Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is my OC.

The Six Rules:

Rule Number One: Alec won't warn the Gaang about things in advance or solve their problems for them, with a few rare exceptions.

Rule Number Two: Only Alec has the right to tell people his true origins, and he will mostly limit this to group members. He will tell new group members his secret as soon as they join the Gaang.

Rule Number Three: There are some changes Alec wants to make, and he will use his knowledge of the future to make those changes.

Rule Number Four: Sometimes, to make a change, Alec will act in a way that doesn't make sense. If that's necessary, he'll tell the Gaang "I need you to absolutely trust me." After he says that, the Gaang has to either do whatever he asks or leave him to do what he needs to do.

Rule Number Five: After a change happens, Alec will tell the Gaang what happened in the original story, in the interest of transparency.

Rule Number Six: If a major change happens that Alec doesn't expect, the Gaang will have a meeting ASAP. In this meeting, Alec will break Rule One and tell them all relevant information that will help them figure out how to respond to the change.

Chapter 37:

New Ship, New Lessons

Alec POV

I was curious. What did Ursa have to talk to Dad about? We finished breakfast and got ready to exit the tent. Azula was hesitant. "Are you sure your father will accept me?" she asked.

Sokka nodded. "We'll vouch for you."

"I know you have bad experiences with fathers, but ours won't hurt you," I added. Ty Lee smiled at Azula reassuringly, but the princess didn't seem convinced.

We made our way through the camp, but found two guards waiting outside the command tent, blocking our path. Katara folded her arms across her chest. "Why are you stopping us?" she asked with a frown.

"Hakoda's deciding what to do with two prisoners we caught last night trying to steal our supplies," One of the guards informed us.

That was surprising. "They must have been desperate to steal from a war camp," Suki noted.

The other guard scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, but oddly enough, they gave up without a fight when we caught them. Good thing, too."

"Why's that a good thing?" Zuko asked.

"One of them is a little kid, but the other guy is huge. It would have been tough if we tried to fight him," The guard replied.

My eyes widened in realization. "Could you let us in?" I asked. "I think I know who they are."

The guard shrugged and opened the flap for us. Inside the command tent, sitting in a semicircle were Dad, Bato, Pakku, Gran Gran, Poduk, Yue, and Kuei. Bosco was curled up in the corner. On their knees in front of them with their hands tied were two people who I hadn't seen in months. One was a little kid, no more than ten years old. He wore a light green shirt, darker green pants, and a helmet that was about three sizes too big. The other one was a giant who wore a headband, and a dark blue vest and pants.

"Pipsqueak?" Katara said, clearly surprised.

"The Duke?" Sokka added, his jaw dropping.

Dad looked up at us and blinked. "You know these two?"

Pipsqueak and The Duke looked back at us. When they saw me, they gulped. Probably afraid, or wondering if I was feeling vengeful. "We've met," I said plainly. "They were part of Jet's crew."

Ty Lee tensed next to me and glared at the Freedom Fighters. I'd never seen her get that angry before. I could tell she was thinking of attacking. I got in front of her, grabbed her hands and looked her in the eye. "Easy," I whispered to her. "Jet acted alone. As soon as they found out, they left his gang."

Her frown relaxed, and she nodded. "Who's Jet?" I heard Dad ask.

I didn't turn around. I didn't like reliving what happened. Ty Lee must have noticed my feelings. She hugged me gently. "It's okay," She whispered.

Sokka decided to answer. "Dad, Jet's the one I gave the Mark to," he said grimly.

"The one you told me about?" Bato asked for clarification.

"Yeah."

"In that case, Alec should be the one to decide their fate," Dad said. "We caught them stealing food last night."

I broke the hug and turned around. Gran Gran looked at me with sympathy. I even saw hints of concern on Pakku's normally stern face. Yue and Poduk looked surprised. They hadn't known about Jet. Dad and Bato looked at me, waiting for my answer with a small amount of pity in their eyes. Kuei looked lost. He didn't know about Water Tribe customs.

I looked at Pipsqueak and The Duke. "They had nothing to do with the Mark," I said. "And right now, we need all the allies we can get." They looked at me hopefully. I knelt down so I was eye-to-eye with The Duke. "Do you guys want to help fight against the Fire Lord?" I asked.

The Duke's eyes lit up and he nodded so fast his helmet almost flew off. Pipsqueak nodded as well. I looked at Dad. "They're good at ambush tactics. Pipsqueak's really strong, and The Duke is harder to catch than a greased arctic seal. They can help us."

I made a fire dagger and cut The Duke's bonds, then I did the same with Pipsqueak. They stood up, and nodded in thanks. A thought occurred to Sokka. "Do you know where the other Freedom Fighters are?" he asked. "We could use their help, too."

The Duke frowned. "I heard that Sneers was heading to Yu Dao. I think Smellerbee and Longshot went to Ba Sing Se."

Zuko's eyes flashed. "Wait, are you talking about a short girl with brown hair, a raspy voice, and red facepaint on her cheeks, and a tall guy with a bow and arrow who doesn't talk much?" he asked.

The Duke nodded. "You know them?"

