114 A.G.
The Fire Nation Royal Family, consisting of Fire Lord Zuko, Fire Lady Mai, Crown Princess Izumi, Prince Iroh, Princess Ursa, and Prince Noren, had just arrived before sunset to Ember Island for their annual vacation, opting to stay in their old family beach house.
With their only companions being their guards, the Rangi Warriors, who were currently being led by Ladies Zirin, Beam, and Chyou, and their closest friend, Lady Ty Lee, who was also the head of the Rangi Warriors.
And as the Royal Family was getting settled in for the night, they soon realized they had a conundrum.
This was because Princess Kiyi, who was currently studying at Caldera City University, was going to join them tomorrow, and combined with the fact that Izumi, who had just turned three, was finally old enough for her own room, meant that they would not have enough rooms for everyone.
That is if they didn't touch Azula's old room.
However, no one really wanted to touch the room, especially Ursa and Zuko, so Ty Lee volunteered. For even though Ty Lee technically was on vacation, she was still eager to protect her friends.
And this was because Ty Lee had established the Rangi Warriors to not only allow her fellow Kyoshi Warriors to go back home after spending over a decade protecting the Royal Family, but also to help the Fire Nation reclaim its pre-war history.
History that included acceptance of non-heterosexuals since it turned out that not only was the pre-Sozin Fire Nation very tolerant towards such people, but also that several important figures in history, like Rangi, Kyoshi's bodyguard, firebending teacher, and first lover, were non-heterosexuals as well.
And so Ty Lee got to cleaning Azula's old room, where she found it to be eerily well-maintained despite not having been entered in well over a decade.
Ty Lee started by emptying the closets, making sure to handle the fine garments and shoes with care if Princess Ursa wanted a keepsake.
Ty Lee then went to the drawer, where she noted, among other hair care products, a fine whale tooth hair brush that Mai had given Azula for her eighth birthday along with Ty Lee.
It turned out that Azula did care about the little things she and Mai did for her Ty Lee mused to herself. Not that she cared as Ty Lee nervously chuckled to herself.
Ty Lee then swept the floors, looking for anything that might have been left on the ground, but Ty Lee found nothing. Which was to be expected considering Azula's perfectionism, and how she would never tolerate dirtiness from either herself or the servants who were responsible for cleaning her room.
Ty Lee then went to replace the old bed sheets with new ones, expecting to find nothing again, when she found, after lifting up the comforter, a slightly burned hole in the center of the mattress, and what appeared to be a neatly folded piece of paper nestled in it.
So Ty Lee decided to pick it up and open it, despite a sudden shift in her aura telling her it was a bad idea. But thankfully her aura was wrong, for it just seemed to be a harmless drawing by a young Azula.
And this was because the brush strokes, despite being better than anything Ty Lee could ever produce, were sloppy compared to the sure-handed and composed strokes that came to be associated with Azula.
Ty Lee then decided to take a closer look and inspect the drawing. And she found that there was a mutton chopped person behind the fiery veil that had characterized the Fire Lord's throne room before Zuko's accession. Considering that this was made by a young Azula, Ty Lee thought that Azula was depicting when Iroh would take the throne, and thus the artwork was a depiction of a future that never came to be.
But Ty Lee was half-right, because while the picture was depicting a future that never came to be, the person behind the veil wasn't Iroh, but instead her cousin Lu Ten, as the Hanzi clearly pointed out, saying, "Fire Lord Lu Ten." Thus, Ty Lee quickly deduced that this drawing was not meant to depict the near future, but instead when Lu Ten's generation took power.
And her suspicions were further confirmed when she looked down to the right corner and saw what were attempts to depict an adult Zuko and Mai. Both of them were holding hands with crowns in their top knots, with Zuko's caption being, "Prince Zuko, War Minister" while Mai's was, "Princess Mai".
Ty Lee smiled, for Azula had managed to predict Zuko and Mai's actual adult hair style, with both of them wearing a half up, half down topknot with their long, black hair flowing down their backs. And it was funny that even as a toddler, Azula had envisioned them together; if only she would know how much trouble it would cause her in the future!
Not that it really bothered Azula in the end Ty Lee noted as she sadly smiled to herself.
Ty Lee then moved to the left corner and saw her and Azula holding hands with crowns in their hair and the respective captions: "Princess Azula, Chancellor to the Fire Lord" and "Princess Ty Lee".
Ty Lee laughed, for it must have been a mistake; Azula never really liked anyone like that except for that one dude way back, and that was because Azula was jealous of the attention she was getting.
