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 39:

Purpose

Alec POV

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

My eyes shot open with a start and I immediately clutched my head in agony. I didn't remember the lights being that bright, or the sound of knocking on the door being that loud. What was going on here?

I did a quick self-check. I had a headache that felt like Sokka used my head as a boomerang target. Lights and sounds were so intense that I had to squint and cover my ears. My dry mouth was sticky with thick saliva. I felt sweaty, gross, and cranky, almost like I'd been firebending all day but hadn't bathed or accomplished anything. I reached around and realized I was in my bunk, but sleeping on top of the covers instead of under them. Strange. My vision started to clear just a little and my eyes fell on the barrel in the center of the room.

Oh no.

Oh no!

I knew these symptoms. A hangover. Not just any hangover, but a red wine hangover. In my experience those were some of the worst, and they lasted a long time, to boot. I slowly sat up, and I felt my stomach contents slosh around.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Each knock sent a painful throb through my skull. Part of me hoped that whoever was knocking on the door was an enemy. Finding the person making those noises and burning them alive sounded fucking therapeutic right now.

I felt stirring next to me. Ved, who had been sleeping next to me, roused. He looked me in the eyes. He was still about two months away from being able to speak, but I didn't need words to know what he was saying. He was judging me. I held out my arm, He yawned and jumped on, crawling up to my right shoulder.

I heard various moans and groans throughout the barracks. I guess everyone else was stirring as well. Looks like I wasn't alone in my misery. I lurched out of bed and slowly stumbled towards the door, desperately hanging on to my balance. I had to catch myself on the table with the barrel. I wanted to burn that damn thing, too.

I leaned against the door. "Who is it?" I groaned.

"It's me," I heard Dad's voice say from the other side. Well, burning him alive was out of the question. "We're serving breakfast and we wanted to make sure you were up."

I looked around the cabin. A few of them were trying to get up. Sokka and Aang retreated under the covers of their respective bunks in an attempt to keep out the light and noise. Through the fog of my headache, I managed to remember the things I knew from my world that could help us through this.

"I'll come pick some stuff up for us," I grumbled, "We'll eat in here."

I opened the door. Dad took one look at me and his eyebrows shot up. "Are you drunk?" he asked. His tone wasn't that of an angry parent, thankfully. If anything, he sounded almost amused. I guess I looked as shitty as I felt.

"I'm hungover," I admitted. "All of us are."

Dad shook his head and chuckled softly. "Come on," he said. "You can get some food and water for the others."


Dad and I walked towards the mess hall at a slow pace for my benefit. Well, he walked, I stumbled, and had to brace myself on the wall a few times. I hadn't even felt this sore and fatigued when I fought in the Siege of the North. Dad gave me a glance. "As funny as this is, I feel the need to ask how and why this happened."

I glanced at him through bleary eyes. "It was Azula's idea," I said. "You know how she's teaching us politics and etiquette? Because wine is served at Fire Nation parties, she wanted to know what our limits are so we don't make fools of ourselves."

Dad raised an eyebrow. "I see." He shook his head. "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that you'll be the second most powerful person in the Fire Nation if we win."

I grinned, despite the headache. When Zuko and I first told Dad about his plan to make me Grand Advisor, Dad thought we were joking. "Think of it this way: Between my position in the Fire Nation and Katara's relationship with Aang, you'll have powerful alliances with the Fire Nation, the Avatar, and the Air Nomads."

Hakoda smiled. "I care more about my family than any alliance." His expression turned more serious. "None of you did anything with…lasting consequences, did you?"

I shook my head. "Only one person drank at a time, Azula took notes, they passed out, and then we moved on." I gave him a look. "You won't be a grandpa anytime soon, if that's what you mean."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "That's comforting."

We entered the mess hall. Three long, wooden cafeteria tables lay parallel in the center of the room. The Water Tribesmen and the Kyoshi Warriors were eating, chatting, and laughing together. Bato noticed my presence and raised an eyebrow, before he grinned in understanding. He elbowed the warrior next to him, a big burly man named Gilak, who saw me and laughed.

"Try to be a man last night, young one?" Gilak teased. I was painfully aware that the rest of the room's occupants knew what state I was in.

I shook my head, which was a mistake because it made me feel like my brain was bouncing around in my head. "I wasn't the only one," I groaned, "All of Team Avatar is hungover. I came to get some bread and water for all of us. And some fruit for Momo and bacon for the dragons."

