A/N: I edited the previous chapter (a tiny bit), so if you haven't read the version I uploaded just a few hours ago (as opposed to yesterday) then read it again (if you'd like. Doesn't really add anything but it felt more complete this way). Anyway, enjoy this one!

Chapter 33 – When he found out

Crown Prince Zuko was staring at three little turtle ducklings in a pond.

The sun shone upon his head and crown, reflecting the gems carved into the golden masterwork and sending a glow to anyone's eyes looking at him as if he was the sun itself resting against the rock while he tossed piece after piece of bread into the still water. The man had been there since noon, trying to sort out his thoughts while actively trying to avoid his sister, his fake-ex-girlfriend and an overly excited woman whom he actually, deep inside, although he would never admit it out loud, envied for her never-wavering enthusiasm and optimism. Named Azula, Mai and Ty Lee, respectively.

The turtle ducklings quacked, unsatisfied with his slowness in tossing the bread towards them. He grimaced, standing up after throwing the last remaining of it to the impatient little ones and walking towards the dining area, hoping he had managed to skip dinner altogether with Azula. She was never one to eat late, and since it was after dark already, he imagined she was already gone.

Unfortunately, she was there and the way she was looking up when the servants opened the door to the dining area, he reckoned she was awaiting him.

''Dear brother,'' she greeted him while bringing a fork of roasted duck to her mouth. His hunger disappeared instantly when hearing her voice.

''Azula,'' he grunted back and sat down on the chair the servant slid out for him before another servant raised the silver lid to his platter, revealing the same dinner content his sister was eating.

''Where have you been this past week? Haven't seen you since we went to Ember Island,'' she continued, taking a sip from her wine. He mimicked the action slowly.

''I was busy,'' he simply replied.

Azula arched an eyebrow. ''That's vague. Oh well. Heard you and Mai broke up. Must've been hard for you.''

Zuko stilled his actions for a moment, remembering he had to be 'sad' about that, of course. ''Eh, well, yes. Very sad.''

''You don't sound very upset,'' she implied, cutting a piece of potato.

''I am,'' he said with more force than necessary and slammed his cup of wine harshly on the table. Two servant girls at the edge of the room flinched noticeably. Azula, however, kept still as a hawk.

''Whatever you say, brother.''

And that was that. Azula disappeared shortly after that, giving him a suspicious side look that gave him goosebumps. He ate the remnants of his dinner silently, going over his sister's words. She'd known of his 'break-up' with Mai, which didn't seem strange initially, but what if Mai had talked to her? What if Mai had spilt something about… Milah?

Milah.

On that note, he left the room and made his way to Mai's house, not caring that it was late and knowing he would need the answers to his questions to have a good night's sleep. Her house was not far anyway, so he got there quickly.

''I'm not feeling like it tonight, Zuko,'' Mai answered after he'd knocked on the door before she'd opened it. ''Please leave.''

Before she could shut the door on him, he planted his foot on the threshold. ''Wait, Mai, please. I need to… talk with you.''

She sighed, giving him a once over, but let him in eventually.

''I'm not going to give you anything to drink, so don't get your hopes up,'' she told him after they'd both taken a seat on her couch.

Zuko puffed out a laugh. ''I didn't think you were, though I thank you for the… kind offer.''

He could swear a ghost of a smile tugged at her lips, although her eyes remained professionally impassive.

Zuko scraped his throat before continuing. ''We need to sort out our break-up.''

Mai almost recoiled and stood up. ''I told you, Zuko, I'm not in the mood.''

''I'm not here to fight with you. Please, just listen.'' He was desperate, he knew this, but he didn't care.

''I don't think I've ever heard the word 'please' come out of your mouth twice in one evening,'' she mocked but sat down anyway, crossing her arms over her chest. ''Alright, let's hear it.''

And so they talked it out, both knowing it was better if they didn't pretend to have a relationship anymore, instead settling for a nice companionship that would, hopefully, back off Azula and Ozai. Zuko hadn't even given thought to his father before this evening, but he reckoned the Fire Lord didn't give two shits about his son's relationship with his intended, only caring for the political and monetary values he would gain from it.

Mai and he had been talking for a while when he saw her yawn for the first time and knew he had overstayed his welcome. One look at the almost burned-out candles told him it was time to go to sleep soon anyway.

''I should go,'' he softly announced and made a move to stand up. However, Mai shot out her hand and gripped his rough fingers.

''Wait,'' she whispered quietly, looking up at him with a look he hadn't ever gotten from her before. Almost as if she was guilty about something. ''There's something… there's something you should know-''

A knock on the door send them both upright and into active positions, scooting away from the proximity they had been sitting in.

''Is my brother with you, by any chance?'' Azula's voice slithered from behind the front door. ''The Fire Lord wants to see him.''

What? His father wanted to see him at this time of night?

''I'm coming Azula,'' he called out and moved to his cloak before whispering to Mai, who was looking at him with the same guilty eyes as before, ''You can tell me some other time.''

