Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

266. Chapter 266: Hatching plans-Niece Wen 1

Hatching plans/Niece Wen

1

The warrior flinched visibly as Katara lifted the bandages that covered his wound: the damage he sustained during the battle had been so extensive it had seemed he wouldn't survive at all on the first day of treatment. A full week later, however, he had regained color and he appeared much livelier, though every healing session saw him wincing with pain more often than not.

"Well, you're healing… slowly, but you are," Katara smiled, reassuringly, before reaching for the water she had brought to tend to the warrior. The man nodded, smiling back.

"Good… I thought I felt better, but damn, still stings a lot…" he said, with a helpless chuckle.

His eyes drifted past the waterbender, settling, instead, on the man who stood by the igloo's door. Sokka's eyes, so typically clouded with morose grieving, now constantly bore the glint of danger, of purpose. For the convalescing warrior, the change in his hero's demeanor was no cause for concern.

"I didn't… get the chance to thank you for saving me yet, did I?" the warrior asked Sokka, with a weak smile. "Might have been better for the Tribe if you hadn't tried to save me and Issaluk when you did… but we're damn grateful for it."

"The women held their own as best they could," Sokka said, though a hint of sorrow accompanied his words – some of those women had taken bad injuries when they failed to hold off the soldiers rushing the Tribe. One of them was in even worse shape than this soldier, despite often assuring them that all that mattered to her was that her children were safe. She might not live past this week, it seemed. "We tried to save everyone we could, though. That was always the goal."

Katara nodded, sorrowful: two warriors, victims to the sudden attack on the group from the settlement, had died from their wounds on the second and fifth day since the fight had taken place. Ten others had died in the middle of that attack, well before Sokka and Zuko had intervened to turn the tide of the fight to the Tribe's favor.

Their deaths were tragedies the Tribe had mourned for the past week… but just so, they rejoiced in overcoming the nefarious attack by the Fire Nation fleet. However many warriors they grieved for, the Fire Nation had lost about a hundred times as many men, whether soldiers, sailors or engineers. Some warriors seemed keen on celebrating that… Sokka, however, couldn't quite bask in the sentiment. Having to fight the enemy at all was a tragedy of its own in his eyes, and one he wished this world would never have to witness anew.

"You two are… real life-savers," the convalescing warrior said, smiling warmly at the siblings. Katara smiled sadly and shook her head.

"If anyone else could do waterbending healing, they'd be just as eager as I am to help everyone they can," Katara said, with a simple shrug. "If there's anything I can do, I will do it. That's all…"

"You've saved lots of lives as it is, Katara," Sokka said, stepping closer and placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "At this point, the next one you'll have to save is your own. When's the last time you actually slept, huh?"

"What? Sleeping? I have no recollection of such a concept…" Katara said, playfully. Sokka smiled and shook his head. "Come on, Sokka… this is my last patient for the day. I'll go doze off right afterwards, you'll see…"

"Sure, not like you're going to try patching up all the damage in the igloos that were attacked, or fixing ripped clothes, or helping cook stews…"

"So you're accusing me of overworking myself…?" Katara asked, now with feigned outrage. Sokka snorted. "Perish the thought…"

"It's been a week. You deserve the break," Sokka said, patting her head gently.

Yes, it had been a week… long enough for the next stage of his immediate plans to come to fruition. He bit his lip, glancing through the igloo's door: people were gathering outside their homes to rejoice and revel over the Tribe's survival against the worst threat they had faced so far. Perhaps one of these days, Sokka would calm down and see things from a much more neutral point of view… perhaps he'd actually appreciate the magnitude of their feat by then. Right now, however his blood seemed to sing with the need to fight on, urging him not to lose his momentum and continue onwards… and that was what he meant to do – at least, he'd do it once he confirmed his sister wouldn't need his assistance as she checked and treated the injured members of the tribe.

"Sokka… you can go now. I've got this," Katara said, glancing over her shoulder: she noticed how tense her brother was, and she knew exactly what he intended to do next. "Someone will be very happy with you if you get it over with quickly."

"I know," Sokka said, with a small grin. "Still… you're sure?"

"Completely," Katara reassured him, waving a hand in his direction. "I'll take a break after this, too. Go on and get this done, you've waited long enough."

Sokka squeezed his sister's shoulder gently before smiling at the warrior who laid down among furs. The man grinned back at Sokka, waving goodbye weakly. Sokka nodded in his direction before setting out of the igloo.

He walked through the preparations for that night's feast quietly, knowing they were necessary to raise the Tribe's spirits. Celebrating the survival of so many was certainly no small cause… he hoped he wouldn't sour the occasion for everyone this time, the way he had when they celebrated his return home. Yet heavy clouds hung over him once again… clouds that heralded a storm unlike any the world had seen for the past hundred years. Perhaps it should have been odd, feeling that fire thrumming in his body, lightning threatening to burst through his fingertips… but the sensations never failed to remind him of Azula, and he welcomed them because of that.

The exit in the walls he chose was the one near Aang and Zuko's igloos: it gave him a chance to stop by and check on the Avatar first, and the Fire Prince's family too.

The effects of the battle hadn't been quite as damaging for the Avatar's morale as Sokka had feared they might be, though there was a reason for that: Aang had as good as adopted the messenger hawk he had intercepted when Katara urged him to do so. The creature wasn't likely to fare particularly well in the frigid environment of the South Pole, but Aang had kept it safe inside his igloo and he often enveloped it in currents of warm air to ensure it wouldn't weaken over the cold temperatures. Sokka wasn't surprised to find that, upon glancing into the igloo, the prodigious bender would be attempting to feed the hawk with chunks of sea prunes.

"Come on… I know they taste bad, but I bet those Fire Nation guys fed you weirder things than this," Aang pouted, though he failed to persuade the creature that only turned its beak away from the food. "Oh, well. I'll have to go ask for more seal from… hey! Ah, Sokka, there you are! Mind giving me a hand and bringing me something this carnivore might eat?"

"Maybe later," Sokka said, smiling as he waved at Aang from the igloo's door. "I'm off to my interrogation duties right now."

"Oh! Is today the day, then?" Aang asked, raising his eyebrows as he leapt to his feet and approached Sokka, who stood at the other side of the igloo's threshold. "Time for answers?"

"That's right," Sokka said, nodding resolutely. "I know you have your misgivings about this, but…"

"Oh, not about what you're going to do now, I don't," Aang smiled, though the grin waned quickly. "I'm more bothered by what's already happened, though. Only twenty-eight survivors on their side is… it's next to nothing, isn't it?"

"I know," Sokka said, with a taut grimace. "I wish we could've done better, but…"

"All your efforts to rescue the ones in the water had to be put on hold when those soldiers came here, I know. I don't blame you, Sokka… you or anyone else in the Tribe," Aang said, with a sad smile. "I know who's the true culprit behind all those deaths, and it's the man who sent his soldiers to die just to…"

"To get his revenge," Sokka finished. Aang nodded, tight-lipped.

"Don't worry about me, really. I know I had my doubts before, but I understand why you guys are doing what you're doing… and I guess Katara was right to ask me what I meant to do if I could've returned on time to save my people, eh?" Aang said. "All your choices made more sense to me after… after what happened a week ago. They really won't stop unless we stop them, right?"

"I'm afraid so," Sokka whispered. "And that's exactly why I have to go question them now, to figure out whatever I can and keep this from happening again, both for their sake and ours."

"Yeah… yeah. Go ahead," Aang said, with a weak smile. "And good luck. If they don't want to answer… you always have your backup plan anyway, huh?"

"That's right," Sokka smirked, nodding at Aang before stepping back again. Aang waved goodbye before returning to his messenger hawk, who remained reluctant to eat any sea prunes.

Sokka breathed out before approaching Zuko's igloo next: he knocked on the door softly, recognizing Gruff's not-so-hostile barking this time – the wolf-dog had finally grown accustomed to Sokka, probably deciding he was an acceptable part of his family because Mari had accepted him, too. Sokka visited them on occasion through the week, but with the Tribe in such a state of chaos after the battle – so many wounded to treat, several trips to the bay to search for more survivors, as well as defusing and putting away the tangle mines that hadn't been set off during the battle, bringing back the remaining barricades to use them as kindling, hunting for food and finding medical supplies to help Katara and Kanna's efforts to alleviate every injury – he had next to no opportunities to spend time with their family. Even now, he'd only check on them quickly.

Zuko pushed the door open without asking who it was. Sokka offered him a quick smile, and Zuko answered it with a nod.

"Just checking in," Sokka said. "Everything alright for today?"

"Yeah, that blubber remedy Kanna suggested has been really helpful with Suki's burn," Zuko answered, without so much as offering a greeting. "She's still resting for now, but she should be up for the big feast later…"

"Uncle Sokka?"

Mari lurked behind her father, holding her two favorite dolls tightly as she glanced past Zuko's leg at the tall man outside her home. Sokka's smile gained warmth as he knelt before the child, reaching out to pat her head.

"Bet you've been helping your mom lots, huh? You've probably been a better nurse than your dad…"

"Of course she has been," Zuko said, smiling gently at Mari, who offered him a shy grin of her own. "Our little, heroic firebender… Princess Jing would be so proud, don't you think, Sokka?"

"Oh, I guarantee it," Sokka grinned. Mari's cheeks flushed as she swayed in place, her smile stronger now. "You're a wonder, Mari."

"Can you tell more stories today…?" Mari asked quietly. Sokka sighed as his hand dropped to the child's shoulder.

"Later, I hope," he said. "But I have something important to do right now."

"You… have to fight?" Mari asked, and all her childish wonderment fled as she eyed him fearfully. Sokka shook his head reassuringly.

"No, just to talk to some people. It's important, though," Sokka said, biting his lower lip. "I'll see you at the feast, alright?"