"Yeah, I met them on the ferry to Ba Sing Se," Zuko recalled.

Dad looked at Pipsqueak and The Duke. "You two, go find Huk in the camp, and ask him if there's any work that needs doing." Pipsqueak and the Duke saluted and left the tent.

I frowned. "The rest of the Freedom Fighters could help us. But Smellerbee and Longshot are in Ba Sing Se. We can't exactly go back there to pick them up," I said.

I gave Ursa a look. She understood my meaning and nodded. "Ikem could make contact and find a way to smuggle them out."

Dad gave Ursa a suspicious look. "How do you plan to do that?" Before she could answer, Dad noticed the rest of the group. "Wait, before that, there are some new faces I don't recognize here. Who are these people?"

Oh, right. I pointed to Toph. "This is Toph, Aang's earthbending teacher."

Toph nodded. "'Sup."

I indicated Azula. "This is Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. She's on our side now."

Dad gave the princess a critical look. "Why help us now?"

Azula returned the look and folded her arms. "My father tried to kill me. I want revenge. No better revenge than making him lose the war he wants to win so badly."

Dad was silent for a few seconds, then he nodded. I pointed at Ikem. "This is Ikem, he's an…independent information distributor," I said, trying to describe Ikem's job

Dad raised an eyebrow. "A what now?"

Ikem stepped forward. "I'm a spy." he explained. "I work for her." He indicated Ursa.

Dad's eyes landed on Ursa. "And you are?"

Ursa stepped forward to introduce herself. "My name is Ursa," she said. "I'm the mother of Zuko and Azula." She scowled. "And the ex-wife of Fire Lord Ozai."

Gran Gran was torn between surprise and curiosity. Kuei was dumbstruck. Poduk and Yue looked genuinely interested. Dad's mouth dropped open. Bato's eyes narrowed. Pakku raised an eyebrow. I locked eyes with the waterbending master and pointed at Ikem. "Mask," I mouthed silently. I pointed my finger at Ursa. "Source."

Pakku's eyes widened and he nodded.

Dad recovered and shook his head. "You mean to tell me that we have the entire royal family of the Fire Nation on our side, except for the Fire Lord himself?" he asked with disbelief.

Sokka chuckled. "Well, when you put it like that, it does sound kind of crazy."

Dad pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll definitely need a drink after this."

"Me too," Bato agreed.

"That doesn't answer my original question, though," Dad said, looking questioningly at Ursa. "How do you plan to contact these people and smuggle them out of Ba Sing Se?"

"I have resources and contacts all over the world," Ursa replied with a smile. Her face turned serious again. "I received word from my contacts recently. Admiral Liang of the Fire Navy knows that the Water Tribe fleet is here. He's sending a ship to take you out. It'll be here in two days."

Dad's expression turned grave. "How did he find out?"

"Long Feng, apparently," Ursa answered with a scowl.

I was pissed. Long Feng was swiftly climbing to the top of my most hated list. Everyone looked worried. "Do they know the other world leaders are here, or the Avatar?" Poduk asked.

Ursa shook her head. "No, they don't. But you should probably leave today if you don't want to run into them."

Bato frowned. "We don't have the resources to stand up to the Fire Navy in an open battle," he said. "Our ships are barely seaworthy anymore."

"Uh, we could take them out," I offered. "Katara and I by ourselves were able to take out a ship."

"Bad idea," Ursa refuted. "If the ship doesn't send word back to Admiral Liang that they succeeded, he'll simply keep sending ships until he succeeds. If one fails, he'll send two. If two fail, he'll send four."

Katara bit her lip. "What do we do?" she asked.

Sokka got that look in his eye that meant he had a crazy idea. "If we can't beat the Fire Nation…maybe we should join them!" he suggested.

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. Azula cocked her head. "What are you babbling about?"

"You can't possibly be suggesting we switch sides," Dad said.

Sokka rubbed his hands together maniacally. "Not sides," he said. "Just boats. Here's my idea: We take our stuff off the ships, then we sail them out into the bay, we wreck them, making it look like they were destroyed by a storm. When the Fire Navy ship comes, they'll think we've already been dealt with, and they'll send word that we've been taken care of. We sneak aboard at night, take them out, and take the ship for our own. We need to get into the Fire Nation anyway. One of their own ships will make it easier."

I thought about it. "That's…not the craziest idea you've had," I said.

Ursa shook her head, amused. "How does he come up with these plans?"

Suki smiled lovingly. "He's so brilliant," she gushed.

Ikem seemed a little confused. "Why do you need to go to the Fire Nation?" he asked. "They know about the invasion now. They'll know you're coming."

Zuko smirked. "Mai came up with a new plan." He gave his girlfriend a look, urging her to elaborate.

Mai stepped forward. "I got the idea to lead a series of coordinated attacks on the Fire Nation's prisoner of war camps. All prison guards are firebenders, so the eclipse would be a perfect opportunity to release the prisoners and grow our forces."

Azula nodded. "That would also deal a blow to the Fire Lord's reputation," she noted with approval. "Clever, Mai."

Ursa smiled at Mai. "Beautiful and brilliant," She said. "I always hoped you and Zuko would get together."

