Two weeks went by without so much as a word from Fire Lord Ozai. At least, not to Suyin's knowledge. She knew that Azula saw him during most, if not all, war council meetings, but apart from that, they did not seem to spend much time together as a father and daughter. What worries she'd held two weeks ago had now faded, not brought up again and unsupported.

He'd summoned her again today. Though this time, it was clearly a military meeting, something Suyin was far more accustomed to. She dressed the princess as she usually did, in comfortable yet regal training clothes, rather than in the extravagant ceremonial robes from before. Suyin accompanied her to the Fire Lord's room as usual, waiting outside for her all the while. This shouldn't take long, Azula had told her, and so Suyin opted to wait for her in the hallway, rather than going back to her room.

She'd been right about that. The princess was in the room for all of fifteen minutes, and when she came out, there was a sparkle in her eye. She gave Suyin a look, but did not tell her what it was that put her in such a mood, and Suyin knew better than to ask her about such things out in the palace hallway, where anyone might overhear them.

"Father gave me a task." Azula stated once they were back in the princess' room.

She looked ahead impassively, chin held high, already poised with a certain elegance and responsibility. She cast another glance at Suyin, and she detected the faintest hint of a smile on her lips, of a glimmer in her eyes. Excitement. Pride.

"What is it?" Suyin asked after a lingering moment of silence - clearly, the princess was waiting for her to ask.

"I am to find my dear Uncle and Brother and bring them back home."

"Oh! Is Prince Zuko's banishment rescinded?"

He'd been gone for three years, at this point, though of course Suyin had never met him. Nor had she met General Iroh, for they'd departed together. These names were rarely brought up in the palace, and Suyin wouldn't have dared to ask about them on her own. But with Azula having brought the topic up - which, in turn, was brought up by the Fire Lord himself - these names lost the edge of their taboo.

"Don't be daft. He hasn't completed his mission, has he? Capturing - or killing - the Avatar would be the only way Father would truly allow him to return." Azula said, and though her words were sharp, her tone did not reflect any such thing. It wasn't a chastisement - no, it was only as though the princess were passing on information.

"How much do you know about what happened at the Northern Water Tribe?"

Suyin bowed her head. "Hardly anything, princess." She'd heard most of what she knew from Lian, and the rest of it from rumors floating around the palace. But generally, the Fire Nation did not release any statements about its failings to its people - some things, after all, were better left in the dark.

Her ignorance seemed to please her. Perhaps it was proof of how little the bad news travelled through the Fire Nation. "Well, it wasn't a victory. I don't know what that fool Zhao was thinking, but he got what was coming for him. But between him and Zuko's failings, we are losing a lot of face. My Uncle and Brother can no longer be allowed to run around willy-nilly, bringing shame upon our family."

Suyin did not know much about what Prince Zuko was up to. No, in fact, she did not know anything about his actions or whereabouts at all. She wondered just how much shame he could possibly bring down upon them when he was half the world away, and when the Fire Nationals were shielded from any unsavoury information about the banished prince. But clearly it was important to the Fire Lord, and Suyin trusted his judgement about such matters.

"I see."

Azula continued, "So I am to bring them back, where they will be imprisoned. And unlike my brother, I will not let Father down."

Suyin furrowed her brows. "Imprisonment? Isn't that… rather harsh? I mean, why now?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "It is what it is. My uncle is a traitor, and my brother is a failure. It is time to put them away."

Her answer did not tell Suyin anything. She wondered whether Azula was keeping the details to herself, or whether she herself did not know them. Either way, she knew that it was not her place to repeat her question, to try and prod her for any more scraps of information. She'd long since learned that Azula told her only what she wanted to tell her - only what she was ready to tell her.

"Do you know where the Avatar was, three years ago, when my brother was banished and sent out to capture him?" Azula asked.

Suyin swallowed. She had the sudden feeling that she was back in school, on the receiving end of her teacher's oral test for which she hadn't studied enough. "No, princess."