Mari nodded before returning to her igloo's large sitting room. She had become far more obedient in the wake of the battle, though Sokka suspected her compliance with adults' orders and requests would dwindle slightly once the darkness of that terrible day faded from her young mind.

Sokka rose back to his full height, offering Zuko another tense smile. The firebender raised his eyebrow as he weighed Sokka's words to Mari.

"Off to talk to people, or to make them talk?" he asked. Sokka shrugged.

"In this line of work… same difference, really," he said. Zuko let out a humorless laugh.

"Well, I hope they yield quickly, even though they haven't so far," he said. "And, if they don't…"

"If they don't, we'll have to hope our last resort pays off," Sokka said, hands on his hips.

"You ought to get going, then," Zuko said, jerking his head towards the Tribe's wall. "Someone's waiting for you, after all…"

"Heh, saying stuff like that almost sounds like you've missed him…" Sokka said, smirking as he stepped away from the igloo's door. Zuko scoffed, and the sound resulted in soft laughter from Sokka. "See you guys later tonight!"

Zuko didn't bid him goodbye, much as he hadn't greeted him, but Sokka made nothing of it as he hiked towards the village's exit. Soon, he trudged through the snow beyond the wall… and within moments, he stood before a recently constructed building that had kept the Tribe occupied – especially the waterbenders – over the past week.

It was a crude building, lacking the appropriate furnishing to serve the functions of an igloo… though it wasn't supposed to feature them, to begin with: the building Sokka marched towards, guarded by a small group of sullen warriors, was none other than the Tribe's brand-new prison.

Never before had such a building been necessary – even back when Sokka had planned to make the settlement's visitors their hostages, the idea had been to keep them under watch within the Fire Nation building. The settlement, however, was deemed unsafe for such purposes this time, seeing as it was quite distant from the Tribe, and even though Zuko and Kino had searched it recently, nobody knew if the settlement might host hidden weapons through which the captives could eventually fight back. Thus, a new building had been erected outside the Tribe's walls, close enough to their village that sending shifts of warriors to keep watch wouldn't be too strenuous on the Tribe.

Shackles and chains, handcuffs intended for anyone the soldiers might have needed to capture, had been stored safely within the settlement. Kino had known where to find them, and he had helped them scrounge up enough of them to keep their new prisoners properly restrained, unable to fight back, whether they were non-benders or firebenders… though, with the weather being what it was, it seemed the benders could scarcely bring themselves to conjure any flames anymore, let alone attempt to escape into a freezing landscape with no hopes of going north. They were stuck in the South Pole and they would remain there for the foreseeable future.

The warriors standing guard nodded in acknowledgement as Sokka stepped up: he had visited this place daily ever since it had been built, five days ago. The Fire Nation prisoners waited inside: so far, they had refused to give Sokka answers regarding any of the questions he'd asked, whether out of ignorance or rebelliousness. But it made no matter: he'd get the truth from them today, if there were any truths to be drawn at all.

"Want company in there, or…?" asked one of the young warriors who stood guard outside the prison. Sokka shook his head, stopping at the sole door of the building. It was made of solid ice, just like the rest of the building, all of it crafted hastily by Katara and Aang in the middle of a break from helping injured warriors. Some of the Fire Nation survivors had needed medical assistance as well, and Katara had offered them some relief… but only once she'd helped every member of the Tribe first. Despite wanting to keep the Fire Nation prisoners alive, Sokka had no qualms with his sister's priorities.

He waited quietly by the ice door, listening in on what little he could hear within the building. Voices reached him: one of them belonged to the angry commanding officer he had nearly left to drown.

"… Freezing my balls off in this nightmare of a festering iceberg isn't my idea of fulfilling the Fire Lord's will! Even if it takes us our lives, we must kill the Gladiator if the chance arises!"

"It won't! Are you daft? Did you forget fifty ships came into this wretched place and we're the only survivors? How the hell do you expect to kill the bastard before he guts you like a fish?!"

"There will be a chance! There must be! We are intended for something greater than just… remaining here as their playthings! When these savages lower their guard, we will strike back and destroy them!"

Sokka rolled his eyes, glancing at the warriors around himself with inquisitive eyes. They shook their heads, knowing what he meant to ask already.

"It's been that drivel for hours. If any of them were saying anything important, that idiot's screaming drowned their voices out," said the same warrior as before. Sokka sighed and shook his head.

"Well, time to shut him up, if that's how it is."

"Please, do."

Sokka's gloved hands fell upon the ice door and he shoved it open forcefully: the sounds of the arguing voices faded immediately as he stepped inside the scarcely-lit building – which, in turn, was comprised by a single, simple icy room. The prisoners had no facilities to speak of other than a small privy area constructed in a corner. Snow wasn't the worst blanket or pillow, but it certainly left much to be desired for men who longed for the warmth and comfort they had taken for granted through most their lives.

Still, those were small, petty concerns easily forgotten in the face of the terror the tall, imposing Gladiator instilled upon them with his presence. Every man in the room, crouching down, kneeling, or sitting, had shrunken away from the door immediately, and Sokka could see some of them trembling as he yanked his gloves off, tucking them into his parka's pocket. The movement allowed him to shift his shoulders, drawing their attention to his sword and club in a not-so-subtle threat, making it clear that he wouldn't hesitate to cut down anyone who took a single step out of line.

"What was that you were talking about? How you'd get a chance to kill everyone in the Tribe once we lowered our guard?" Sokka said, with a sardonic smile. His eyes fell upon the most frantic firebender, whose face was now lined with unkempt stubble after a week without shaving: the superior officer said nothing, and Sokka tilted his head sideways. "So quiet now. And you were so spirited a moment ago. I'd say the cat-owl got your tongue, the way Fire Nation people do… but no cat-owl would survive here, as you'd know. As for freezing your balls off… that requires having balls in the first place, doesn't it?"

The officer didn't seem to rise up to the threat merely because his fear still outdid his outrage. Sokka couldn't hold back from smirking slightly at the officer's submissiveness: he walked quietly to a small mound of snow Katara had gathered while building this place, a makeshift seat where Sokka and the warriors often rested when watching or attempting to question the Fire Nation men, all of whom remained restrained and sitting on the icy floor. So far, though, the prisoners had been as silent as could be, no doubt trained to keep quiet if they ever wound up in captivity.

Which meant that Sokka would need to resort to extreme measures to get what he wanted, and he had no compunctions left about doing so.

"Alright, then, it's been a week since you reached our shores, something I doubt you lot have noticed, since days and nights tend to look very much alike in the South Pole," Sokka said, conversationally. "One week since your fleet barreled through the bay only to get sunken, blown up, frozen and destroyed by a handful of… savages, yes? It's quite ironic that you'd say it as an insult. By now, I can't help but wonder what it says of you people if savages can destroy your long-prepared, careful operation as easily as we did. Not sophisticated enough to handle savages, are you? Guess the Fire Nation could use a bit more savage influence if it wants to be more effective, eh?"

His attempts to rile up the men landed where he wanted them to, though they still held back from saying anything. Well, he'd have to prod them a little further, then…

"Though… it is true that I shouldn't speak as though you were a completely uniform nation, huh?" Sokka said, resting against the wall with a sigh. "There was one person in the Fire Nation who knew better. The only one who had any sense in her head, of course. Had she been behind this attack, well… she would've obliterated our whole Tribe in a heartbeat with all the resources Ozai squandered. But see, she wouldn't have done that… because Azula knew the value of savages like myself, unlike you brainless lot."

"Don't… don't you dare speak of her," the commanding officer finally snapped, and Sokka sneered at the fool's attempt to defend the Princess's honor – as though he had been insulting her at all. "Or of the Fire Lord! Or I shall burn your unworthy tongue until it shrivels into coal inside your mouth…!"

"Pfft, into coal? Do you even know what coal is made of?" Sokka smirked. "Man, they really don't teach you guys much of anything in school. Makes me wonder how the blazes Azula managed to assemble a full group of intelligent Royal Guards. I mean, I suppose it's not that hard to identify actual competence if the difference between them and the rest of you lot was so vast, but still…"

"How dare you speak this way of your betters…?!"

"My betters?" Sokka repeated again, smirking as he leaned in, looking at the miserable soldier with as much condescendence as he could muster. "Do I have to remind you of who was pitifully begging for his life, and whose hand chose to save you?"

"You might as well have left us all to die in the water!" the commanding officer declared. "For if you hoped to get information out of us, you're out of luck! Nothing you say will ever make us talk! Nothing!"

"Nothing, eh? I wonder about that," Sokka raising his eyebrows. "For someone on a vow of silence, you sure seem ready to break it."

It was as though he had slammed a frying pan on the man's face. Maybe he hadn't said anything important or incriminating yet… but he had been talking, just as the Gladiator had intended. The soldier snarled, falling silent as Sokka relaxed once more against the wall.

"Alright, now that we've warmed up… anyone else, if you'd please? I really don't care to listen to mindless Fire Lord propaganda, and it seems that's the only thing that runs through this loser's bloodstream," Sokka said, glancing across the room. "You've had one week to finally realize nothing is going to get any better: no soldiers, no reinforcements, are coming your way. One answer, and you'll get one life improvement. Sleeping bags ought to sound like a dream, right? How about a fireplace? That's probably…"

"They'll never talk!" the commanding officer said.

Sokka rolled his eyes before kicking towards him: his sole stopped mere inches from where the man's nose had been, and the man screamed shamefully as he leapt back. Sokka crooked an eyebrow as he drew back his leg once more, a skeptical, bored expression on his face.

"I said… I wasn't talking to you anymore. Not sure anyone's ever wanted to do that, to begin with," Sokka said, glancing across the room. "New offer: speak now and I put this one in solitary confinement on an iceberg somewhere. How about it?"

"Don't you…!" the officer nearly squealed, looking at the others warily, genuinely fearful that they might take Sokka up on his latest offer. The Gladiator snorted, amused.