The two teens blushed. "Mom," Zuko whispered with embarrassment.

I decided to explain further. "We need to infiltrate the communication center that has the prison records. Then, a few days before the eclipse, we rendezvous at a central location, split up into teams, and do the prison breaks when the eclipse happens."

Ursa nodded. "I see. I can't help you with the facility. I don't think I could get access to those records without leaving a trail. That place is extremely isolated." She grinned. "But, I can help you with communication and coordination. If there's anyone you know that you think can help us, let me know and I'll find a way to reach them."

Kuei looked up. "How can I help?" he asked.

Ursa looked thoughtful. "You could come with me and Ikem, Your Majesty. I could use another set of hands. Bosco can come too."

Kuei nodded. "Thank you, Lady Ursa."

Azula looked concerned. "Mom, are you leaving?" she asked with a worried tone.

Ursa took her daughter by the shoulders and smiled reassuringly at her. "Only for a little while," she said. "I'll come rendezvous with everyone before the eclipse."

Azula worried her lip between her teeth, but she nodded. "Okay."

Poduk and Yue stood up. "If that ship is going to be here in two days, Yue and I should get out of here." He turned to Master Pakku. "We'll take you and Lady Kanna to the South, then we'll head back to the North." He locked eyes with Ursa. "Contact us when you have a location for the rendezvous, and we'll meet you there."

Ursa nodded. "I will."

With all our loose ends tied up, Dad adjourned the meeting.


After several goodbyes, The Northern Water Tribe set sail. Ursa, Ikem, King Kuei, and Bosco left for Ursa's headquarters after Sokka gave Ursa a list of people he thought could help out. Ursa, in return, gave him a bag of glowing green gemstones.

"If you need to send me a message, get a messenger hawk and tie on of these to their scroll tube," she said. "These crystals resonate with another kind of crystal in my office, and they'll be able to find their way to me." So, turning messenger hawks into homing pigeons, basically. I was impressed.

Once that was done, Dad and the men sailed their ships out of the bay, and then returned to camp on rowboats. Katara and Toph reduced the ships to driftwood with their bending, leaving the floating refuse as a false sign to the Fire Navy that our fleet was dead.

That night, Team Avatar sat in our tent eating dinner. Zuko gave me a look. "Alec, what are you going to do after the war ends?"

I tilted my head questioningly. "Why do you ask?"

Zuko shook his head. "Just humor me."

I frowned. "I haven't really thought about it, to tell you the truth," I said. I turned to Ty Lee and smiled. "I just want to be with Ty Lee, wherever I end up." She smiled back and snuggled closer to me.

Zuko looked me in the eye. "I want to make you an offer," he said. "I talked a lot with Uncle about this. I was going to ask you a few days ago, but things went crazy."

I raised an eyebrow. "Ask me what?"

Zuko took a breath. "I know I'll need help when I'm the Fire Lord," he said. "I'll need people around me I can trust. You've been a great help making the list, and I want to offer you a job."

That was surprising. "What job?" I asked. "Official Scribe, or something?"

Zuko shook his head. "No. Grand Advisor."

Ty Lee gasped. Mai turned and gave him a look. Azula looked at me critically, as if examining me for flaws. I frowned. I'd heard that title before, but where?

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Azula rolled her eyes. "I can see there are some gaps in your knowledge of this world." she noted. "Grand Advisor is the most powerful position in the Fire Nation government, second only to the Fire Lord. They even have their own suite in the palace for themselves and their family. There hasn't been one for hundreds of years. The last one was Avatar Szeto."

My eyes widened. That's where I knew the title from! Avatar Szeto was mentioned in the Kyoshi novels. Zuko wanted to give me that job?! "Zuko, are you giving me the job because of what I know about the story?" I asked seriously. If he wanted a leg up on the future, I wouldn't be very helpful. I hadn't read any comics other than The Search or Suki, Alone. After the war, I wouldn't have any future knowledge for seventy years.

He shook his head. "No. I'm giving you the job because you're a great person to bounce ideas off of, and you're not afraid to tell me if I'm doing something wrong."

I cocked my head. "Why not Iroh?" I asked.

Zuko smiled. "I suggested it, but he refused. He wants to open a tea shop in Royal Caldera City. He's offered to give me advice anytime I want, but he doesn't want the position."

The offer was tempting. I could tell Ty Lee was enthusiastic about it. I looked at Sokka and Katara. "Would you two be alright with me taking the job?" I asked. "Would I be seen as a traitor or something in the eyes of the Tribe for accepting this?"

Sokka shook his head and smiled. "You'll be fine." He assured me. "We wouldn't hold a grudge. You just need to tell Dad."

I looked at Ty Lee. "How would you like to live in a palace?" I asked with a smile.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me close. "I'd live anywhere with you, but a palace does sound nice."

We broke the hug. I turned to Zuko and smiled. "I accept…boss."


The following night, Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, Azula, and I were on the cliff overlooking the bay, lying prone. Pipsqueak and The Duke were guarding Appa's saddle. Earlier that day, through telescopes, we saw the Fire Nation ship arrive in the bay and it saw the wrecked fleet. The ship was very similar in design to Zuko's, but about three times bigger. It sent a messenger hawk shortly after arriving, probably telling the Admiral that the job was done.