"Of course not. No one knew where he was. But he hadn't been seen in ninety seven years at that point. He was either an old man, or long dead and reincarnated. But I genuinely believed it at first: that Father truly sent him out on an important mission, believing that he would come back successful."

Banishing the crown prince gave birth to many rumours and fathered a great scandal. Suyin remembered the banishment well: she'd been working for Mingyu for a couple months at that point, and lived in the capital city along with her ward's family. She still remembered the parents' harsh, hushed whispers about how futile the prince's mission was, for the Avatar hadn't been seen in almost one hundred years. There were only a handful of people who were still alive, who might have still remembered when the Avatar, too, was alive. Suyin did not know anyone so old. After so long, the very idea of the Avatar had grown into something of a fairytale. Maybe it had been true, once upon a time, but whatever spirits kept watch over them had long since abandoned their post.

"But my brother didn't return for weeks, then months, then years. And I grew up and realised that Father had sent him on a wild snake-goose chase. And now that we have proof that the Avatar is alive and well - he orders me to bring Zuko back." Azula quieted. Her voice almost quivered in the silence that followed - but not quite. She sighed. "…I don't think Father ever intended for him to succeed."

The silence felt overwhelming. Suffocating. "Princess…" Suyin couldn't think of what to say. "Are you going to bring him back, then?" Would she really imprison him? Her own brother?

"Of course I am." The edge in Azula's voice left no room for hesitation. "I am not going to fall out of Father's favour. It's a shame that it has to be this way, but there's little to be done about it. At least my mission is feasible."

Suyin supposed that was fair enough. It still didn't sit well with her, sending Azula out to hunt down her own family members, but she knew the Fire Lord's orders were final. Still, what sort of parent assigned his children such great tasks at this young an age? Prince Zuko had been, what, thirteen or fourteen as well when he was banished and presented with his own mission, hadn't he? It was almost beginning to feel like a rite of passage of sorts…

Then again, Suyin, too, had been fourteen when she left home to work for Mingyu. She'd been terrified then, but that was different. That was for work, and not a potentially life-endangering mission. And she'd been forced to take it up to support her family following her father's death. That had been a necessity. Suyin was certain, on the other hand, that there were half a hundred seasoned officers who would have been able to perform the tasks given to the prince and princess better than the teenagers in question.

But she knew it wasn't her place to question the Fire Lord's decision.

"When are you leaving?" Suyin asked.

"We," Azula corrected her with a pointed look, "are leaving tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow! And me, too? That's so soon!"

"Of course. I'll need you more than ever on my travels."

"But princess, I can neither fight nor firebend-"

"I'm well aware." Azula raised a brow, amused. "I don't need another soldier, I need a handmaid. You will take care of your usual duties, and that is all."

Suyin nodded. "Alright." She could do that. Probably. What difference would it make, if she dressed the princess in the palace or on a ship? If she brushed her hair here or there? If she made her bed or tidied her hammock or whatever it was on which she slept on a ship-? (No, considering she was the princess, she'd probably have an actual bed, even on a ship. Probably. Suyin didn't know. She'd never even stepped foot on a ship before.)

"Well then, you ought to start packing. I will need clothes, my makeup, an inkstone and brush and parchment to send reports back to Father." Azula mused, listing off a mental note. "Hm… that should be about it. Go fetch a few bags from the maids, for myself and yourself alike."

Suyin, still in shock, nodded and made her way down to the servant's quarters as if in a trance. The news still hadn't truly sunk in that she was leaving the Fire Nation with the princess. How long would they be gone? It could be weeks, months, even years-! And she had less than a day to prepare herself for it! It was easier, at least, to focus on the small task Azula had given her. Focusing on getting their travel bags at least anchored her to some sort of reality, and so even though she barely understood the weight of what was going on, at least she wasn't frozen in shock and wasting what little time she had left.

"Linhua-!" She nearly melted in relief when she saw her friend, chatting with another maid she only knew in passing. The stranger shot her a sort of glare, clearly displeased at having their conversation so rudely interrupted, but Suyin couldn't find it in herself to care. She was the princess' handmaid and well above this common maid's station.