"So much trust you put in your fellow soldiers, eh? Guess you really think there's a price to their loyalty," Sokka said, rising to his feet anew as he paced through the room. "I've asked my questions about a thousand times, but just in case you've forgotten them, I'll ask them once more…"

The soldiers shivered as Sokka stepped among them, gauging them, studying each of their small reactions. His eyes narrowed, regarding every soldier as though their lives were a commodity he could easily do without…

"What were the Fire Lord's exact orders when he sent you here?" he said, first.

He waited for five seconds, then for ten more. The shivering soldiers offered no answers.

"What has he said, publicly, about why he wants me hunted down?" he continued. "Has there been another self-important announcement, claiming no sacrifice is too costly if it brings about the advancement of the Fire Nation? For, yes, that includes your lives, and those of everyone who perished in the bay a week ago. Do you have the slightest clue of why he wants me found and destroyed? What is the official story?"

Again, nothing. He sighed, shaking his head as he clenched his fists, near-unwilling to ask the last questions, the ones whose answers he feared the most:

"Did the Crown Princess return home?" he said, brow furrowed. "If so: on what capacity? Is she a prisoner, or has he granted her actual mercy? What has he done to her, if he granted her no such thing? Was she injured, punished… executed?"

He wasn't sure how he had the strength to utter the final word, and he saw a few of the prisoners flinching, perhaps fearful of that final possibility as well. Sokka's brow drew together when no one spoke.

"Nothing, then? You lot are seriously just a pack of trembling hyena-weasels who no longer have it in them to laugh?" Sokka said, stopping at the building's back wall. "Either you're very loyal to the Fire Lord, which is rather stupid, considering your lives are meaningless to him, as you already know… or you're even more stupid than that, and you truly know nothing of what's happening, and you're giving your lives to fight a war without understanding what's at stake. Which one is it? Much easier answer this question, it's one answer or the other… no need to really think about it much. First or second? Eh? Or is it neither thing and the actual answer is even more underwhelming than I expected?"

Nothing, and it seemed the commanding officer was proud, pleased with himself and his men, for staying true to the Fire Lord's orders.

Well, so be it.

"As we speak…" Sokka said, stepping towards one silent member of the group, the one who had trembled and cowered the least since Sokka had arrived. "The Tribe's preparing a celebration of our victory and success over you lot. There will be dancing, revelry and food… everyone will be rejoicing in the fact that we're alive, and most of your fleet is not. I, however, don't feel like celebrating much."

Sokka sighed as he continued to walk by the back of the building, followed by uneasy glances. He breathed deeply and sighed, hands on his hips.

"I learned a thing or two after all those years I spent in the Fire Nation. I realized your people aren't quite the despicable, unforgivable monsters many of us assume you are, based on how willing you've always been to fulfill the Fire Lord's orders. On the most part… you people really don't know any better. You're taught to follow him, to die for him if you must, and you're deluded into believing that this will somehow strengthen the Fire Nation's glory. Then, you even witness the deaths of thousands of your comrades, you watch as the Fire Lord doesn't move a single finger to save them, you let him immolate all of you in some vain attempt to seek a revenge that he's not entitled to pursue… and you still are quite so misguided as to think that your lives aren't worth more than his vanity projects.

"So many of your fellow soldiers, sailors and engineers died… and I can't help but wonder how many of them realized, right as the freezing waters were claiming them, that they'd wasted their lives on a misguided errand, a mission fated to fail, because I refused to let your Fire Lord get away with any more of his shit. On their very last breaths and moments of lucidity, their lives wound up amounting to nothing… because Ozai decided every single one of you was worth sacrificing. And I wouldn't even compare you with cattle animals, those have a purpose after death… you lot? Nothing. You'll go forgotten, just mere numbers for a man who never fails to remind you that any sacrifice is worth making for the sake of his so-called progress and glory…"

Sokka shook his head, gazing over the group: some looked remorseful, others scared… even those who seemed fiercely unwilling to listen to him, like the commanding officer, wavered and doubted after the words he'd just spoken. Perhaps the indoctrination hadn't been as effective as Ozai had intended… hopefully, anyway.

"As far as I'm concerned, no life should be sacrificed for this mess. Water Tribe or Fire Nation… there's been so many deaths as it is that the idea of seeing anyone else die, whether by driving my sword through their guts or simply by leaving them to be claimed by death at sea, is revolting to me. I was a child when I thought I wanted all your people dead… I don't want that anymore. Every death on your side is just part of the toll of meaningless violence that this world should have never seen, ever…"

He stopped behind the silent, calm man he'd singled out before. The soldier dared shoot him an insolent glare, and Sokka returned it fiercely.

"But if the only way to stop the Fire Lord from attacking my Tribe again is to slaughter your entire nation… so be it."

"W-what…?!" the commanding officer whimpered, no doubt having expected a much more merciful declaration from the Gladiator after that last speech.

Sokka wasted no more time: they had pushed him this far, and it was time they understood what a dire mistake they had made in doing so.

The soldier he'd targeted screamed pitifully when he clasped him by the neck, yanking him up to his feet.

"What are you…?!" the commanding officer gasped, as others rose to their feet.

"Set him down! At once!" said another soldier… who balked when the edge of Sokka's knife hovered right by the pulse point of the man he'd seized.

"I'm thinking it's time you lot realize just how serious I am, since apparently my willingness to destroy your whole fleet didn't convey the message properly," Sokka explained, nonchalantly. "This fool will be questioned, alone. If he gives me no answers, he dies. Then, I'll pick another one of you, and on and on we shall continue until I get what I want. Have I made myself clear?"

"Stop!" the second soldier exclaimed, urgently. "Please, you…! You just said you don't want our deaths! You don't have to do this!"

"You're making me do this by keeping your silence and your secrets…" Sokka said, his glacial glare piercing into the man's soul. "I've offered kindness, clemency… and I've received no answer for them at all. Maybe, then, it's time that I act the way your Fire Lord acts, as that's the only thing you'll respond to. The civilized diplomacy of the savages is far too nice for the lot of you, I take it? Is it any wonder that I'd have to resort to your uncivilized disregard for lives instead?"

"No, please!" the soldier exclaimed, as another man shifted towards Sokka, still on his knees – a sailor, this time.

"D-don't kill anyone else, please don't kill anyone else, we're powerless! Please, we know nothing…!"

"That's funny: I don't believe you," Sokka smirked: he clenched his hostage even tighter, and the man whimpered pitifully as the blade appeared to dance over his neck, ever teasing to go further with its cruel threat…

"No more troops are meant to come here!"

Finally, an answer. Sokka raised his eyebrows, glancing at a third soldier who'd risen to his feet. The commanding officer gasped, outraged by this so-perceived betrayal.

"We… we were supposed to kill you ourselves, with those fifty ships, nothing more!" he continued, shivering. "And… no, we weren't briefed as to why. Nobody knew why you'd become a villain for the Fire Nation…!"

"Most of us just guessed you ran away," said the earlier sailor. "B-betrayed the Fire Lord, somehow?"

"Heh. I owed the piece of shit no allegiance I could have ever betrayed in the first place," Sokka snarled, but he didn't rescind his threat yet. "And? What of Azula? Nothing to say about her, then?"

The prisoners fell silent this time, and Sokka's blood near boiled for it. This had been his plan all along, but a dark anger thrummed in his bloodstream as he enacted it.

"Well. Guess you've made your choice," he hissed.

Without the slightest hint of remorse, Sokka shoved the prisoner he'd picked out, keeping his knife on his back now: the others gasped, immediately realizing he led the man to the door.

"No! Don't do this, please!" exclaimed one of the soldiers. "We know nothing! We've heard nothing about her, please…!"

"What a coincidence: I'm hearing nothing, just as well!" Sokka snarled, shoving the prisoner past the ice doors.

The man fell face-first into the snow as Sokka turned around, regarding the prisoners with unyielding cruelty from the building's threshold. The warriors standing there held their spears and boomerangs at the ready, threatening to slaughter the prisoners if they made a single wrong move. Cold as the South Pole might be, the steel in the Gladiator's eyes seemed all the colder still.

"Yet another death on your consciences, isn't it?" Sokka said, unsheathing his sword now: it gleamed darkly as the moonlight reflected against it. "Today, your lies and willingness to withhold the truth from me have cost the life of yet another Fire Nation man. I just hope that, once I'm through with him, the rest of you will be much more compliant."

"Don't do this! Please, he's just another soldier, he couldn't know any better…!" the previous soldier exclaimed, turning towards the commanding officer with a snarl. "You! Tell him what he needs to know!"

"I…! I have nothing to say! And you're just a common soldier, how dare you give me any orders?!"

"Are you barking mad?! Are you so fucking daft you can't tell we're all under threat of death here?!" exclaimed another soldier, furious. "Who the fuck do you expect is going to give you a medal of honor for refusing to disclose information to our enemies, eh?! Fuck this, just talk already!"

"There's nothing to talk about! I know nothing!" the man reiterated, though there was a definite hint of fear in his voice: the last thing he had expected was for his own men to turn against him.

Sokka sighed, shaking his head at their increasingly aggressive argument before sheathing his knife. He stood next to the whimpering soldier he'd singled out earlier, his eyes set on the other prisoners still.

Then, he raised Space Sword and aimed it towards the commanding officer, effectively silencing everyone within the prison.

"You…" he said: Space Sword's extraordinary edge gleamed dangerously anew. "You'll be next."

The man yelped just before Sokka gestured at the warriors to shut the ice doors again. They did as much quickly, though many remained on edge, holding their weapons firmly.

"Okay… that was ugly," said one of the warriors, glancing at Sokka warily. "Maybe… maybe you should send us some back-up. I'm afraid they might try to escape or so, after this…"

"Sure. I'll let the others know," Sokka said, nodding as he sheathed his sword, leaning down to pick up the soldier he'd taken out of the prison and slinging him over his shoulder unceremoniously. The man yelped, though not fearfully anymore. "Hopefully they'll be so busy tearing at each other's throats that they won't try to break out anytime soon."