After the sun set, the Fire Navy sailors cut loose. Removing uniforms for casual clothes, lounging about on deck, eating, drinking, and having a grand old time. Zuko shook his head. "I'm embarrassed."

"I would have those soldiers disciplined, if I were their captain," Azula agreed.

Toph grumbled. "Why are we up here, and not part of the ambush team?"

"Because if any other Fire Navy ship happens to be nearby, they would see bending," Katara pointed out. "And they would raise the alarm if they saw any of us benders, especially Aang."

"Then how come Mai and Ty Lee can go with them?" Toph huffed.

"They're wearing their green Earth Kingdom outfits," Aang said. "They won't be recognized."

"Besides, the plan is to take them alive," I said. "I don't have many moves that I can use to do that without maiming them."

"We're firebenders," Azula said. "It comes with the territory."

Before I could refute that, we saw the ambush team climbing up the side of the ship via ropes. I saw Dad suddenly hold his fist up, signaling them to stop. What was he doing? He seemed to be listening. I saw his face harden, and his fists clench. He lifted his hand, and dragged his thumb across his throat before beginning to climb again.

Katara and I inhaled sharply. We knew that signal well. Dad taught us all the Water Tribe signals when we came to camp. That was the last signal you wanted to see if you were fighting against the Water Tribe, because of what it meant.

No prisoners.

No mercy.

Only death.

"What is it?" Zuko asked.

"Dad changed the plan," Katara whispered.

"He's going to kill all the Fire Navy sailors," I said with wide eyes.

Aang looked disturbed. "What? Why?!" he hissed. "That wasn't the plan!"

"Something must have changed his mind," I said.


Simultaneously, Ty Lee POV

Sokka, Suki, Mai, and I joined the Water Tribe and the Kyoshi Warriors on the ambush team. As soon as night fell, we sailed out from camp and to the ship. Hakoda gave us the signal to throw the ropes up. We heard the Fire Navy celebrating their 'victory' over us. Our plan was to knock them all out, tie them up, and leave them in camp. By the time they were found, the Fire Nation would have no way of finding us.

We started to climb when we heard conversation on the ship, and Hakoda held up his fist, ordering us to stop. We craned our ears to listen to the sailors talk.

"Well, that was the easiest battle we ever fought," One of them joked.

"Yeah, it was even easier than that Earth Kingdom village on the coast," Another replied.

"I prefer that battle," A different one said. "The info we were given was wrong, and the village had no fighters or earthbenders, it was all fisherman. But just because we didn't have to attack, doesn't mean we didn't have fun!"

The sailors laughed. I got a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"It's a pity we couldn't keep the women on the ship," A sailor said. "Those were the tightest cunts I've ever fucked! They're always tighter when they struggle."

The sailors laughed. I started to feel something I'd never felt before: disgust and rage. I looked around at the others. The Water Tribe men's faces were hardening. Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors were scowling, and had a white-knuckle grip on the ropes. Sokka looked like he was about to explode. Everyone's aura was crimson with fury.

"Why did we have to get rid of them?" Asked one sailor.

"Because Admiral Liang has standards for how we treat the inferior nations, for some reason," A sailor replied irritatedly. "There was one time when he saw a soldier under his command hit a civilian, and he had the soldier arrested on the spot. Could you imagine what he'd do to us if he found out what we did?"

Hakoda raised his hand to get our attention. He dragged his thumb across his throat. He changed the plan. He wasn't about to let those monsters live. I hated them, too, but I'd never killed anyone before.

We climbed up the ship, and leapt onto the deck. As soon as we did, the battle began. We caught the sailors unaware. They weren't even wearing their armor. The Water Tribe warriors pulled out machetes instead of clubs. The Kyoshi Warriors used their swords instead of their fans. Sokka cut a man's throat so deeply that his head almost fell off. The sailors tried to fight back, but we had two things on our side: The element of surprise, and pure rage.

I ran over to one sailor, and I saw his eyes widen in terror. I used a technique that I never thought I would ever use. I struck five specific points on his chest, then I took a step back. The sailor blinked, then he raised his sword to strike. When he took a step towards me, he suddenly dropped his sword and clutched his chest in agony, before he dropped to the ground. His aura disappeared.

Because I made his heart explode.

I didn't feel anything for the sailor. He was a monster. The battle lasted less than a minute. I looked around the deck. There was blood everywhere. Hakoda looked up at the cliff where the others were and waved his hands over his head. That was the signal. The others were coming to join us.

I felt strange. I looked down at my hands. I'd just taken a life, and I didn't feel bad about it. I was scared. What happened to me? I ran to the side of the ship and threw up.


Alec POV

All of us up on the cliff put down our telescopes slowly.

"Fuck," I whispered with wide eyes. That had been a pretty brutal display.

"Why?" Aang whispered.

"I'm guessing it was bad, then?" Toph prompted.

"For them, not for us," Azula said bluntly.

Katara swallowed and shook her head. "That was the signal. We need to fly Appa to the ship."