"Suyin-" Linhua turned to her with a smile, but her eyes widened as soon as she set them upon her. "What's wrong? You look all shaken up."

"I need travelling bags." Suyin stated. That was all she was focusing on right now.

Linhua frowned. Knitted her eyebrows together and put both hands on Suyin's shoulders. She looked her over with piercing, careful eyes. "Suyin," she enunciated her name with care, "Did she let you go?"

"Oh? No! No. We're leaving. Together. I mean-" Agni, she could hardly find the words to explain herself properly. She took a deep breath. "The Fire Lord tasked her with bringing back Prince Zuko and General Iroh, and I'm coming with her. The ship leaves tomorrow morning, and I need to pack for the both of us."

"Oh! You should have said so from the start! You worried me." Linhua chided her gently. "The prince is really coming back?"

Suyin shrugged. She realised, all of the sudden, that a small crowd had gathered around her and Linhua. All the other maids and manservants had stopped in their chatter or eating or whatever work they'd been doing, and were now looking towards her, eager to hear what she had to say. And Suyin, on the other hand, realised that perhaps she was a little too liberal with sharing the details of this mission. Was it even her place to say? This was exactly how rumours spread, after all, and considering Azula had just come out of that meeting with the Fire Lord, she was certain this news hadn't travelled through the palace yet.

But on the other hand, their ship would depart tomorrow morning, and so everyone would know before long, either way. So where was the harm in it? Suyin hoped she hadn't done anything wrong. It was too late to take her words back, anyway.

But the details about Prince Zuko and General Iroh's return and ultimate imprisonment, she decided, were not up to her to share with the palace staff. "I don't know." She lied. "All I know is that we're leaving tomorrow to look for them."

"How long will you be gone?" Linhua asked.

Suyin shook her head. "I don't know that, either."

"Oh!" Linhua suddenly threw her arms around Suyin and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm going to miss you. It's going to be so empty here without you and the princess."

(Someone snickered at these words, but Suyin didn't even lift her face to check who it was.)

"I'll miss you, too." She mumbled against her bosom.

"You'll be going to the Earth Kingdom, won't you? Bring me back a souvenir, yeah?" Linhua pulled away, and Suyin realised that for all her warm and grand gestures, her eyes were dry, unlike her own. Linhua must have said good-bye to a good handful of handmaids already, Suyin reminded herself bitterly, and Suyin's departure couldn't mean more to her than any of the others. She didn't quite understand why it bothered her so much.

"Okay." Suyin sniffled.

If Linhua noticed her watery eyes, she didn't comment on them. "I'll bring you the bags. How many do you need?"

"I don't know. I can fit all my belongings in one, but the princess…"

"I'll bring you a few, just in case. If you have too many, you can leave them in your room, and I'll pick them up when I clean the rooms tomorrow." Linhua promised, and then turned away to go fetch them.

While she was gone, Suyin exchanged her good-byes with the rest of the maids in the room. Someone ran off to fetch Chiyo, for she was still working in the laundry at this time, and Suyin was so very glad that she could see her before she left. Hugs were exchanged all around, and most of the maids looked at her with a hint of excitement, and Suyin promised that she'd tell them everything about her travels as soon as she returned, and that she'd try to bring back a souvenir, and that yes she'd be careful around those barbaric Earth Kingdom nationals-

Linhua arrived with the bags not long after that, and she piled them up in Suyin's arms and they shared one last awkward half-hug with the bags between them. She lingered for as long as she possibly could, but she was well aware of the fact that she couldn't afford to waste time, not when she had so little of it. So finally, she turned around and headed back to her room, dragging her feet. It was incredible, somehow, how she already felt homesick, despite the fact that she had yet to physically depart.

"You were gone a long time." Azula said with a certain forced nonchalance as soon as Suyin was back. She knew what she really meant behind that casual sentence - a remark on how inappropriate it was to have left her waiting so long.