Mai swallowed but nodded slowly, turning around to face the darkness outside, not watching him leave.

If Zuko only knew, Mai thought. If only he knew about his wife and unborn child. The guilt in her chest solidified.

The Prince and Princess were walking back to the castle when the latter spoke up, breaking the silence of the night. ''Father didn't call upon you.''

He skidded to a stop. ''What? Why would you-''

''Shush, brother,'' she silenced him and held up a hand. ''Here's what you need to know. Mai's in love with you even if she doesn't fully realise it and since I am a good friend, I am going to protect her. From you.''

''What- but- how-'' he stammered, not knowing how to react. Mai was not in love with him. She couldn't be. It was all a ruse. They were a ruse. All of it. right?

''It's only logical that you haven't noticed it. That's fine. You're a… man, after all. But she's in love with you and you're not in love with her. Oh please, don't give me that look as if I didn't know that whole relationship of yours was a big lie. You really think I'm that ignorant, dear brother?''

Fuck. He'd underestimated his sister's observant eyes and deducing mind yet again.

''You're partially right. We did have a relationship, but, indeed, I don't love her. That's why we broke up, actually.''

''You're telling me you never kiss any of your girlfriends? That your face always turns sour when she touches you or that you always put up fights with her at any given moment in such a way that one's beginning to wonder if you actually want to be with her?''

Zuko frowned, his anger riling up. ''What would you know about it? It's not like you've ever had a boyfriend, have you?''

Azula's eyes remained alarmingly cool and steady, although he could swear he saw her left brow twitch. ''You can't get out of this, Zuzu. Anyway, I forbid you to ever speak with Mai again or else I'll set my Dai Li on you. She doesn't need you in her life, not if you're still so clearly hung up on that little Waterbender.'' A sly, knowing smile slid across her mouth.

He gritted his teeth. ''Whatever. Forbid me all you want. Father still wants me to marry her, so unless you plan on doing so yourself, then it's not your call.''

Azula made a grossed out face. ''Mai? Please, I could never. She's not my type.'' And with that, the Princess walked back to the Palace with a bigger frown than before, and Zuko once again wondered if maybe his sister held something back from him that was bigger than she let on.

For four weeks, Zuko wasn't able to return to Mai, being watched closely by the Dai Li that had come to the capital with Azula. He had to find a way to come into contact with her, somehow. He needed to ask her what she knew and why his sister had implicated Mai's love and most importantly, the 'something' she was about to tell him before they were interrupted by Azula.

But it was impossible. Everywhere he looked there seemed to be one of those green-robed bastards, hiding in the dark corners of the ceilings and the shadows of little columns.

It wasn't until he heard the starting of whispers throughout the castle that informed him of an all-day war meeting that he knew it was his chance. If there was an all-day war meeting going on, then the Dai Li were sent away from the Palace. It had been like that for previous war meetings and it would be so for this one. His father didn't trust the Earthbenders his sister valued, which in this case served him well.

Zuko climbed through the open window to Mai's bedroom at the back of her house, having had to manoeuvre through the city like a common thief while on his way here so he wouldn't be seen by anyone in the capital. His face was the most recognisable one in the whole Nation and he didn't need any of his sister's spies to report him of his doings to her.

''Zuko!'' Mai shrieked when she emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her small form. ''What in hell's name are you doing?''

''It's not like I haven't seen you naked before,'' he replied smugly and took to shutting all the drapes in the house.

She sighed in annoyance as a reply and ushered him out of the room. He took it upon himself to pour them both cups of tea, needing something to do before he would lose his mind. He had to wait a month before he could see her again. Now he was finally here, he didn't want to waste another second.

She emerged from her room not long after and sat on the chaise lounge in front of her lemon tea. ''So, you finally decided to pay me a visit after all those weeks without sending any word?''

Zuko anxiously bobbed his leg. ''Azula ordered me to stay away from you after she barged in on us. That's why I never came to see you. However, she said it was because-'' he broke himself off, swallowing away the discomfort that came with the words. ''Because you apparently have… feelings for me.''

It remained silent for a moment. Mai's face remained neutral, although it seemed like guilt and sadness and anger all passed through her eyes.

''Did she now,'' she simply answered and peeled the orange she had taken with herself from her room. ''How peculiar.''

''You're not denying it,'' he stated and took a sip from his jasmine tea, savouring the taste.

''I'm not,'' she again applied as a matter of fact.

His broken heart trembled with the indirect admittance. ''I'm sorry.'' He didn't know what else to say.

''Don't make me laugh, Prince Zuko,'' she answered him with some sort of smile. ''Whatever could you be sorry for?''

He shrugged. ''I don't know. For you… having feelings for me, I guess. I'm not an easy person to have feelings for.''