"And find out what made your dad change the plan." Zuko added.

"Blindfold The Duke." Katara suggested. "We don't want him to see this."

We made our way to Appa and climbed aboard. Momo, Ved, and Druk were in the saddle, along with all of Team Avatar's camping supplies. Pipsqueak and The Duke had been keeping watch in the saddle. Aang cracked the reins and we flew to the ship. We landed on the deck and disembarked. On the upside, our side hadn't taken any casualties. On the downside, we now had an entire crew's worth of bodies to dispose of.

I walked over to Dad. "What happened?" I asked.

Dad took a breath. "We overheard them reminiscing about a helpless village that they slaughtered, after they raped the women," He said with complete disgust.

I nodded. I would have done the same thing. I heard retching. I turned towards the sound. I saw Ty Lee emptying her stomach over the side of the ship. I ran over to her and rubbed her back. "Are you okay?" I asked gently. Ved climbed to her shoulder from mine, nuzzling against her to comfort her.

She shook her head, still looking over the side of the ship. "No. I just killed someone," she whispered. "I've never killed anyone before."

My heart ached for her. "You feel bad for killing him?" I asked.

She shook her head again. "No, it's not that. I don't feel guilty about killing him, he was a monster."

I put the pieces together in my head. "But you feel guilty for not feeling guilty," I said.

She nodded. I needed to make her feel better. I leaned on the railing next to her. "I know how you're feeling right now," I said. "After I killed Jet, I felt guilty. Not about killing him, but about creating the situation that made it necessary."

She looked at me. "How did you get over it?" she asked, her eyes pleading.

I turned to her and smiled. "I met a beautiful woman who helped me feel better."

She returned the smile. She leaned forward to kiss me, but I put my finger on her lips. "Why not?" she whined with a pout.

"Because you just threw up your entire dinner over the side of the ship," I pointed out.

She paled. "Good point. I'll go brush my teeth."


Zuko and I burned the bodies of the dead. Katara and Aang washed the blood off the deck with waterbending.

We investigated the ship. The interior was very similar to that of the drill. Metal, and dim red lights illuminating the hallways. Seriously, what is it with the Fire Nation's obsession with red? I almost had to firebend to get a decent amount of light in the place. We found a decent sized treasury in the cargo hold. Approximately five thousand Fire Nation gold pieces ("They're called 'ban'," Azula corrected.). While we were exploring, a messenger hawk arrived with a scroll for the ship's captain. Dad read it aloud to us.

"Captain,

Now that you have successfully dispatched the Water Tribe fleet, your new orders are to return to Fire Nation waters and resume normal patrol patterns.

-Admiral Liang"

Dad looked at Zuko and Azula. "What are normal patrol patterns?" he asked.

"A loop around the minor Fire Islands, followed by a run up the coastline of the Earth Kingdom colonies," Azula noted.

"And repeat," Zuko added.

Dad nodded. "We can sail through the lakes. I know of a gap in the Serpent's Pass that's big enough to sail through. The Western Lake has a river connecting it to the Mo Ce Sea. We can sail to the Fire Nation from there, and use the patrol route to keep up our cover and gather allies."

We all gathered in the barracks belowdecks afterwards, and put Appa in the empty stables reserved for komodo rhinos. Thankfully, there was enough space for him down there. There were multiple barracks, each with several bunks. Team Avatar took one for ourselves. Pipsqueak and The Duke decided to hang out with the Water Tribe warriors. The Kyoshi Warriors had their own barracks. Dad and Bato took the captain and first officer quarters, respectively.

Team Avatar sat around awkwardly, trying to avoid discussing the battle that had just happened. Aang decided to bring up a different subject. "I guess you guys will have to say goodbye to your dad tomorrow, huh?" He asked Katara, Sokka, and me.

Azula frowned. "Wait, we're leaving the ship tomorrow?"

Now that I thought about it, we hadn't planned that far ahead. "I thought we were," Aang said.

Azula shook her head. "That's a bad idea."

Sokka looked at her questioningly. "What makes you say that?"

Azula looked serious. "Now that the Earth Kingdom is under Fire Nation control, the Avatar is the biggest target," she said. "All Fire Nation forces in the Earth Kingdom will be looking up at the sky for Appa."

Suki seemed confused. "Then how will staying on the ship help?"

"Because this ship will let us sail to the one place my father would never look for us," Azula replied with a smirk. "The Fire Nation."

I was starting to follow her logic. "The Fire Nation won't be looking for us there, because we'd have to be crazy to go there," I realized.

"But it's still crazy to go there," Katara argued. "How can we expect to just walk around the Fire Nation?"

Azula frowned. "Tell me something: How did this group survive for this long?" We gave her a blank look. "I'm not being sarcastic, I genuinely want to know."

"Before Ba Sing Se, we mostly camped in the wilderness, hunting, fishing, and foraging for food," I said. "When we had money, we would buy supplies from villages."

Azula frowned. "You'll need to do more of the latter in the Fire Nation," she said. "There's not a lot of wilderness in the Fire Islands."

"There's a problem with that," Katara replied. "We don't want to attract attention."