But as Ty Lee double checked the picture she stopped laughing, for she noticed that, among other details like the two of them having the same hair-do that they had as children, another thing Azula had correctly predicted, Azula had painstakingly made a miniaturized crown for Ty Lee that seemingly would not interfere with her acrobatics.
For when Azula was still sweet, Azula one day had wanted to give Ty Lee a Fire Lily to wear in her hair as a "token of appreciation for her companionship". However, Ty Lee declined, saying that she didn't like wearing things on her hair since it could lead to accidents while training, and she never wanted to be bed ridden in her life. Azula then responded by saying that she had made a mistake, and that she wouldn't make it again.
And while Azula did give Ty Lee many more gifts over the years, none were as personal as the Fire Lily. Especially since Ty Lee remembered that not only are Fire Lilies a symbol of fiery purity and passion, but also that Azula had mentioned to her and Mai, before attempting to give Ty Lee a Fire Lily, that she had talked to her mother about the meaning of Fire Nation plants.
Meaning, more likely than not, Azula knew exactly what she was doing when she gave the plant to Ty Lee. Especially considering that Azula never did anything without reason...at least while she had the facade of sanity.
Thus, Ty Lee looked over the drawing over and over again.
"Princess Azula, Chancellor to the Fire Lord" and "Princess Ty Lee".
"Princess Azula" and "Princess Ty Lee".
"Princess Ty Lee."
As the reality of the drawing, and what it meant, set in, Ty Lee started to feel constricted as she felt a rush of conflicting emotions flow in.
Pre-Boiling Rock Ty Lee would have been ecstatic that her friend and princess desired her in that fashion. Especially since Ty Lee had a crush on Azula that had started from the first moment she laid eyes on Azula during their first day at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. And moreover since it was further proof that she was truly special and different from the rest of her sisters.
Though post-circus incident Ty Lee would be a little weary, for it seemed her friend was slowly but surely losing all the best parts of herself in order to meet the impossible standards of her demented father.
Post-Boiling Rock Teenage Ty Lee would have been utterly disgusted at the person who had clearly taken advantage of her crush on her to abuse her, and would have chi-blocked Azula on sight the moment Azula showed any attention, positive or negative, towards her.
For as Ty Lee laid in her cell with the Kyoshi Warriors and told them her backstory while teaching them the art of chi-blocking, they told her what she had always needed to hear: that Azula was an abuser.
The Kyoshi Warriors, founded to help women to protect themselves, had experience with people in Ty Lee's situation, and Azula was a classic abuser.
For it was not normal for your crush/friend to physically punish you for doing better.
It was not normal for your crush/friend to nearly get you killed so she could get you to "willingly" join her self-centered quest as her "friend".
It was not normal for your crush/friend to constantly belittle you, insult you, and then expect you to either take it or comfort her like Azula did during their vacation to Ember Island over a decade ago.
And your crush/friend would certainly never put you in the position where you would have to either choose between life in prison, at best, or see your real best friend, who also suffered thanks to your shared "friend," die by her "friend's" hand.
And for what? For having the audacity to save her boyfriend who was doing the right thing by trying to end an immoral war?
But what did the grown-up Ty Lee, with the weight of what she now knew about Azula weighing on her, feel about this drawing? Tired, confused, conflicted, sad, and angry.
There was a nagging voice in the back of Ty Lee's skull that told her to either place the letter back where she found it or just burn it, never to think of it again in either case.
In fact, it was the same nagging voice that had provoked her to leave for the circus, or join the Kyoshi Warriors in the immediate aftermath of the war to avoid the shitshow she correctly predicted post-war Fire Nation politics would become, among other things.
Though Ty Lee could admit to herself that even her worst nightmares did not come close to the horrors and painful revelations that she, along with their nation, suffered through.
However, Ty Lee decided not to give into that voice and instead stand her ground.
For if there was one thing that her time as a Kyoshi Warrior taught her, it was the need to confront her feelings instead of running away from them.
And what type of Kyoshi Warrior would she be, or what type of example would she be setting for her Rangi Warriors, if she didn't at least try to get closure in regards to someone who had, for better or worse, defined her life for so long and basically set her on the path she was on today?
Moreover, her friends and their family would not disregard her desire for closure just because she was not being friendly, fun, protective, or flirty.