"Hopefully," said the warrior, nodding in his direction. "We'll keep them in check if they try, though. No way they can beat us in these conditions."

"I hope so," Sokka smiled nodding too. "Thanks for backing me up. I'll send more warriors to help soon."

With that, he marched back towards the Tribe, his so-called prize wobbling carelessly over his shoulder. After about fifty strides, the man finally raised his head and released a happy sigh.

"I really thought you'd leave me in there until after the feast… I'm starving, Sokka."

The Gladiator smirked, glancing at the man who languished carelessly over his shoulder. Kino grinned back at him in a lazy manner, no doubt relieved to finally leave the company of the soldiers he had spent a whole week spying on.

"I asked them to keep it on hold until the week had passed," Sokka informed him. "Figured you'd appreciate the meal… and I also figured you could use the reward for a job well done. Because… it was a job well done, right?"

"Eh… not as well as you'd hope," Kino said, grimacing. Sokka sighed in disappointment as they crossed the Tribe's walls. "I tried to coax a few of them into talking more, but it does seem like most of them have no idea about what caused all this? I mean…"

"It's okay. You'll share it all in a moment, right after we get you home," Sokka sighed.

It was no surprise that Ozai's so-called shame over Azula's sins would result in a void of information in the Fire Nation. Sokka had no choice but to terrorize the prisoners to the best of his ability, however, if he wanted to know the full truth. Until they truly feared for their lives, until they discarded every shred of hope of survival unless they danced to his tune, Sokka wouldn't believe the soldiers truly had given him everything they knew. If they hadn't given him enough answers to save themselves after today, the unfortunate likelihood was that they simply didn't have any other answers to give in the first place.

While still busy with the messenger hawk, Aang jumped to his feet when Sokka returned, lowering Kino onto the snow again once they stood by the igloo's open door. A smile broke over the Avatar's face upon identifying the two arrivals: Sokka drew out Space Sword anew, hacking Kino's shackles loose before the former soldier could enter the building, waving cheerfully at the Avatar on his way inside.

"Kino! Finally! This place felt so empty this last week…" Aang laughed as he hugged his friend. Kino snickered as he responded to the hug.

"Good to know I've been missed!" he exclaimed, pulling back. "And here I thought you'd be best friends with the messenger hawk by now and forgotten all about me!"

"Oh, I'm trying to be best friends with him, but he's stubborn and doesn't like what I feed him," Aang smiled awkwardly. Kino chuckled as he knelt by the bird, gesturing at him playfully.

"Bet you'll like it better when I feed you lots and lots of meat, won't you, little guy? That's right! Who's a good baby bird? Whoooo…?"

The messenger hawk appeared utterly perplexed over being babied by Kino, but it didn't attempt to attack the former soldier in any way. The Gladiator released a breath as he lingered by the door, surprising both the occupants of this igloo.

"Give me a moment, alright? I've got to ask some more warriors to help keep the prisoners in line, just in case they decide to stop fighting among themselves and choose to fight us," Sokka clarified. Kino nodded quickly, though Aang's face was tainted by apprehension now. "Relax for a bit, Kino, and then you'll tell me everything when I get back."

"Go on, sure thing!" Kino grinned, nodding in Sokka's direction.

The plan to use Kino as a spy among the Fire Nation prisoners hadn't been immediate, but they had come up with it shortly after the battle had ended: when they had discussed what to do with the Fire Nation survivors, Sokka had made it clear that he hoped to get answers from them regarding the current state of the Fire Nation, particularly of the consequences of Ozai's wrath. Zuko had warned him that the soldiers would surely be trained not to talk under normal conditions, and that unless he was willing to torture them – which Sokka wasn't –, he might run face-first into a wall he couldn't climb when trying to break the soldiers' devotion to their Fire Lord.

Sokka had immediately pointed out that breaking Kino's devotion hadn't taken that much work… only to pick up on the surprising opportunity the former soldier's changed allegiance would provide for them. Perhaps the Fire Nation soldiers would refuse to speak to an enemy… but they would gladly speak with a fellow soldier, wouldn't they?

Thus, when the small prison had been erected, a fully uniformed Kino had been among the first soldiers to get tossed into the building. None of the soldiers had been confused or surprised by his presence, Sokka had confirmed as much on the first day, and upon visiting the prison for every subsequent day, too. Kino's strange ability to go completely unnoticed among his Fire Nation peers had turned into a double-edged weapon… and one that made him the perfect spy to gain information through far nicer means than those Zuko had claimed would be the only way to break a Fire Nation soldier.

For, in the end, Sokka didn't care to break them at all: he simply wanted information. This was one method to that end, and a far more peaceful one than subjecting soldiers to worse torments than locking them in a frigid place, in pitiful living conditions. Said conditions would be likely to improve in the coming days, whether the soldiers offered proper information or not, but not by a large margin. Sokka intended to keep their prisoners locked up for the foreseeable future, and he certainly hoped they'd realize that forcing an escape would only result in their meaningless deaths, same as those of the countless men who had either drowned in the bay or been cut down by the Water Tribe's fighters a week ago.

A group of warriors lingered comfortably among furs by the central fireplace: his father sat among them. He had been hindered by his injuries over the past days, but Katara's quick treatment had amended the worst of the damage quickly. He smiled as Sokka approached and the son bowed his head respectfully in his father's direction.

"Brought Kino back, at last?" Hakoda asked. Sokka nodded.

"Yeah, I freaked out the other prisoners as best I could, but they were somewhat volatile when I left," Sokka said, glancing at the other nearby warriors. "Is anyone available to reinforce the prison's guards? It might not be necessary in the end, but it's better to be cautious…"

"Ah, we can handle it," another warrior spoke, smiling positively at Sokka. "Five, six men would do?"

"Sure," Sokka nodded appreciatively at the man's ready offer, "Thanks."

Hakoda shifted on his pelts; Sokka leaned down beside him as the other warrior rallied others for their new, temporary task. Hakoda released a slow sigh, running a hand over his graying hair.

"Must say… it's been one hell of a week," he chuckled, glancing at his son wistfully. "How're you holding up? Did they give away anything important yet?"

"Not a lot," Sokka said, biting his lip. "Apparently, they were the only ones tasked with this job… at least, that's what one of them said. But then they also admit the Fire Lord isn't all that forthright with information, which begs the question of how reliable anything they know might be. So far… they've shared nothing about her. No idea if they said anything about her to Kino, I'll go ask him now."

"Then go on, my boy," Hakoda said, with a weak smile that waned quickly. "Sokka?"

The Gladiator turned towards his father quickly, freezing on his motions before he could stand up. His father's worried gaze, and the hand he placed on Sokka's shoulder, grounded him for one more moment.

"What we talked about before… I still stand by it" he said, softly. "Before they attacked, I mean."

"I know, Dad," Sokka nodded, gritting his teeth.

"You have a plan, I can see it," Hakoda smiled sadly. "I won't stop you this time… I only hope you can share it with me in full, once you're ready."

Sokka smiled, wrapping an arm around his father's shoulders and offering him a quick hug. It was all he could do to reassure him… for yes, he had a plan, but developing it was a slow process. Its success hinged on convincing certain members of the Tribe to partake in it… and on how believable a deceit he could feed Ozai, from a distance, regarding the outcome of the battle of the South Pole.

He returned to Kino and Aang, watching as the group of reinforcements made their way back to the prison. A glance towards the prison revealed that, despite his fears, it seemed everything was still in order in the building's premises.

"Someone would have to be pretty stupid to try and break out of there while weakened over the weather, poorly fed and utterly cut off from any chances of escape or survival…" Sokka recited to himself, releasing a slow sigh. "But I suppose at least one of them might be that stupid."

He sighed as he ducked inside the igloo again, closing the door behind himself: Kino slurped sea prunes happily, the ones Aang had attempted to feed the messenger hawk earlier. Sokka offered them a quick smile, as Kino, with his mouth full, waved in his direction.

"All done now?" Aang asked. Sokka nodded, yanking his parka over his head and setting it aside as he sat before the igloo's fire.

"Yeah. Time for you to give up everything you know, soldier," Sokka said, the menace in his voice coated with teasing. Kino chuckled before swallowing another mouthful of prunes.

"No need to be so harsh, you know I'll tell you everything," he said, grinning. "Though… like I said, it doesn't seem like a lot of them knew much? At least, nothing too important. The annoying sergeant guy was always talking, but mostly about himself and what a great officer he was, and how the Fire Lord would honor us as heroes if we all died as long as we killed you too, blah blah blah…"

"Ironic words coming from a man who begged to be saved by the enemy," Sokka said, with a tight-lipped grin. "Anyway… do you think what the other guys told me is true?"

"Uh, yeah, on the most part. It does seem like the Fire Lord's being secretive about everything lately," Kino said, grimacing. "Most of them just heard weird stuff about the Capital… that there had been protests over the Gladiator League being closed? Or, well, attempts to protest. Looks like the Domestic Forces shut everything down pretty quickly."

"Fuck…" Sokka sighed, shaking his head.

"The brother of one of the sailors was a sponsor on the lower levels of the ranking, from what he said," Kino continued. "That's why he knew some things about it, but not enough…"

"That he didn't backtrack on shutting down the League is no surprise, but… ugh, it's also no surprise that he'd kill his own citizens to make sure nobody contests his bullshit," Sokka scowled.

"Yeah, well…" Kino shrugged. "Considering he sent so many of them here just to kill you…"

"He thought they'd be enough to get the job done," Sokka mused, rubbing his brow with his fingertips. "But whenever he learns of what truly happened, the last thing he'll care about is the number of lives lost to his pathetic schemes. Anyway… did they know anything about Azula? Whether she's been captured again or not, or…? Heck, even about the guards?"