"With good disguises, it'll be easy for us to blend in," Azula countered. "The only people here who have wanted posters are Zuko, Aang, and Alec."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "Ty Lee and I don't?"

Azula looked slightly embarrassed. "No, because your defection hasn't been made known to the public. It would cause a scandal if two nobles so close to the royal family defected." She swallowed. "That, and I planned on hunting you down myself."

The most awkward silence in history fell over the group for a second before Azula collected herself. "My point is, as long as we stay out of Royal Caldera City, Mai and Ty Lee won't be recognized, and they can wear their normal Fire Nation clothes. The rest of us will need disguises." She looked around the group. She started with Toph. "Toph just needs to wear red clothes." She looked at Suki. "If you take off your makeup and change clothes, you'll pass as a colonial." She turned to Sokka and Katara. "Red clothes for you two should suffice, but you'll also need to remove that necklace, Katara." Katara fingered Kya's necklace, but nodded. She put her attention on me. "You have a wanted poster, but if you wore red and changed your hairstyle to something more Fire Nation appropriate, you'd be difficult to recognize."

"Like what? A topknot or something?" I asked.

She nodded. "Exactly."

I shrugged. "Sure, okay."

She turned to Zuko. "We need to do something about your scar."

Zuko looked down. Mai grabbed his hand supportively. Azula seemed to realize what she'd said. "I didn't mean anything by it, Zuko." she said.

"I know, Azula," Zuko muttered. "It's just a touchy subject."

Suki snapped her fingers. "I've got an idea." She said. "My makeup is waterproof, sweatproof, and tearproof. I can mix a shade to match Zuko's skin tone."

Zuko looked at her. "What about the texture, and my ear?" He asked.

"Your hair's long enough that you can cover up your ear, but if someone asks, we can say it's a birth defect." I suggested. "If you took away the color, it looks more like a birth defect than a burn scar."

Zuko nodded, as did Azula. "That could work." The princess said. She turned to Aang, giving him an appraising look. "This one will take the most work," she said. "Luckily, it will take us a few weeks to get to the Fire Nation from here. We'll need that time."

Aang looked concerned. "For what?" he asked.

Azula rolled her eyes. "For you to grow out your hair and cover that tattoo on your head," she said.

Aang's eyes widened. "What?!" he exclaimed. "Why can't I wear a hat, or something?"

"Hats can fall off," Azula refuted.

Aang looked at Suki. Before he could open his mouth, she shook her head. "I don't have enough ingredients to make enough makeup for both you and Zuko," she said. "It would take a lot of makeup to cover up all the arrows on your body. Growing your hair out and wearing long-sleeved clothes in the Fire Nation is your best option."

Aang was reluctant to stop shaving. It was important to his Air Nomad heritage, but he finally nodded. "Okay."

"What about you?" I asked Azula. "Everyone thinks you're dead."

She gave me a look. "If you didn't know who I was, and I weren't wearing my armor, would you recognize me right now?" she asked pointedly. "I just need to do this." She stood up and removed her armored breastplate and armored skirt, revealing regular clothes underneath. She was now wearing the outfit she wore during The Search. With the new outfit, her hair down, and no makeup, she looked like a different person.

"What else do we do while we're sailing?" Sokka asked.

Zuko looked at Aang. "It's high time we started your firebending lessons," he said. "It's not uncommon to see sailors sparring on the deck to keep their skills sharp, so as long as you wear a full Fire Navy uniform, including a helmet, you'll be fine."

Aang nodded. "Okay."

We each picked a bunk and went to sleep.


Azula POV

The next morning, I was bored. I hated being bored, because that left me trapped in my own thoughts. I did want to help the others, but why was I so conflicted about it? Because being their enemy was all I knew how to be? On the bright side, I wasn't hallucinating anymore, and I was getting enough sleep.

I made my way up to the deck, looking for some way to occupy my time. I looked around. Various Water Tribe warriors and Kyoshi Warriors mingled on the deck, fulfilling various duties. Everyone was wearing a Fire Navy uniform, or at least a red cloak to cover their usual garb.

Alec and Ty Lee were leaning over the railing, chatting and laughing. Alec wore a Fire Navy uniform, minus the helmet, and Ty Lee wore her regular Fire Nation outfit. Ved and Druk were resting in the stables with Appa and Momo. Normally, I would have gone to pet the dragons, but I needed company capable of conversation. Ved and Druk were a little too young for that.

I saw Zuko training Aang. The Avatar was wearing the smallest uniform the Fire Navy had, complete with helmet, but it was still too big for him. Honestly, my armor would have fit him better. Zuko and Aang worked their way through a sequence of firebending moves that I didn't recognize. Interesting.

Aang started laughing. "What is it?" I heard Zuko ask.

"It's just that, I can't believe how far I've come in such a short time," Aang said. "I've mastered air and water, almost mastered earth, mastered the Avatar State, and now I'm learning firebending!" he said excitedly.

I had to admit, Aang was quite impressive now. He definitely had the power to end the war. I probably couldn't defeat him in a fair fight.

"You've come a long way," Zuko said with a small smile. "Once we defeat my father, we can start rebuilding the world together."

Aang nodded and smiled. "And then the world will be at peace!"