For another thing Ty Lee had learned in the intervening ten plus years was that she was a whole human being with complex, ugly emotions and thoughts. And that she did not have to hide or disguise them just so she could make her friends and family happy, or make her nation proud.
Thus, Ty Lee pocketed the drawing and quickly made the bed so she could go back to the living room and get closure. And as Ty Lee left the room, Ty Lee thought to herself maybe the letter didn't mean what she thought it meant.
For maybe it was just a crude drawing by Zuko or Lu Ten to mess with Azula and get a rise out of her. For it wasn't like Azula didn't constantly mess with the two, and therefore deserved to be messed back.
Ty Lee had re-entered the living room at the same time as Zuko and Mai, who were wearing the royal robes and crowns associated with the Fire Lord and Fire Lady. Iroh was also sitting around the tea table brewing hojicha tea, presumably to help everyone sleep better considering they did have to defile Azula's room.
And so, as Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee sat across from the other adults, Ty Lee removed the drawing from her pocket and showed the drawing to the two, hoping that she would find out that it wasn't Azula who had drawn it.
"Uh, guys...do you know who drew this by any chance?" Ty Lee asked as she handed the drawing to Zuko and Mai, who held the edges as they looked at the drawing.
"It is obviously Azula, no one else in this family has that much attention to detail." Mai said. But as Mai finally got to THAT corner, her eyes uncharacteristically widened before telling Ty Lee, "I am so sorry Ty Lee."
"What is there to be sorry about Mai? It is just a drawing depicting a future where Lu Ten became Fire Lord: see how I am War Minister while Azula is Chancellor?"
"Azula could do anything she set her mind to, so why are we acting like she could not draw well?" Zuko asked.
Well, almost anything Zuko bitterly thought to himself.
"Zuko."
"Yes Mai?"
"Did you see who was holding Azula's hand, and what that person's title was?"
"No."
"So why don't you do that?"
And so Zuko took a closer look before saying, "This has to be a complete mistake. I knew Azula thought of you as a close friend, but I didn't know she liked you like THAT!"
"What about Azula liking Ty Lee?" Ursa asked.
"It is nothing, Mother." Zuko quickly responded.
Even though Zuko knew that his mother was unimaginably strong, he also knew that his mother still felt pain and anguish about her middle child whenever the topic of Azula was brought up. And Zuko was not about to let their vacation be soured before it even began.
"Well you guys are clearly talking about something. Mai. Ty Lee. Can either one of you girls please tell me what you guys are talking about since Zuko clearly wants to play protector, even though he of all people should know that I don't need protecting?" Ursa asked.
Though Mai and Ty Lee knew Ursa wasn't asking, but instead was demanding, a similar tactic that was often used by Azula.
"It was a drawing I found hidden in a makeshift hole in Azula's mattress when I was cleaning her old room implying that Azula wanted me to be her consort. And I was asking Zuko and Mai if someone else other than Azula drew it, though it does not seem to be the case. Would you like to see Princess Ursa?" Ty Lee responded.
"Thank you dear for explaining things, and yes I would like to see it." Ursa responded.
And so, after Zuko hesitantly let go, Ty Lee handed the drawing to Ursa, who spent a minute looking at it before she told them with tears in her eyes, "Yeah, this drawing was made by Azula alright. In fact, I had a discussion with her about it."
"Huh!?" was the reaction from Iroh, Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee.
"Why did you have to have a discussion with her about it? It is just a stupid drawing; it is nowhere as offensive or as dangerous as that letter you wrote. Not that I hold that against you, or would ever do so." Zuko quickly responded.
"That's the thing Zuko, this drawing is just as offensive and dangerous as that foolish letter I wrote, if not more, depending on your viewpoint." Ursa responded.
"That's crazy talk Mother! How could you say that?!" Zuko shouted, puzzled that a harmless drawing could be compared to that letter of all things.
Ursa then sighed and realized that she needed to tell them the discussion she had with Azula regarding that drawing.
Ursa knew that it would be another painful story of how she tried being a good mother to Azula, but ended up failing her in the long run. Not to mention she would be deeply betraying Azula's trust by revealing the details of a deeply sensitive topic.
But at least her old friends and Zuko deserved to know the truth, especially Ty Lee considering the drawing had, at one point, life or death implications for her as well.
Besides, her Water Tribe healer made sure to ingrain it into her that silently holding onto her emotions and memories regarding Azula without talking about them would only hurt her and loved ones.
And so Ursa started speaking, "It will all be clear when I finish explaining Zuko. You see, it started during a rainy night when….