"Ah!" Kino gasped at the last question, and Sokka flinched involuntarily. "The ones who used to be stationed in Whaletail Island did receive the orders to track down a group of rogue guards some time before this mission, but they didn't find anything, and they have no idea if anyone else did."

"Then… they really did get away," Sokka said, letting out a relieved sigh. "At least, it sounds like they weren't caught by the time these guys were reassigned to attack here. That's one small bit of good news in all this mess, at the very least."

"They were your friends, right?" Kino asked, and Sokka nodded "That captain you talk about in Mari's stories, uh, captain Baohu…?"

"His real name is Rui Shi," Sokka smiled.

"Rui Shi, huh," Kino hummed. "Well, it does sound like they eluded the Fire Lord so far. Not a lot of the soldiers who survived came from Whaletail Island, but from my understanding, most of the fleet was comprised by ships that had been stationed there. Meaning…"

"Whaletail Island isn't so well-protected anymore," Aang said, a hand on his chin.

"It should be difficult for them to assemble their forces and attack us again. Which matches what that guy said," Sokka reasoned. "Ozai doesn't have anyone at the ready to strike back at us just yet. He didn't expect he'd need any back-up plans, whatsoever."

"Seems so," Kino said, biting his lip. "And, well, as for the Princess… all I could get out of them is that some rumors say she was taken to the Fire Nation on an airship, but I don't know if it's true. None of them do."

Sokka's stomach sank, as his hand tightened into a fist. Kino grimaced at his expression, but Sokka gestured with his other hand, encouraging him to continue.

"The prisoners just… theorized that you might have taken her captive or something?" Kino said, reluctantly. "That she somehow escaped and was saved by the airship or whatever, that this is why the Fire Lord hates you now…"

"Oh, so I was in league with her guards, and we dragged her out here to the South Pole for shits and giggles?" Sokka asked: if he weren't so outraged, the notion might even amuse him.

"It seems that they concluded that you… y-you took advantage of her being, well, not in her best health after whatever happened back in the Capital?" Kino said, his voice smaller and smaller by the minute. "You know, what you said to us… about that spear and all that mess. They seemed to know very little about that, too…"

"Ozai made an announcement after that," Sokka snarled. "He… he told his people to pray for her. He acknowledged that she'd defeated the threat, but that she had taken wounds during that battle."

"Most people have heard very little about her ever since, though," Kino said, biting his lip. "I tried to bring her up by saying she'd be outraged about all this, you know, since I figure that's what all these Fire Nation loyalists would say… and all of them agreed, wholeheartedly, and just started rambling about how you must have taken her captive because she was still weakened, and you corrupted the guards, and all sorts of mad bullshit like that. But… no matter how the conversation progressed, no one seemed to know anything about what the Princess is going through right now. No one said anything about a relationship between you two. So… the Fire Lord really must be trying to keep it quiet."

"He's ashamed of it, goes without saying," Sokka said, running a hand over his hair. "The last thing he wants is for everyone to know about it. But if he keeps up this shit… they'll be sure to find out sooner than later. As stupid as some people may be, others… they're a lot more perceptive than he'll expect. The last time we went to the Northern Air Temple, we found out some people there even held bets regarding whether Azula and I were together or not. We… we thought we'd hidden well on our first visit, but that didn't stop them from guessing at what was happening between us. How many others would have guessed too? Without even bringing up those who outright knew the truth, even without our awareness…"

"Well… the problem is the Fire Lord can probably tell them that you brainwashed her and hypnotized her into falling in love with you and they'd believe it," Kino said, with a grimace. "And I know because… I would've believed it, if I hadn't been taken in by the Water Tribe. They… they don't want us to think for ourselves at all. They control all information, everything conveyed to the people, and they will twist it into whatever is most convenient for them. Then, when we're left bereft of their alleged protection, which doesn't really exist…"

"Only then do you actually slow down to ponder if any of the lies they've force-fed you were worth believing," Sokka finished. Kino nodded, sadly.

"When Aang and Katara made me feel important, when they took me from the settlement, I… I think it was a wake-up call, without my awareness. To them, I wasn't just another soldier to boss around. I was my own person… someone who could help them, even if just by gathering whatever information I might get my hands on. I didn't need much more than that to realize that… that I'd never be more than another nobody, a nameless figure, a man replaceable by that weird Kino with the strong jaw and the wrong ideograms on the wanted poster in Whaletail Island. I'd like to think some of these guys are realizing this now, but…"

"They might need more time to really understand it?" Aang guessed. Kino nodded.

"Well, whether they do come around or not… it's out of our hands," Sokka determined, frowning heavily. "No real information about Azula, other than that she was found, isn't much use… but knowing that they're not ready to attack again yet is good news. It means things can move along the way I intended."

"How so?" Kino asked, glancing at Sokka with curiosity. "What's your plan?"

Sokka breathed out, rising to his feet. His gaze traveled towards the messenger hawk: it only had Aang's staff to perch upon, so it rested there. Its message container had carried a scroll meant to request reinforcements by reporting the nefarious outcome of the battle: the container was empty now, but it remained strapped to the hawk's body all the same. Sokka had read the letter after Aang offered it to him upon bringing the captured hawk back to the South Pole's shores – the Avatar had been thorough about ensuring that no other birds would take off to report the situation after parting ways with Katara during the battle, and none had.

"First of all… I'll have to persuade Aang to let the hawk go, no matter how attached he might be," Sokka said, with a weak smile. Aang pouted a little, but he smiled in surrender soon enough. "We're sending a message to the Fire Lord to prevent any other attacks, at least for the coming days…"

"Wait… we're going to write an official message? Pass it off as genuine?" Kino asked, puzzled. Sokka nodded.

"We do have a message we can build up ours from, right?" Sokka said, with a careless shrug. "If we need a specific seal to make it feel more authentic, I guess I'll have to ask you and Katara to search the ships and get us one, Aang. Might be some of the ships that didn't sink completely will have something of the sort in their towers. The topmost cabins probably are the ones that belonged to the commanding officers, so I guess that's where you'd have to search."

"Got it," Aang nodded. "How about looking for something of the sort in the settlement, though…?"

"Nah, that won't work," Kino shook his head. "Each seal will be different, if just for a few small elements. If we sign with the seal of the soldiers from the settlement, it's possible they'll recognize it's a lie because it's been unused for three, four years, however long it's been since it was emptied…"

"Ugh. Guess that makes sense," Aang grimaced, tapping his chin.

"We'll have to hope there's something we can use," Sokka said, hands on his hips. "I would have sent you guys to find it sooner, but with how messy the past days have been…"

"Katara's been working herself harder than ever, healing everyone she can," Aang said, gazing at the fire mournfully. "I've tried to do it too, you know? The healing, but… I can't seem to make it work. I'd give her a hand if only I could…"

"All of us would," Sokka said, folding his arms over his chest. "I've told her to take a break after today's rounds, but hell knows if she'll actually do it."

"She can take a break after the feast's done, though, right?" Kino said, picking another prune and devouring it gladly.

"Well… to a fault, she can."

Sokka's response surprised his two friends. They recognized the stern scowl on his face as that of purpose and intent… they traded a quick, puzzled glance before turning to Sokka once more.

"Is something going to happen after the feast?" Kino asked, raising an eyebrow.

"On the next day… I want us to have a meeting," Sokka said. "We need to discuss our next steps from this point on. The main purpose of my return has been fulfilled now: the Tribe is safe… but it won't be long before our deceit about the battle's outcome becomes clear to the Fire Lord. We won't be able to keep him at bay forever."

"And you have an idea on how to deal with that?" Aang asked. "Well, other than whatever you plan on doing with the messenger hawk?"

"A few ideas. Not everyone's bound to like them… but they may do the trick," Sokka said, biting his lip. "Keeping Ozai's focus elsewhere, however, will be the priority. If I can get him to do that… it means the Tribe will stay safe."

The implications of his words suggested truths Aang immediately suspected Katara would be displeased by: did Sokka intend to leave? To play the bait and direct Ozai's destruction away from the Water Tribe? How would he capture the Fire Lord's attention long enough to see to that, though…?

Kino's confusion only increased by now. He glanced at Sokka with perplexity, trying to reason with the Gladiator's words:

"How are you going to distract him away from here at all…? No, actually, let's backtrack for a moment: what exactly are you planning on writing in that letter to the Fire Lord?"

The question had gone unasked so far… but Sokka smirked as he responded, a hint of mischief blended with his steely purpose and determination:

"That I'm dead, of course."

---

A week had passed since the day Azula had been officially diagnosed as pregnant by the Head Sage and the physicians. In that time, she hadn't left her bedroom still, same as before… but some things had changed, nonetheless.

For one thing, servants brought her meals directly to her room once again, although Renkai still carried the trays in and out of her room on each occasion. He stood stalwart by her door, for the most part… but one more thing that had changed was that Azula wanted him to fulfill that duty indeed, no longer as bothered by his presence due to the main thing that had changed: she hadn't seen Zhao at all since he'd stormed out of her room after her pregnancy was revealed.

She would have been a fool if she hadn't considered Zhao might have seen right through her already. It was entirely possible, entirely disturbing… yet her hands were tied. She lacked the power to seek out Zhao and make peace with him, though the truth was that she didn't want to do it to begin with: sleep seldom was restful these days, but not feeling Zhao's presence on the other side of her bed allowed her to feel safer than she had since the accursed wedding had been held. She also felt freer, even within the confines of her room, ever since the day her pregnancy had been revealed.

