around his Princess whenever it buffeted her. Their breaths became white, ephemeral clouds, and the more layers of clothes they wore, the better. The heat in the engine room seemed to be the only reliable method to chase away the unpleasant low temperatures that only seemed to dive lower and lower, just as the sun barely seemed to rise over the horizon for a few hours, and then, it didn't rise at all…

On a deeply cold morning, Azula had woken first. She kissed Sokka warmly, and he reacted softly at first, only to fall asleep again. Many of his wounds were of faded colors by now, though they still hid underneath his bandages. Her shoulder pained her less that day, Azula noticed, as she climbed out of the mattress almost unwillingly, collecting as many thick clothes as she could muster. In other circumstances, her inner fire would have kept her warm enough to chase away the biting cold… in circumstances where her chi wasn't still recovering from the nefarious day when she had nearly died in Sokka's arms, that is.

Covering herself with several layers of clothes, Azula climbed downstairs, intending to start on breakfast – regardless of how dark it was, her internal clock was certain it was morning – before Sokka awoke. She wasn't as good at cooking on her own, but Sokka had struggled to sleep without the midnight nectar last night, and waking him when he finally seemed to relax enough to get proper rest would be an act of cruelty she refused to commit against him. If she was quick about it, she might return upstairs before he was awake again. She might even use her bending to warm up their food, if need be… she rubbed her hands together, blowing softly into them: sparks of orange flittered about as she did, reiterating that annoying certainty of not being fully recovered, fully strong, just yet… but there were other things for her to focus on right now. The food first, the food…

She slowed on her tracks as she climbed down the stairs, reaching the threshold that led out of the tower and onto the main deck.

The ocean before her eyes had been dark blue the last time she had glanced at it: white, glistening ice formations were jutting out throughout their surroundings now, lit by the stars and moonlight.

Her whole world seemed to fall to shambles at the sight of those icebergs… at the distant pale line beyond the blackness of the ocean: it was land… for the first time in ten days, it was land, or ice, it made no matter…

The South Pole loomed ahead, conveying the unmistakable message that their long journey would soon reach its end.