"I'm sorry." Suyin set the bags on the floor, "I was saying good-bye to my friends."

"Hmph."

She wondered whether Azula had anyone in the palace to whom she wanted to say good-bye.

Probably not.

A part of Suyin had thought that, perhaps, Azula would have started to pack on her own. That maybe she'd walk in to see a messy bed piled with all the clothes she wanted to take, but no- she'd done nothing of the sort and it was obviously up to Suyin to do everything for her.

So she opened her closet and began to take out clothes, holding each one up for Azula to nod or shake her head. Those that passed went on the bed, to be later re-folded and packed into the travelling bags. These were mostly all of Azula's training clothes, for their travels were neither the time nor place for any of the ceremonial robes of the royal family.

Finally, Azula told her that ought to be enough, and Suyin set out to carefully re-fold all the clothes and place them snugly in the travelling bags. A few pairs of shoes, towels, toiletries… The inkstone and parchment quickly followed, and finally, they were more or less done. Only the makeup and hair brush remained but that, at least, would be packed in the morning.

It was starting to get late. The hours crept up on them far quicker than Suyin would have expected, would have liked, and it sent unease crawling through her. Azula was more or less packed, but Suyin still had to pack her own things. That wouldn't take as long, she assumed. She ran a mental calculation and decided that she could probably put it off for a few more hours. After all - she still had to say good-bye to Lian.

He wasn't exactly easy to find. Suyin worried that maybe he, done with his work, had gone out to town to eat or drink or what have you. She'd never be able to find him in time, if that was the case. But he, as a young lieutenant, had living quarters in the palace and she hoped that even if he'd gone out, he would be back here before too long. It would be too sad to leave tomorrow without letting him know at all…

So Suyin ended up searching the palace up and down, but finally, she found him. He was talking with a senior general out in one of the smaller courtyards, and she lingered, awkwardly, behind a pillar until they were finished talking. While she could very well interrupt Linhua's conversation with another maid, interrupting the officers would be like spitting in their faces. Well - she was quite sure Lian wouldn't mind, but the same certainly didn't go for the general, and she was not about to risk her status and his alike.

But finally, they were done and the general left, and Suyin rushed in to catch her friend before he could disappear. "Lian-!"

He turned at the sound of his name and his eyes lit up when he saw Suyin.

"I have something to tell you." She practised it on the way here, going over it a hundred times in her head so that she would not mess up her words like she had with Linhua, but even after all of this, it was still hard to find the right words. "Princess Azula is leaving for a mission tomorrow. And I'm going with her."

Lian looked at her with furrowed brows as the information slowly sank in. "You're leaving…?"

She could almost hear the heartbreak in his words. She nodded.

"Tomorrow? But that's so soon…"

"I know. I can hardly believe it myself."

"...Do you have to leave?" Lian murmured after a prolonged moment of silence. "Can't she take someone else?"

Suyin gave him a wry smile. "You know that's not going to happen."

He didn't look pleased with her answer, but neither did he look surprised. He sighed. "How long will you be gone?"

There was that question again. "I don't know." Suyin admitted. "Probably a few months." Surely it would not take as long for Azula to complete her mission as Zuko. Hopefully it wouldn't be longer than a year, but even that was not a given.

Lian reached his hand out and cupped her cheek. It was rough and warm against her skin, and the action took her by surprise. He looked at her so tenderly, with such doleful eyes, that Suyin found she could not hold his gaze.

"I wish I had something to give you, to remember me by."

She laughed and pulled away, "I'm not going to forget you, Lian." It was just a few weeks or months, after all.

"But I won't necessarily be stationed here forever. What if I'm gone by the time you're back?"

Suyin hadn't thought of that. But that wasn't up to her, nor even up to Lian. If it happened - and there was no saying it would - there was little either of them could do about it. Unless he, as an officer, had the right to refuse a station. She didn't know.

"Don't go, Suyin." Lian caught her wrist. "Please."

"I have to. And I want to! This is my chance to see the world! I'll finally see the Earth Kingdom-"

"There's nothing worth seeing there." His words were exasperated, as though he were explaining something terribly simple to a toddler who refused to learn.