Despite embracing that new, moderate sensation of freedom, she didn't dare venture out of her room just yet. If her father had given orders to ensure she was fed, that was certainly a step-up… but she had no idea how far she could push, if perhaps the noose around her neck was tighter than it appeared to be right now. She communicated with her weakened, miserable dragon through her mind, and as relieved as he was for her new status, he found very little relief in her circumstances: both Azula and Xin Long remained Ozai's prisoners, to this day. Figuring out how to set him free was still one of Azula's top priorities, but the dragon insisted that she should focus on herself instead. He would be fed more often lately, as large chunks of uncooked meat were pushed into the refuge by the soldiers with a large pole. Water would be tossed at him in a most humiliating manner from above, but he'd drink as much of it as he could, letting the rest of it bathe away his filth. Few thoughts brought Xin Long any joy anymore but imagining his jaws clamping down on Ozai's head certainly had become his favorite fantasy. Azula indulged in it with him on her darkest days… knowing, however, that the likelihood of seeing it happen was slim, to say the least.

Still, as miserable as she was, Azula knew she had the better end of the deal compared to her long-suffering dragon. She still lacked strong plans to set him free, and that, above all else, was why she wanted to take advantage of her father's potentially loosened-up behavior these days. He hadn't visited her, not once… and, naturally, she preferred it that way. She was much better off with the very limited company she'd kept lately: Renkai did enter the room whenever he brought food or took the trays back to the kitchens, and he offered Azula more of his deadpan answers when they spoke, usually more humorous than she'd expect, or than he'd intend… but the one who spent practically every waking moment with Azula was, naturally, Rei.

The young woman's progress with reading and writing took Azula by surprise. The Princess had wanted her to read the same books several times, so she could grow accustomed to identifying the symbols: soon enough, Rei had started imitating and rewriting each ideogram of her own accord, trying her best to memorize them. For a young woman who had been so quick to dismiss herself as unintelligent, she proved she had a mind for intellectual pursuits, in Azula's opinion.

Perhaps too well-suited for them, as a matter of fact…

Rei smiled guiltily as Azula went over the simple math operations she'd tasked the girl with that day. Rei had expressed, quite shyly, an interest in learning something other than basic reading and writing, so Azula had agreed to change the subject. As good as to test the young woman, Azula had explained the basics of math… only to discover now that Rei appeared perfectly suited to the task, perhaps far better than for writing and reading.

"You're pulling my hair, aren't you?" Azula said, with a small smile of her own. "You knew how to do all this already, and you simply wanted to make fun of me when I inevitably gave you a not-so-challenging math problem instead of something more suitable for your prodigious mind…"

"I…! N-no!" Rei laughed, shaking her head. "I mean, I did understand a few things about math before this, from back in… well, back in my old life. I didn't get that many explanations about it, but I did learn how to count some things. Like… like money, for instance."

"Well, that makes this far too easy for you, in that case," Azula said, eyeing Rei expectantly. "From the look on your face, it appears you even like working with numbers. Would you prefer to do this for the day…? Or for all the coming days, come to think of it…?"

"Oh, I… I don't know," Rei said, though her enthusiastic grin couldn't be fully hidden away behind her shyness. Azula's eyes narrowed.

"You do need a good grasp on ideograms in order to read more advanced math books…" she said, almost with a sing-song voice. Rei bit her lip, flustered, but pleased.

"I will learn more words, then… for the math books," she smiled, and Azula chuckled before shaking her head.

"You're full of surprises, Rei. Who'd have thought you'd be so keen on math?" she said, glancing again at the simple operations she'd chosen for the girl. Azula hadn't studied any math for years, and she was afraid she had forgotten a lot of what she hadn't applied to real life situations… but some of her remaining books from her school days would be sure to feature complex math processes and operations that Rei might enjoy unraveling.

To this moment, Azula wasn't entirely sure why she found it so gratifying to work with the young woman, to help someone else. It might have been force of habit by now… a habit she most definitely hadn't known, practiced or developed until some years ago. She remembered all too well how a certain someone had teased her about her willingness to help others, once she had started doing it without his encouragement… would he be proud of her now, seeing how she'd use whatever was left of her life to help someone else? She wanted to believe he would be…

So far, Rei's upbringing remained a mystery for Azula. She had pieced a few things together, to a fault, but Azula wasn't sure she was ready to grasp the full picture just yet. From Zhao's own admission years ago, Rei was no slave… but going by what Azula had understood so far, perhaps she had become an Honorary Citizen after Zhao had taken her in. The girl's chagrin upon making even the slightest mistake told Azula that she had received no end of reprimands for any slip-ups in the past… perhaps even physical reprimands. The thought irked Azula, but she was no stranger to the darker realities of the world she had been born to. As cruel as her own father had been to her over the past months, countless other people had seen their own share of cruelty, sometimes by the hand of their own parents as well.

Her current guess was that Rei's mother, perchance, was a slave, somehow. That Rei had been brought up as one as well, in a crime den similar to Hui Yi or Shu Wo. The lack of schooling, yet her understanding of certain economic concepts suggested she had been brought up in a world where her education had never been a priority for anyone around her… but money had been prioritized for sure. When she dusted off every object in Azula's room she would handle them with as much care as possible, as though terrified of what might happen if she were to break even a small teacup. It could have been the behavior of someone who had never expected to find herself in a Palace, someone profoundly aware of the difference in status between herself and the world around her… but the flinching, the fear in her eyes, the willingness to shrink into the background whenever anything important happened, the hope to always go unnoticed, suggested there was far more going on under the surface than mere self-awareness.

The more confusing chunk of the puzzle, Azula guessed, was the part she didn't want to piece together just yet: for a girl as shy and innocent as Rei was in many regards, she hadn't voiced the slightest judgment regarding Azula's alleged conception of Zhao's child. She didn't seem disturbed by their considerable age difference. Azula hadn't attempted to talk to her about anything else to do with sex, for she certainly didn't even want to bring up the subject… but she would have expected far more shyness from Rei, far more judgement in those regards. The lack of them was no small clue… but it wasn't one Azula wanted to ponder too much.

Ultimately, the larger question worth asking was what kind of woman Zhao would seek intimacy with, let alone to a point where he'd gotten her with child. His take on romance had been apparent since long before their accursed wedding had taken place: he had told Sokka once that he'd get over Azula and find someone else easily enough. That there was no reason, virtually, for him to remain hung up on Azula when there were so many other women out there…

So Zhao didn't love Rei's mother, or if he had loved her, she had broken his heart badly enough that he had rescinded any belief in love altogether? Yet Azula had known Zhao since childhood. She certainly hadn't seen him all the time, of course, and adults would definitely hide many things from children… but she couldn't recall seeing him miserable at any point in time. He always had that confident smirk on his face when she had been young, that sophisticated charm with which he typically slithered out of any complicated situations… was his mask simply that good? Or was it he truly didn't care for Rei's mother, same as he hadn't cared for anyone else? Was it simply his philosophy, his policy, to disregard love as a pointless weakness? It was similar enough to Ozai's own philosophies, Azula supposed…

But it seemed to Azula that Zhao hadn't even known of Rei's existence for a long time. The young woman had implied as much upon saying that her mother had chosen her name: had Zhao not known he was a father until he had returned to the Fire Nation from the Siege of the North, when Ozai had called him back? He'd had many personal matters to handle over the course of his first months in the Fire Nation, Azula remembered as much… though she and Sokka had taken off to the Northern Air Temple shortly after Zhao's reappearance, so she'd find no further clues in his behavior when she hadn't even seen him for herself during those days. Had he, perhaps, learned of Rei's existence during that period and brought her to live with him, yanking her out of the only world she had known until then? Why? Did he harbor true affection for his daughter, despite apparently bearing none for her mother…?

If so, how had he spent almost a week without seeing her at all, after bringing Rei, against her will, to live in the Palace she was still growing accustomed to?

The more Azula tried to piece things together, the more her head hurt… and she had the feeling Rei felt the same way about her. She'd spot the girl watching her warily sometimes, chiefly whenever she shot one of her snappy remarks at Renkai: she wanted to understand why Azula was so harsh with the guard, naturally. She found it odd, seeing as Renkai had always been perfectly respectful with her… just as Azula had never showed her anything but kindness, too. Whatever bitterness the Princess felt towards the guard perplexed her… but she never asked questions about anything she didn't understand unless it involved her duties as a maid or her education.

To this moment, Azula suspected Rei knew nothing, had heard nothing, about Sokka. It was hard to believe anyone could be completely unaware of her Gladiator's existence when he meant the world to Azula and always would… but if Rei had been sheltered by Zhao ever since he'd taken her under his wing, and she knew next to nothing about the world beyond the walls of the Admiral's estate, she might have never even heard Azula had a gladiator. And if her life before Zhao had been as miserable as it appeared to be, she might have had next to no access to information about anything happening in the higher circles of the Fire Nation until now.

Still… perhaps it was better this way. Perhaps the two of them were better off turning their backs on their past by crafting a new bond together, as they had so far. As much as it hadn't been intentional, Azula felt comforted by Rei's presence and company. She hadn't realized she had assumed no one would smile genuinely at her again until Rei had disproven that subconscious belief of hers. Perhaps Rei hadn't expected anyone to offer her kindness, either… they suited each other's needs well enough, if just for the time being.

Azula stood by her as Rei continued to practice more ideograms, arms folded over her chest. Her stomach wasn't as unsettled today as it had been lately. She certainly felt healthier with every new day that passed, even if the weary weight that continued to dampen her spirits and burden her heart wouldn't fade at all…

The sound of Renkai's voice outside the room brought Azula to glance at the door mere instants before it swung open.

Resting as she had been, half-sitting on the desk by Rei's side, Azula rose to a full standing position when Admiral Zhao strode into the room for the first time in a week.

Renkai appeared tense, uneasy about letting him in, but the unkempt Zhao ignored him blatantly. Azula frowned, staring him down firmly… though she eased up when Rei flinched beside her: she spilled ink over her papers and leapt to her feet nervously, hunched over slightly as her guilt-ridden eyes fell upon the Admiral. As easily as that, the perfectly cheerful girl became the same anxious mess she had been the first time she had entered this room.