Everyone else laughed. I groaned at the noise and held my head in my hands. That only made them laugh harder. "Leave him be," Dad said. "Besides, who among us can say they haven't enjoyed booze too much from time to time?"

The warriors nodded in agreement. Even the Kyoshi Warriors nodded. I guess they must have partied a time or two as well.

Dad helped me load up my bag with bread and water for the others. "Well, I'm off to help a bunch of children deal with their first hangover," I said ruefully. "See you all later."


I managed to drag myself back to the barracks. At least the warm bread smelled good and made me feel less nauseous. I opened the door and laid eyes on a sorry sight. Everyone was sitting around the firepit in the center of the room, looking completely miserable. Most were hunched over, holding their heads or their stomachs. Those that were in relationships used their significant other as a crutch to hold themself upright. I trudged over and sat down to the right of Ty Lee. She looked at me and smiled, but I could tell she didn't feel good. Her bangs stuck to her sweaty forehead, and her eyes were bloodshot.

"I got bread and water for everyone." I mumbled, opening my bag and passing out the food and canteens.

Sokka groaned, "Great, we feel miserable and you didn't get any meat?"

"Mild foods like bread are the best for treating hangovers," I countered, rubbing my forehead. I didn't want to hear any whining right now. "Eating anything like meat might make the nausea worse. There's no point in eating if you're just gonna puke it up. So eat some bread, and drink plenty of water until you feel better."

"If I could tell which one of you was Dragon Girl, I'd slam you into the wall," Toph moaned. "I don't give a fuck if the Fire Nation serves wine at parties, I'm never drinking that shit again. I can barely make out where things are through vibrations."

Katara let out a low groan. I think she was trying to say, "Language", but she was too hungover to talk.

"There are ways to make it so you don't get smashed," Azula groaned, ignoring Toph's threat. "This was just so you could learn what would happen and what your warning signs are."

A scary thought occurred to me. "You made sure to write down my information, right?" I asked. "I don't want to go through this shit again."

Azula nodded and pawed around on the floor, before picking up her parchment. "We can go over this later," she said. "I just want my head to stop hurting."

"There's a pressure point that can help," Ty Lee said. "It relieves headaches. I can show you." She sat in my lap, facing away from me. She took my hands and put them on either side of her temples. "Push in gently with your index and middle fingers, and rub in slow circles." she instructed.

Despite my headache, I grinned. "You just want me to give you a massage, don't you?" I teased.

"Is it working?" she teased. I could hear the suggestive smirk in her voice.

I sighed. "Yes, darling. It's working."

I rubbed circles in her temples. She used her flexibility to reach her hands back to my head and return the favor. Relief melted through my body, and my head stopped throbbing. "Guys, this actually works," I said. "Give it a try."


After breakfast and a round of head massages, we were improving slowly but surely. Once Katara recovered enough to bend, she used healing to remove the rest of our symptoms. After she finished with me, I laughed. "Where I come from, we have to wait until the hangovers go away," I said.

"Good thing we have waterbending," she replied with a content smile.

Azula looked at her parchment. "Interesting results," she noted. "At least we know what to watch out for."

"Who won?" Sokka asked.

"After what we just went through, I don't think anyone did," Aang said, running his fingers through the stubble on his head.

"If you mean who had the highest tolerance, Zuko, Alec, Mai, and I passed out after six drinks," Azula reported. "But Zuko took five and a half drinks to show symptoms. Mai and Alec showed signs after five, and I started giggling at four and a half."

"What were the signs?" Katara asked.

"Let's go in order, shall we," Azula said, pointing to each person in turn. "Toph started slurring her words and got angry. Ty Lee lost her filter and started talking about her sex life." That made Ty Lee blush and hide her face. I hugged her to let her know it was okay. "Suki giggled. Sokka's jokes got even worse. Aang tried to show off to impress Katara. Katara hiccuped and complained about having to clean up after all of you. Mai was hard to pin down, but her facial expressions and twitches gave her away. Zuko got reckless and stupid." She turned to me. "And Alec complained and whined about how stupid people in his world could be. He also rambled about some things called 'memes', but I don't know if those were real or just figments of his imagination."

I almost wished I could remember what I talked about last night. Trying to explain memes would be even harder than explaining tv. "Memes are real," I confirmed. "Don't ask, it's too complicated to explain."