Suyin pursed her lips. "But at least I'll find that out for myself, then."

Lian sighed. "It's just that I'll miss you."

"I know. I'll miss you, too."

She'd miss all the friends she'd made here at the palace, but, she supposed, at least she'd be with Azula. They weren't friends, exactly, but they'd grown closer over the last few months. At least Suyin thought so. And at least she wouldn't be lonely, with her around.

But she'd be leaving Lian alone here without any true friends. He didn't get along with any of the other servants, and all the ranking officers were much older than him and looked down upon him with a haughty superiority. She knew, very well, that she was his closest friend here - and that her absence would be more palpable for him than for anyone else.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then clearly thought better of it and stopped the words before they came. His features softened. Gave up. He released his hold on her wrist and the action brought Suyin relief.

"Alright. I'll wait for you." He promised. "I'll try."

She didn't ask what, exactly, he meant by that. She was only glad that she had such a dear friend who cared for her so much, and for whom her absence would be felt.

"I have to go. I have to finish packing." Suyin told him. "Good-bye, Lian."

He pulled her into an embrace, not caring that they were still out in full sight in the palace courtyard. He lingered even when she made a move to pull away.

"Good-bye. Take care, Suyin."

The next morning was a rush. Suyin rushed out of bed and then rushed to get the princess ready. She rushed to double check that all their belongings were safely packed, and oversaw that the manservants carried all their bags properly onto the ship, and into the right rooms.

The Fire Lord saw them off - that is, he saw his daughter off - and touched her, almost tenderly, on the head as if to bless their journey. He did not wait to watch the ship depart.

The princess was carried ceremoniously onto the ship on a palanquin. Suyin followed after her on foot, but as she ascended the ramp, she heard her name and immediately turned around-

"Lian?"

"I had to see you off. I had to see you one last time." He was breathless, panting lightly, as if he'd run here.

Suyin smiled. Pushed her way past the soldiers ascending the ramp so that she could speak with her friend for this one last time. She probably didn't have long - although the soldiers were still boarding the ship, the princess would surely notice her absence if she dallied for too long.

"Here. I got you something." He took her hand and placed something in her palm. A necklace.

It was a pretty enough thing, Suyin supposed. A silver butterfly pendant suspended on a red ribbon, and short enough that it was probably a choker, but Suyin wouldn't know until she tried it on. She'd never liked butterflies. She couldn't imagine wearing this, much less around the princess.

"Lian, you shouldn't have–"

"Please. Take it, and think of me. At least this way, I'll be with you on your journey, if only in spirit." He insisted.

Suyin relented. She didn't have time to refuse this gift, and it was very sweet of him to have gone out of his way to bring it to her. After all, he'd lamented, yesterday, over the fact that he had nothing to give her. He must have rushed to buy this for her in that short period of time. Undoubtedly, that was sweet of him.

"Then… Thank you. I love it." Suyin lied.

He smiled. Embraced her for a long, lingering moment until Suyin squirmed away. "I have to go."

"Take care." He released her.

Suyin smiled. "You, too."

Most of the others had boarded already, but Suyin still wasn't the last. She ascended the ramp and felt Lian's eyes on her all the way. Turned around once she was on the ship and waved to him, a gesture he returned. She had no doubt that he would watch them all the way until the ship had disappeared past the horizon, but she did not share that sentiment, and went to find her quarters, and Azula's. She had her princess to attend to, after all.

Once she was inside and sure that Lian could not see her - she thrust the necklace he'd given her deep into her travelling bag, burying it deep beneath her clothes.

The engines howled as they came to life. Soldiers or sailors or both shouted instructions to one another over the buzz of the engine. The ship lurched with movement. Suyin looked out the window as the ship set sail, taking her away from the only country she'd ever known. She watched it until the proud Fire Nation was nothing more than a sliver of a shadow against the deep blue of the ocean, and finally - disappeared entirely into the horizon.