''I know,'' she said softly before taking a bite from her orange. After swallowing, she said, ''Don't think too much about it, though. After we had that conversation about Milah I knew that we weren't going to… work out. And that's okay. You were my first guy friend, Zuko, and not an unattractive one either. It also didn't help that my father would always tell me you and I were to be married once we were of age. But now… I don't know if I can really call it feelings anymore. It's more of a… 'what could've been' kind of thing, which admittedly hurt during the initial days of your rejection but has faded long since.''

He didn't remember hearing her talk so much in one go and was taken aback by her honesty. ''If I'd known then I don't think I would've-''

''That's why I didn't tell you,'' she cut him off. ''I didn't want anything to change between us and I'm angry with Azula that she told you about it. Something I admitted to her when we both had too much wine but she swore to keep a secret.''

Zuko frowned. ''Don't you know Azula by now? She can't keep anything to herself even if her life depended on it.''

Mai hummed. ''I don't think so. I think Azula knew exactly what she was doing when she told you. Especially because-'' Mai stopped talking and her eyes grew wide.

Zuko's chest flared with fear for a second and he quickly looked around the room, expecting someone to be there but didn't see anything out of place. ''What is it?''

''I- Zuko, I-'' she stopped again and set down her half-eaten orange, putting her head in her hands and sighing out through the openings between her fingers. She had to find the courage to tell him what she knew. He deserved to know. ''There's something you need to know.''

Zuko settled in his seat again, his beating heart calming down for a second before speeding up again when he saw the fear in Mai's eyes as she rose her head from her hands. ''Mai, what is it?''

''It's… it's about Milah,'' she whispered.

Zuko froze.

His heartbeat slowed and a haze went over his eyes. His stomach churned and cold sweat appeared on every part of his body.

''What. About. Her,'' he asked in a terrifyingly low voice.

Mai stood up and walked to his front, sitting on her knees in front of him and taking his trembling hands in hers. Her eyes appeared to be moist, although it could've been a trick of the light. ''She's… Zuko, your father… he-''

''Mai, if you are not going to tell me what's going on soon, I can't be held responsible for what's going to happen next,'' he warned her, his body and mind remaining surprisingly calm as if some primal survival instinct had been kicked in upon hearing the words 'Milah' and 'your father' in the same sentence.

His Milah. His beautiful, kind, forgiving Milah.

''Promise me you won't do anything rash. Promise me, Zuko,'' she pressed when he stayed silent. He gave her a quick nod of his head, although he wasn't sure he could act upon his promise. ''Fire Lord Ozai found out about your relationship with Milah months ago. Send out a unit of soldiers to retrieve her. They found her near the colonies-''

He didn't need to hear anymore. Not when he could practically smell her delicious send or feel her soft skin again underneath his fingers. The sound of his name on her lips, the words 'I love you' hot on his tongue-

He stood up from the couch and strode over to his black cloak, already making preparations in his head to go ahead and look for her. Now the opportunity was here, he wasn't going to waste it. No, his father would understand. He would make Ozai understand that without her, without Milah, he couldn't live. He couldn't think, couldn't eat, couldn't sleep-

''Zuko, wait. Wait!'' she almost screamed at him. He halted by the door, the knob already in his hand.

''What?'' Coldness spread over his chest suddenly, the fluttering butterflies and anticipation of seeing his wife again disappearing slowly.

''I wasn't finished. Please, Zuko, come sit with me,'' she pressed and tried to take his hand again. He pulled away harshly.

''No, Mai. Just tell me. Just fucking tell me.''

Panic. Sheer, true panic and dread and fear-

''They found out she was near the colonies because they had scouts all over the country. Your father was set on finding her. He knew the only way of truly controlling you was through her. We never actually fooled anyone. We were fucking fools for believing-''

''Mai. Mai,'' he hissed her name twice and took her arms with a firm grip. ''Mai, did they hurt her? Is she… is she dead?'' His voice broke at the end, tears threatening to leave his eyes. ''Tell me she's not fucking dead. Tell me, Mai. Please, tell me-'' He stopped talking and pressed a fist to his mouth, feeling a sob trying to escape his burning throat.

''She's not dead and they didn't capture her. In fact, almost all soldiers were taken captured during the attack on the people she was with. However, they found out she was there because they were overheard talking about… you.''

''What?'' he asked in confusion, his railing mind not catching up with the story. All he could think about was her.

Milah in his father's clutches, in the rotting dungeons his uncle was wasting away in, or hurt by Ozai's hands. Or lying dead on the ground-

''Zuko,'' she started again with the gentlest voice he'd ever heard her speak with and he let her take his hand again. ''The soldiers who returned overheard her saying she was…''

''Was what, Mai? Just finish the fucking story already-''

''She's pregnant.''

2nd A/N: omg it's happened. It's fucking HAPPENED. What the hell? I'm still in shock from writing this ending though. It came so gradually along the chapter and then I was like, yeah, I should totally do a cliffhanger. So here you have it, hehe. No Milah POV in this one. Thought I'd written too little of Zuko lately so here you have a whole chapter of him.