"At least we know the warning signs," Suki reasoned. "But how do we keep this from happening again?"

"It'll be easier at an actual party," Azula assured us. "You'll all be walking around and talking so much that you might only take a sip every few minutes. They also serve food and water at these events. Make sure to eat food and drink water in between every glass, and that will stop the alcohol from hitting you so hard, and you won't make fools of yourselves in front of the nobles."

Zuko frowned. "Why are we worrying about the nobles so much?" he asked Azula. "They're only one of the four groups I need to keep the loyalty of."

"The other three groups you can win over by implementing policies that benefit the Fire Nation as a whole and ending the war," Azula replied. She scowled. "A lot of the policies you're going to implement will rob the nobles of opportunities to earn more prestige." She looked at Ved and Druk, and her eyes softened. "The Dragon Hunts are horrible, but the nobles liked them because it let them get bragging rights. You're not only ending them, but you're also showing that the dragons aren't extinct, after all. That will make them angry. Your best option is to learn to navigate court politics so they'll think it's too risky to try anything."

Azula rubbed her hands together. "Time for more lessons."


We fell into a pattern over the next three weeks. Zuko spent most mornings teaching Aang firebending, but a few mornings were spent teaching everyone on the ship how to operate the ship. Ty Lee taught Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors chi-blocking to complement their fighting style, and Mai gave them pointers on thrown weapons. Even Sokka joined in their practice drills on occasion. I kept up with my firebending practice, always striving to improve. Azula continued giving us lessons every day. Those mostly went well, but there was an occasional hiccup…

"Do you really need to tie me to a chair?!" Sokka whined.

…Like the hiccup we were dealing with now. We were seated around a table that Azula set up in the barracks, eating a mock banquet. Azula was attempting to teach us table manners. Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and Toph all performed flawlessly, due to their backgrounds. Katara, Suki, Aang, and I passed with only a few minor corrections. I didn't know that the angle at which you held your chopsticks was so important. Sokka, on the other hand…

"Yes, I do!" Azula shot back, putting her hands on her hips. "Your manners are atrocious! You chew with your mouth open, you eat too fast, and you lean down over your food, instead of bringing it up to your mouth. I left your hands free so you could fix that last problem. Sit up straight, and bring the food to your mouth." She glared at him. "Do you bow down to food, or does food bow down to you?"

That was certainly a dramatic way of putting it. Everyone but Sokka and Azula was trying not to laugh. "Azula, I think Sokka does bow down to food," I said. "He's one of the only people in our village who could stomach Auntie Ashuna's seal jerky." I winced. "Almost broke a tooth on that stuff when I tried to eat it." Auntie Ashuna was a kind woman, so well loved that everyone in our village called her 'Auntie'. But you could probably use her seal jerky as a club and beat someone to death with it.

"Why does this stuff matter so much, anyway?" Sokka asked indignantly. He looked at Azula. "You told us when we started this that formal dinners are rare."

"They are, but there's one thing you're forgetting:" Azula replied. "If you look like a slob at a Fire Nation event, it won't just reflect poorly on Zuko, it will reflect poorly on the Southern Water Tribe." She pointed at me and Zuko. "Those two will already have their work cut out for them when it comes to changing the Fire Nation's opinion about the other nations. Do you really want to make it harder?"

Sokka grumbled, but he couldn't refute her logic. Slowly, after many corrections, he learned to eat like a proper gentleman.

Azula gave Aang an appraising look. "Aang, run your fingers through your hair," she commanded.

Aang swept his hand through his hair. It was about an inch long, if I had to guess. Azula nodded. "Good, your hair is thick enough now. We can leave the ship tomorrow."

"About time," Toph said. "I'm sick of the ocean."

"Where do we go first?" Katara asked.

"We should get disguises," Azula said. "Those will allow us to move through towns inconspicuously. After that, we can head to that island Alec mentioned to me to take care of my…problem," she finished with a grimace.

Azula didn't like showing weakness. It took her a few days to admit to everyone that she had firebending trouble. Even then, she was pretty awkward about it.


Flashback Two Weeks Ago, Alec POV

Azula barged into the barracks while the rest of us were taking a break from our various tasks and hobbies. She clenched her fists at her side and stared at the floor.

"I can't firebend," she said bluntly. "Alec tells me there's a way to fix it. I don't want to talk about it."