"Making nice, are we?" Zhao snapped: the viciousness in his voice only strengthened Azula's frown further.

"Making an appearance for the first time in a week, are we?" Azula responded, with far more strength and confidence than she'd spoken to him with since he'd collected her at sea. "Where were you?"

"Like you'd care to know," Zhao snapped back, stepping towards the cabinets by the dresser, at the other side of the room. Rei had successfully arranged his clothes in there after Azula had let her know which cabinets could be emptied for him to use, shortly after her first arrival. "I thought my wife would still be puking her innards out, but it seems you're doing quite well, aren't you?"

"Why does it sound like you'd rather I weren't?" Azula asked, bluntly. Next to her, Rei shivered, glancing at Azula with an urgent, wordless plea… as good as a warning. Azula's frown gained a tinge of perplexity: was she asking her not to antagonize Zhao? Was she afraid of being the one to face the consequences for it, if Azula kept going… or was she simply scared of what he might do to Azula?

"Because then I would be able to handle this upcoming, pointless meeting with your wetnurse, midwife or whatever she is on my terms, without your involvement whatsoever. The Fire Lord demands that you must be there, too," Zhao hissed, yanking clothes out of the cabinets before storming into the bathroom.

Azula scowled at his words: a midwife? Had her father called for one? She certainly had made no such requests herself… the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Why would she need a midwife when she was merely a month and a week into her pregnancy, officially? Technically, it was about two months instead, but no one was supposed to know that… and she certainly hoped this midwife, whoever she might be, wouldn't be able to recognize the deceit. If she were… curses, a new person, a new element tossed in the environment she had slowly gained better control over, was a disquieting thought. But there was nothing she could do about it, was there? As ever, her hands were tied: she had to accept her father's choices, every single one of them. Still, considering things hadn't gone so poorly with Rei, perhaps Azula could learn to navigate her circumstances with this new midwife, too…

Rei shivered visibly beside her, breaking her out of her thoughts: she flinched when Azula set a placating hand on her shoulder. Her eyes hadn't been quite so frightful since her first days in the Palace, as far as Azula could remember.

"It's okay, Rei," she said, softly. "He's… in a bad mood, sure, but you don't have to be so scared."

"I… I just…" Rei started, her eyes dropping to the floor quickly. Azula frowned, recognizing a new tinge of guilt in her demeanor: was she hiding something else beyond all the mysteries she already hid? She hadn't acted this way around Zhao before… but she had claimed he hadn't hurt her when he'd taken her out of Azula's room, a week ago. Had that been a lie? If not, what was so worrisome about seeing Zhao now, even if he was displeased, for whatever reason?

"What is it?" Azula asked. Rei swallowed hard and shook her head. Azula's lips tightened, and it seemed to her the young woman flinched again… this time, out of fear of having displeased her, instead. "You know, you don't need to talk to me if you don't want to. And if you do want to, you can say whatever it is you want to say. But Rei… you have nothing to fear from me, understand?"

Rei gritted her teeth before glancing at Azula again. The Princess raised her eyebrows, as though to encourage her to speak, but as Rei didn't seem to dare do it yet, she decided to make a guess as to why she was so apprehensive.

"I don't know what this matter of a midwife is about, frankly…" Azula admitted. "I won't pretend I'm comfortable with it, either. But if you'd rather not be here for it, that's alright."

"I… I don't know, I…" Rei said, shivering. Azula offered her a small smile.

"You can take a walk with Renkai, if you'd like. Maybe take some of your books and see if he can read any better than you can. Might be he can't, who knows…?"

Rei actually smiled a little at her jab at the Imperial Guard, and it seemed to Azula that she did find the offer agreeable… but she said nothing yet. Azula breathed out before stepping towards her own closet: Zhao claimed she'd need to be part of this meeting, albeit she certainly didn't wish to leave the safety of her room. Still… her father had arranged this, and as much as he'd done little direct harm to her over the past week, she wouldn't risk antagonizing him again.

Thus, Azula rummaged through her closet and sought a more ornate robe than the ones she'd usually wear for bed – the only outfits she'd worn for the past month. She flipped through each garment nonchalantly until she finally found one suitable for the occasion. It might have still been far too regal compared with what she felt like, these days… but it would have to do.

As Zhao had decided to clean up after his week on the road, wherever he'd been, Azula changed in the privacy of her empty dining room instead. By the time she stepped outside, clad in the black-and-red robe, Rei still stood awkwardly where she'd been before. Azula glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, and the young woman shrank in her frame again.

"Rei…" Azula spoke, softly. Rei sighed and stepped closer to the Princess, enough that neither Renkai, behind the once-again-closed door, nor Zhao, in the bathroom, could hear her next words.

"I… don't know if I should leave you alone with him."

Azula frowned, looking at her with uncertainty as well. Rei glanced at her desperately, knowing herself far too weak to stand up to her father, but willing to offer Azula whatever safety was possible by simply being around and, hopefully, by deterring Zhao from any harmful behavior towards his wife.

"You fear he… he might do something bad?" Azula asked, point-blank, keeping her voice low just as well. Rei, to her surprise, shrugged.

"He… I didn't wish to… t-to say anything, but I… I overheard him and the Fire Lord," Rei said. Azula's golden eyes gained a tinge of fear that certainly didn't suit them in the least. "They argued… it was bad. B-but at one point, Admiral Zhao said… said you might have been, w-well…?"

"Been what? Lying?" Azula asked, her heart racing with each of Rei's confessions. The younger woman shrugged.

"That you were… pitting them against each other?" Rei asked.

Azula nearly scoffed at the notion: did Zhao truly expect her to hold that much power over her circumstances, even now? If the two men wound up at odds for eternity, it certainly hadn't been because she'd schemed to make it so. As far as she understood, her father and Zhao were thick as thieves, bonded by a friendship that had only ever strengthened since their teenage years. If her father was losing his mind to paranoia and wrath, no doubt he might wind up driving Zhao away… but could she be blamed for that, objectively speaking? How could she have driven any wedges between them, to begin with…?

"Why were they arguing at all?" she said, looking at Rei intently. "W-was it…?"

Her heart nearly burst from her chest as she failed to compose the last words of that sentence… as she failed to utter the name of the love of her life. Could her father and Zhao have discussed the likelihood of Azula's deceit? Could they have already agreed on a course of action, in case the child proved to be Sokka's…?

Why would they argue about that, though? Wasn't this, at least on paper, exactly what Ozai had asked for? Was it Zhao didn't want a new child, then? Was that why he'd stormed out and left for a week…?

"The Fire Lord was… upset," Rei mumbled, softly. "He didn't want Admiral Zhao to lie with you at all, but he didn't say as much, s-so Admiral Zhao didn't know, and…"

"He didn't want him to…?" Azula repeated: her face was now a mix of disgust and outrage.

That made no sense. That wasn't how her father had acted so far: he had forced this marriage on her and told her she'd deliver an heir… was it simply that he hadn't wanted Zhao to be intimate with her until they could rule out the possibility of her being pregnant with Sokka's child? Would that thought cross her father's mind at all, when she had never wound up pregnant in all the years of her secret relationship and public partnership with her gladiator?

"I don't know, it's all I heard and I… I didn't understand much," Rei confessed, looking at Azula hopelessly. "They were both so upset at the end that… that Admiral Zhao stormed off. They yelled a lot, and I guess… I guess the Fire Lord shoved him to the floor, at one point? I-it sounded like it, anyway…"

"He shoved him?" Azula repeated: their argument had turned physical? That was certainly unheard of… though not surprising, considering her father's pervasive rage.

Rei nodded weakly, and Azula scowled as she leaned closer, enough to speak in Rei's ear.

"The next time you hear or see anything like this… tell me right afterwards, and when Zhao isn't around," she whispered, softly.

"I… I'm sorry. I didn't want to trouble you, I hoped everything would get better, but…"

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. Just keep it in mind for the future," Azula said, squeezing her shoulder one more time before rising to her full height again, standing almost a full head taller than the typically hunched Rei. "Alright, then… take a walk with Renkai, okay? Maybe go see the gardens, I don't know how many of them you've visited so far, if you even have… the turtle-duck pond wouldn't be my favorite choice, but feel free to spend the day there anyway."

"S-should I come back later…?" Rei asked. Azula smiled a little and shrugged half-heartedly.

"If you want to. But as much as I said what I said… it may be safer for you not to be anywhere close to the volatile tempers of either of our fathers," Azula said, her smile fading as she spoke. "Take some time off your studies today, enjoy some fresh air and sunlight… maybe even ask Renkai if he knows of any moose dragons you could ride."

"Oh… I could do that," Rei said, with a bashful grin. Azula smiled back and nodded, gesturing towards the door.

"I'll be fine, Rei. Go on, now," she said. Rei breathed deeply and sighed, but she nodded as well.

"I'll… see you later. Or tomorrow?" Rei asked.

"Either, or both," Azula said, kindly. "Go."

Rei sighed but obeyed: she still walked with her head low as she pulled the door open anew. Renkai appeared startled by her request that he joined her in the gardens, and he immediately cast a glance in Azula's direction. She nodded encouragingly, confirming those were her orders, and the guard nodded as well, surrendering to Azula's commands. It was still odd that he'd be so compliant, but it no longer surprised Azula as it once had.

Moments after they'd left, a fully clean Zhao, properly shaved, with hair partially dried after his bath, stepped out of the bathroom, clad in dark apparel of his own that he soon covered with his armor. Azula watched his every move intently, and he nearly jumped upon realizing she'd dressed up too, even if without the opulence he might have expected from her merely half a year ago.

"What's this about a midwife?" Azula asked, point-blank, once she knew she had Zhao's attention.

