When they arrive at the palace, they are greeted by Iroh, who is talking to Zuko and-

Wait, who are those other people?

The woman, Sokka notices, seems to look like an older version of Azula. It would seem that Zuko was successful in finding they're mother. The man is most likely the husband. Which means that the little girl must be…

Shit

Sokka warily glances at Azula, whose attention is currently on Momo. The lemur seems to be keen on keeping the princess's attention on him. Sokka isn't sure how long this will last though. He is shocked that Azula is paying Momo any attention at all. Perhaps she sees Momo as a temporary distraction from her reality.

A reality that she seemed to want no part of anymore, if what happened earlier is anything to go by.

Aang clears his throat, "Well, we're here. I'm going to go talk to Zuko and Iroh. Anyone want to come with me?"

Katara looks at him and nods, "I'll come. Sokka?"

"I'll stay here with Azula. Don't think it's a good idea for me to be around Zuko right now."

I don't want to leave Azula alone either, goes left unsaid.

The look on Aang's face however tells Sokka that his friend heard him loud and clear.

"Well alright then. We'll be back soon. Hopefully we can get those two to see reason and convince them that Azula can't stay there anymore."

Good luck with that. If those two couldn't have bothered to check up on her the whole time she was in that place, I doubt that they actually care about how she was being treated.

Sokka looks at Aang and nods, "Alright. We'll be waiting for you two here then."

Aang and Katara walk over to the others, curious as to who the three people behind Zuko are.

"Who do you think they are?" Katara asks.

Aang takes a long look at the three of them before responding "Well if I had to guess, the older woman is most likely Zuko and Azula's mother, Ursa. The older gentleman next to her is probably her husband. Which makes the little girl they're… daughter."

"... This isn't going to be good, is it?"

"Nope."

"Maybe we should take this conversation inside the palace."

"Good idea, Katara."

The lemur seems to be trying to talk to her. Azula doesn't know why. It's not as if she can understand the damn thing, nor does she want to. And if that's the case, then why is she still paying attention to it?

She has other things to be worrying about right now. Things that don't include a flying lemur trying to talk to her.

"Hey" a voice pipes up from her left.

Azula turns around to see Sokka staring at her. Glancing around she notices that the avatar and Sokka's sister are nowhere in sight. Where did they get off to?

And when did we stop flying?

She figures that she might as well get the answers to her questions while she's in the mood to talk, "Where did the other two go? And where are we?"

Had she really not noticed that they stopped flying a while ago? "Aang and Katara went to go talk to Iroh and Zuko about your situation. As for where we are, I'm pretty sure you can guess based on what I just said. You really hadn't noticed that we stopped flying?"

"If I did I wouldn't be asking you this question now would I?"

Sokka shrugs "I guess not", and then he smirks "Did you have a nice conversation with Momo?"

Azula blushes and looks away from him. It's not as if she wanted to pay the lemur any attention. Not her fault that the damn thing wouldn't shut up.

Azula slowly takes in her surroundings. She sees Aang and Katara walking over to uncle fatso and Zuko. And behind Zuko are people. Before she can get a closer look, she feels a hand grab her own.

"Where do you want to go?" Sokka asks.

Azula blinks "What?"

"Where do you want to go after this whole thing gets settled?"

"You ask that like you know this conversation will go well. You don't know my uncle. He is the reason as to why I was stuck there to begin with. How does that saying go again? Out of sight, out of mind?"

Sokka feels like he wants to throw up.

Iroh was the reason why she ended up in that place? The same loving uncle that Zuko told them about? What kind of loving uncle just sends his niece to a place where she was abused for a year, and never even bothered to check up on her?!

Then again, this is the same guy who all but high tailed it out of the Fire Nation so he could run a tea shop in Ba Sing Se instead of helping Zuko with his duties as the new Fire Lord. So what should I expect from a guy like that?

Sokka is broken from his thoughts when he feels Azula's hand tighten around his own.

Glancing up at her to see what's wrong, he notices that she isn't looking at him.

She's staring at Zuko. Or rather, the woman behind Zuko and the little girl standing next to her.

Damnit, why didn't he keep the conversation going between them until Aang and Katara managed to get them all inside the palace?! Now he'll have to do everything he can to hold Azula back from doing something that she could come to possibly regret, like attacking them, or-

Azula lets go of his hand.

Shaken out of his thoughts by the sudden movement, Sokka turns to look at Azula. Instead of seeing an angry look on her face like he expected to see, he sees Azula staring ahead with a blank expression. The sight shocks him. He's never seen that look on her face before. It's an expression that seems to say that she is done. Done with caring. Done with trying. Sokka doesn't know how to feel about that.

"Are you OK?"

Azula looks away from the scene and slowly makes her way to the back of the saddle and lays down before finally answering his question "I'm tired."

Well that certainly wasn't the response he was expecting. He had hoped that she would lash out at him, calling him an idiot for even asking her such a dumb question with an obvious answer. He would have much preferred that to this.

"OK. Try and get some sleep then. I'll wake you up when Aang and Katara come back."

Azula nods her head before slowly drifting off to sleep. Taking a blanket out from his pack, Sokka covers Azula with it. He truly hopes that Aang and Katara will be successful in they're discussion with Zuko and Iroh.

He doesn't think Azula will last for much longer if she's sent back to the asylum.