Oh, this would not do. This would not do at all. If they were this naive, the world would not last long. I needed them to succeed, I wanted my brother to do well.

I cleared my throat. "Aang, Zuko, Alec, I need a word," I announced loudly.

They stopped. Alec walked over to me, Ty Lee with him. "What is it?" he asked.

I looked at the three I called over. "I'm aware of a problem you three have that we need to address," I said. "Fortunately, I can give you lessons on how to fix it. I need everyone in Team Avatar to meet me in our barracks after lunch."

"What problem?" Alec asked.

"What lessons?" Zuko wondered.

"You'll see." I replied.


Alec POV

After we had lunch, Team Avatar ventured into the barracks. Zuko and I had picked up Druk and Ved, respectively. We couldn't afford to let them be seen, so we had to spend all our time with them belowdecks.

We entered our barracks and found Azula sitting in a chair, with her legs crossed. "Good, you came," she said. She indicated some rough cushions on the floor. "Have a seat, all of you."

"What's this about?" I asked, sitting on a cushion in front of Azula, Ty Lee sitting next to me.

"Just humor me," Azula said. "I promise, this will be worth it."

When everyone was seated, Azula clapped her hands. "Now," she said. "I'm going to give Aang, Zuko, and Alec a different hypothetical scenario, and I want you to tell me how you choose to respond. After all three of you go, I'll tell you your results, and why I called you here."

I was curious. What was she getting at?

She turned to Aang. "An old adversary of yours comes to your door," she said. "He gives you a cake as a peace offering. What do you do?"

"I politely accept the cake, and eat it for dessert that night after dinner," Aang replied with a polite smile.

I kept my eyes on Azula, trying to gauge how Aang did, but her face gave me no hints. I looked at Ty Lee out of the corner of my eye. She didn't seem to know what Azula was up to, either.

Azula turned to Zuko. "You're the Fire Lord, and not married to Mai yet. A nobleman with a daughter your age speaks to you at a party. He implies that his daughter would be a better match for you than Mai, and throws some subtle, veiled insults at her. What do you do?"

Zuko scowled. "Demand an apology and if that fails, challenge him to an Agni Kai for insulting the woman I love."

Azula turned to me. "You're the Grand Advisor. A politician who resents you blatantly insults you at a party, with no subtlety. You challenge him to an Agni Kai for his transgression, and he accepts. What do you do?"

I frowned. My scenario seemed like all I had to do was proceed with the challenge, but I figured there was something else going on here. I looked Azula in the eye. "Am I allowed to ask questions?"

She nodded once, and I saw a brief twinkle in her eye.

"Do I know how good of a firebender this politician is?" I asked.

"You do. You're stronger, by a wide margin," Azula replied.

I nodded. "Does he know that?"

"He does," Azula answered.

"One last question: What time of day is this party?" I asked.

I saw the twinkle in her eye again. "Evening. The sun has already set."

I nodded. "In that case, I take Ty Lee and any other family to a secure location that only I know about until the Agni Kai happens. Then, I show up at the last minute to the Agni Kai, and win."

Azula nodded. She took a breath. "Here are your results." She pointed at Aang. "You died." She pointed at Zuko. "You caused a scandal." She pointed at me. "And you successfully eliminated a threat without causing an incident."

I smiled to myself. Ty Lee squeezed my hand.

Aang looked alarmed. "I died?! How?!"

Azula rolled her eyes. "The cake was poisoned, genius."

Aang swallowed. Katara grabbed his hand and glared at Azula. "Azula, what's the point of this?" she asked.

"The point is that all of you are powerful, but you have weaknesses," The princess said, folding her arms. "Aang is incredibly naive, and Zuko rushes into things. Alec is clever, but he needs to learn more about Fire Nation politics if he wants to be Grand Advisor. That's what I'm going to teach the lot of you: politics." She frowned. "Father gave me private lessons when I was younger."

Zuko frowned. "He didn't give me those lessons."

"He probably wanted to remove you from the line of succession," Azula said bluntly, before she saw Zuko wince slightly. "Sorry," she apologized awkwardly.

I raised an eyebrow. "How much could we really learn from the lessons of a megalomaniac bent on world domination?" I asked. "We want to make the Fire Nation better, not worse."

Azula looked me in the eye. "Not everything is perfect in the Fire Nation," she said. "The war has lasted for a century. For all the patriotic fervor behind it, people are tired. The nobles are okay with it, because they get plenty of opportunities to become governors of occupied territory. The peasants, on the other hand, miss the family members that serve in the military. As long as the Fire Nation was winning and the casualties were low, they were happy. But the failed Siege of the North didn't help the war's popularity. Casualties have increased to the point where the Fire Nation's forces are spread thin." She smirked. "Maintaining order in the Fire Nation is a delicate balancing act. Overthrowing the Fire Lord will upset that balance, and it will destroy you if you aren't careful."

While the others absorbed this information, I gave Azula a flat look. "Judging by Ozai's parenting style, I assume he just made everyone scared of him to keep them in line."