"Are you unaware of such proceedings? I suppose you would be, there's been no royal pregnancies ever since you were born…" Zhao said, fitting his armor and buckling it in place. "I'll say, whoever she is, she ought to be grateful she'll be greeted by a functioning Princess Azula rather than the soulless husk you'd been since we were wed. Curious that you'd be so much more lifelike today…"

Azula scowled, her heart pounding painfully in her chest: he was taunting her, deliberately… and in the most distasteful manner he could have done it, too. He combed his hair quickly, endeavoring to put it up in a top-knot as he usually wore it, without so much as glancing at himself in the mirror to ensure it was centered. She didn't wish to respond, to rise up to his jabs, but going by his behavior, Zhao wouldn't be likely to stop just because she kept her silence.

"Then again, I felt quite dead inside as well, after that night," he said, casually. Azula gritted her teeth, fists tightening. "I've certainly never been as disappointed after taking anyone to bed."

"Then I suppose you must be delighted that you won't need to do it ever again," Azula snapped, unable to hold back. Zhao's eyes narrowed as he lowered his hands. "Why do I need a midwife already? I'm scarcely a month into this pregnancy as it is."

"Because midwives aren't exclusively meant to deliver the child," Zhao retorted, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Especially in royalty. She is to help you prepare for the process from as early on as possible: Lo and Li provided that service to your own mother back when they still worked here. Had you not tossed them to the street, perchance it would be they who would serve you today, instead of a total stranger… but I suppose your actions have had consequences you couldn't quite foresee, didn't they?"

Azula frowned, glaring at Zhao reproachfully: he assumed she'd prefer it if Lo and Li were here instead, but would she? The elderly women had displeased her considerably throughout her teenage years… even if she had patched things up with them, to a fault, in that visit to their home in Ember Island, she had been far from trusting them. She didn't even want to imagine what they'd think if they knew of her relationship with Sokka… let alone what they would have said or done if, by the time she birthed the child, it was evident by the color of its skin or eyes that it would be Sokka's progeny rather than Zhao's.

"Are you ready, then?" Zhao said, disdain dripping from his voice. "I'd rather get this over with at haste."

"Were you summoned back for this?" Azula asked, choosing to change the subject slightly. "Or…?"

"I came to the Palace to be greeted by a most gracious servant who let me know I was needed," Zhao growled. "Truthfully, I only meant to clean up, find fresh clothes and leave again. I'll do exactly that once this is over."

"Will you?" Azula asked, frowning. "I won't even pretend I want you here, Zhao… but what of Rei?"

Zhao frowned, standing inches from the door. He cast a confused glance at Azula that she returned with a stern frown.

"She's doing well, on the most part," Azula explained. "But she seems to be worried about you. Perhaps if you…"

"Don't pretend you can lecture me on parenting when you've carried that thing with you for merely…" Zhao snapped harshly, startling Azula as he glared at her womb fiercely. He held back from finishing his sentence and shook his head. "Whatever I do, however I handle my relationship with Rei, is my business, not yours."

"I see," Azula responded as bitterly as he'd spoken: she judged him harshly, deliberately, with her glare, before shaking her head and stepping forward. "As you wish. Let's get this over with."

"Finally, you say something sensible," Zhao growled, slamming the door closed after them as soon as Azula had crossed its threshold.

The Admiral's attitude, so antagonistic and harsh, irked Azula profoundly. He had been unpleasant in the past, of course he had been… but his behavior ever since he'd brought her back home had been the very worst she'd seen of him for as long as she'd known him, however. This sudden, direct bitterness proved far more unsettling than anything he'd been like so far… and it only persuaded Azula, utterly, that he already suspected the truth. That he resented her for using him as a shield to protect herself and Sokka's child… well, he was free to resent her for that as much as he wished to. She resented him right back for countless reasons, anyway.

Yet hearing him dismiss her concerns for Rei… the only possible common ground the two of them could have had was Zhao's daughter. Azula hadn't genuinely wanted Zhao to come back, but as relaxed as Rei had been lately, she could tell her maid's peace of mind would be heightened if she had no reason to be concerned over her father's actions and behavior. Zhao had vanished for a whole week and hadn't even greeted her upon returning… instead, he had simply spouted his vitriol and demanded for Azula not to intrude in a relationship that, as far as the Princess could tell, was infused with just as much fear as her own with Ozai. She and her father hadn't always been this way… had Zhao been any better to Rei before? If so… couldn't he try to be better now? Azula most certainly didn't care to see a kinder side of Zhao's, if anything, it had unnerved her when she'd glimpsed it… but Rei was his daughter. Rei was one of the nicest people Azula had ever known. She didn't deserve to be a scapegoat for Zhao's frustrations, to suffer the consequences of her father's outrage at everyone else. Could she make Zhao understand this before he terrified his daughter badly enough to completely sever the bond between them, the way hers with Ozai had been severed…?

Still, as much as she wanted to do right by Rei, Azula had no intentions of putting up with more of Zhao's obfuscating hostilities; it wasn't up to her to fix his problems for him. She'd ensure to keep Rei as safe and happy as possible, and if the girl's father wouldn't involve himself in her life, it was his loss, not even Rei's. Had he ever been a good father to the girl, she might not be so quick to flinch and fear she had offended others at any given moment. So far, it truly seemed Zhao had never treated her as an actual daughter. As much as Azula scarcely had any experience with proper parenting, she couldn't help but imagine how Sokka would act if he had a daughter of his own. However much it hurt to envision that impossible image in her mind, she found relief, perhaps even some joy, in knowing he'd be absolutely nothing like Zhao or Ozai had been to Rei and herself.

Zhao cleared his throat as he stopped at the assigned sitting room's door, flanked by Imperial Guards. Naturally, this meeting with the midwife would go supervised and watched thoroughly… her father was inside already, Azula realized, and her stomach seemed to chill at the very thought. She didn't want to see him, no matter if he had been less harmful these days than he had been over the previous months.

After taking a deep breath, to school his irritable semblance into neutrality, Zhao pulled the door open and stepped inside.

"Do excuse my lateness, my Lord. I hope you weren't waiting long."

Azula's fists trembled upon hearing those words. She felt tempted to run upon hearing confirmation of Ozai's presence… tempted to turn to the dragon's refuge, defeat anyone between herself and Xin Long and take off in a reckless flight as far away from this Palace as possible…

"I was, but you're here now, and that's what matters. Where is Azula?"

The Princess gritted her teeth, feeling the glare of the guards upon her. She drew in a breath, keeping her gaze on the floor as she entered the room, as unwilling to meet anyone's eyes as she had been back during her wedding.

"Ah. There you are," Ozai said, once she was inside: the neutered tone, the simplicity with which he spoke, should have tranquilized her. Instead, Azula only felt even more tense than before. "I trust Prince Zhao has informed you of why you were summoned, Princess Azula?"

She only nodded one time. She didn't want to speak, didn't want to think, she only wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. The less time she spent in her father's oppressing vicinity, the better.

"Very well, then," Ozai said.

Azula winced: he had a chance to yell at her, to scold her for her quiet, somber demeanor… and he hadn't taken it. Instead, he had accepted her wordless response. She certainly appreciated that he didn't seem so willing to cause a scene for once, but it seemed odd… as odd as what Rei had shared about her father's argument with Zhao. There was definite tension between the two men, Azula assumed they had barely seen each other at all since the day her pregnancy had been revealed… but it seemed that, for the sake of appearances, they would set aside their troubles for now. It would be for the best, she hoped…

"I ordered Fei Rou to summon Lo and Li to the Palace, in the hopes that they would accompany you through this process, Princess Azula. They are experienced midwives, after all, and they even saw to my own birth, long before yours…" Ozai explained, his conversational tone so unlike anything she'd heard from him in months. No, this sounded just as he'd spoken to her back when she'd been his greatest ally… when she had been his Crown Princess. The thought shouldn't have hurt as much as it did, but there was nothing she could do to mitigate the pain of it. "Yet they apologized and rejected the opportunity to serve you anew. It seems they no longer trust themselves to do a proper job in their old age. They've sent someone else, instead. Their niece, as it were."

Caught in her dark thoughts, Azula's eyes had refused to rise to meet her father's own so far. Yet she raised them slightly, just slightly, to find Imperial Guards boots in the room as well. One, two, three… four pairs of boots, standing by each wall. There was a low table furnished with the opulent snacks one could only expect from the Palace, and Ozai had been sitting at a cushion by this table, it seemed to Azula, though he was on his feet now…

A young woman knelt at the other side of the small table, dressed in an elegant, deep burgundy cheongsam-styled tunic. It sat atop coral-colored sleeves, with cuffs that matched the color of the tunic perfectly. The woman's brown hair hung at half the length of her neck, framing her pale face, some of it fastened into a neat half-knot. Her posture was perfect, her head was held high, her nose small and thin, her lips unpainted, her eyes large and brown and…

Wait.

She knew that face.

Azula resisted the urge to lower her gaze impulsively, to tear her eyes off the midwife… to negate this sudden blast of reality when her heart seemed to somersault inside her chest, coming alive for the first time in months. Her eyes widened inevitably as she recognized the changed, unexpectedly confident woman who smiled and bowed graciously in her direction.

"It is my pleasure to finally meet you, Princess Azula. My name is Wen."

Wen.

Niece Wen?

Oh, she had to be kidding.

Ozai's eyes were upon her, and Azula flinched upon realizing as much: she clasped her mouth with both hands, closing her eyes and doubling over to feign a bout of sickness. Perhaps if she faked having felt a surge of nausea, he would misunderstand her reaction, failing to realize he had been sitting right beside someone Azula knew far too well… someone who was no stranger, no worrisome, meddlesome midwife to be wary of, unworthy of trust.

For as changed as she might be, as differently as she carried herself, Azula couldn't possibly fail to identify the sole other woman within the room, a dear friend she had never thought she'd see anew…

It was Song.