She waved her hand in a "so-so" motion. "Not entirely," she said. "He told me that he uses that now, but before he firmly established his position, he played the game of court politics for years. Making deals, outmaneuvering rivals, and what not." She turned to Zuko. "I know you don't want to rule through fear, which means you'll have to play that game for a lot longer until you earn respect."

Zuko nodded. "So, you're going to teach us how to do that?"

Azula smirked. "Exactly."

Mai narrowed her eyes at Azula. "That explains why Zuko, Alec, Ty Lee, and I are here, but what about the others?"

"The Avatar will need to have strong diplomatic ties with Zuko to help him secure his position," Azula said. "And I don't want him to pull a Kyoshi."

Suki glared. "Are you insulting Avatar Kyoshi?" she growled, moving to stand up. Sokka grabbed her arm and held her down.

Azula held up a hand. "It's a Fire Nation term for causing a major diplomatic incident through sheer incompetence." she explained. "That applies to the rest of you as well. You need to learn how to behave yourselves among Fire Nation nobility at parties and formal dinners."

"But why is that called 'pulling a Kyoshi'?" Suki demanded.

"The Camellia-Peony War?" I guessed.

Azula nodded. "Correct."

Suki narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Avatar Kyoshi was very powerful, but she wasn't a politician," I said. "There was a party in the Fire Nation where she mistook Fire Lord Zoryu's illegitimate brother, Chaejin, for the Fire Lord himself. It caused a massive scandal and almost led to a civil war."

"The historians call that time the Camellia-Peony War, after the crests of the involved noble clans," Ty Lee added. "They call it a war even though it didn't get that far."

"So, one person saying the wrong thing almost caused a war?" Aang asked fearfully.

Azula nodded. "Yes, and that's why you need to take these lessons seriously if you want to help Zuko. The noble clans don't have as much power as they used to, but if you don't watch yourselves they could become a serious thorn in your side."

Toph sat up. "Question, Dragon Girl: what's in this for you? I thought you didn't care about anything but your revenge."

Azula seemed uncertain. "Revenge on my father is pointless if the entire world falls apart immediately after he's gone. Besides, seeing the world thrive in his absence will be even better revenge."

Toph grinned. "Liar. You're doing this because you care about your brother," she teased.

Azula glared, but the effect was lost on Toph. "I am not!"

Toph's grin got even wider. "You are too. You're heartbeat isn't lying."

Ty Lee snickered. Azula shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Whatever," she said, eager to change the subject. "I'll be teaching Zuko, Alec, and Aang more intensely, but all of you will be getting lessons in etiquette and how to conduct yourselves. I recommend at minimum a few hours every day after lunch for the foreseeable future."

I nodded. "I'm in." These lessons would definitely be interesting.

Zuko looked curious. "Tell me, how were Aang and I wrong, and what were the right answers?"

Azula nodded. "Let's start with Aang. The right solution would have been to accept the cake politely, then test it for poison. There are multiple ways to do that, several of which don't even require a food taster. If the cake is fine, he has a new potential friend. If the cake is poisoned, he now has evidence to get an enemy arrested."

Aang tilted his head. "How was I supposed to guess the cake was poisoned?" he asked.

Azula gave him a flat look. "Because an old adversary showed up and had a change of heart for no reason," she said. "That should immediately make you cautious."

"But Mai and Ty Lee defected!" Aang tried to argue.

"After Alec told them enough information to make them want to change sides, and also after they learned you were more powerful than they first believed," Azula retorted. "They didn't change sides out of nowhere."

Aang looked down at his lap, defeated. I felt a little bad for him, but he needed to become less naive.

"What about me?" Zuko asked. "My scenario and Alec's were pretty similar."

Azula turned on him. "There was one key difference: in your scenario, the nobleman didn't use any insults that would rise to the level of Agni Kai worthy. I said his insults were subtle and veiled. He was trying to get a rise out of you. Because you challenged him over something that wouldn't be seen as worth a challenge, you got a reputation for being hot-headed and petty. Not a good look for a Fire Lord." She looked him in the eye. "A favorite tactic of noble clans is to walk right on the edge of insulting their rivals, hoping to provoke a response that will make them appear to be in the right. You need to not fall for that."

She turned to me and smiled. "I'm curious, how did you know the answer?"

I looked her in the eye. "I figured there was a point to these scenarios, and that the right answer wouldn't necessarily be the obvious one," I said. "Once I found out that the guy knew I was stronger, and that it was past sunset, meaning the Agni Kai wouldn't happen until the next day, I suspected he was going to cheat in some way to force me to throw the duel." I frowned. "What better way to make me lose on purpose than taking Ty Lee as a hostage? If I take Ty Lee into hiding, and only come out to show up for the duel, he's got nothing on me."

Azula nodded. "Correct. Learning to predict more of these scenarios will help you survive life in the palace."

Sokka frowned. "I still don't understand why all of us need this."

"If I'm the Fire Lord, and you come to the Fire Nation as my guest, everything you do reflects on me," Zuko said.

"In other words, we mess up, it messes things up for you," Toph said. "Sure, let's do it."

Azula grinned. "Excellent. Your lessons begin tomorrow after lunch."

AN: Next time: Lessons, stories, and hijinks galore!