She turned around, walked out of the barracks, and slammed the door behind her. I guess awkwardness ran in the family.


Present Time, Alec POV

"How do we get disguises?" Sokka asked, still bound to the chair. "Steal clothes from someone's laundry?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "That would be stupid," she said bluntly. "There's no guarantee we would find clothes for all our sizes. Ty Lee and Mai have Fire Nation clothes. We can take the ship's treasury with us when we leave and they can go shopping for us."

"Won't Dad and the others need that money?" Katara asked.

Azula shook her head. "No, there's enough food, coal, and supplies on this ship for months. The money was probably the Captain's personal treasury."

I looked at Mai and Ty Lee. "How will you two shop for us if you don't know our sizes?"

"There's a tape measure in the mending kit in the cargo hold," Azula replied.

I raised an eyebrow. "Mending kit?"

"It's there so sailors can mend their uniforms without having to leave the ship," Zuko explained.

"I'll get it and take everyone's measurements," Ty Lee said, standing up from her chair. "I'll be right back."


The Next Morning

We assembled on the deck and loaded up Appa with enough food for a few days, the money from the ship's treasury, and all our other stuff. We stood on the deck to say our goodbyes. Momo perched on Aang's shoulder. Druk and Ved hung out in Appa's saddle. They'd grown quite a bit in the past few weeks. Their heads were now as big as footballs, and they were each about as long as one of Hulk Hogan's feather boas. They were too big to ride on our shoulders anymore. Dad embraced Sokka, Katara, and me in a big hug. "I'll see you three later," he said warmly. "Ask Ursa to contact me when you've figured out a good rendezvous point."

"We will, Dad." Sokka promised.

Suki gave her Kyoshi Warriors a big hug. They also dragged Ty Lee and a reluctant Mai into the embrace. After they broke apart, we all boarded Appa. Aang cracked the reins and we took off.

It was only about an hour-long flight before we saw the island in the distance. Katara and Aang whipped up some cloud cover with airbending and waterbending, surrounding Appa in white, fluffy camouflage. Sokka took the reins in Aang's place. Thankfully, we could see outside the cloud, but Aang assured us that people wouldn't be able to see in. I took out my telescope so I could take a closer look at the island. I could just about make out a village, with plenty of people in it.

"Looks like there's a village down there," I observed. "They've got to have a clothing shop."

"Shh!" Sokka said.

We flew past the village, and closer towards the coast. "I think I see a cave below," Aang said, pointing in a direction.

"Shh!" Sokka shushed again. "Be quiet!"

He took us down to the coastline, on a rocky beach. Aang and Katara dispersed the clouds, and Appa landed. Sokka immediately jumped off, and pressed his back against a nearby boulder, almost like he was scouting for something. He turned back to us as we disembarked. "Great job with the cloud camo," he praised, "but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut." He went back to his 'scouting'.

Azula raised an eyebrow. "Is he serious?"

Toph shook her head. "Sokka's right," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in."

Sokka turned back sharply. "Hey, we're in enemy territory!" he hissed, pointing up at four toucans that were perched on his boulder. "Those are enemy birds," he said with complete seriousness. One of them hopped on his head and screeched.

Azula stared at Sokka with disbelief. "This is the strategist who inflicted twelve-to-one losses against Admiral Zhao's fleet?" She shook her head. "I'm embarrassed."


We made our way into the cave and set up our stuff. Ty Lee and Mai took a large bag full of coins and made to leave the cave to go shopping. I turned to Azula. "Can't any of the rest of us go with them?" I asked. I knew they could handle themselves, but I was still wary. I was pretty much flying blind for most of the rest of the story.

Azula shook her head. "They're dressed like normal Fire Nationals," she pointed out. "Nobody wears military uniforms off-duty, so you, Sokka, and Zuko would attract attention."

"We'll be back in a few hours," Ty Lee said. "We have your sizes, so this shouldn't take too long."


Ty Lee POV

Mai and I made our way to the village. It was so strange to see the paved stone roads and the red tile roofs of the Fire Nation again after all that had happened recently. On the one hand, it was nice to be back in familiar territory. On the other hand, the things I now knew about how the war was affecting the other nations made me a little uncomfortable to see all the Fire Nationals going about their business like there wasn't a war tearing apart the other nations.

I shook my head and cleared my mind. Mai and I had a job to do now. On the main street, we found what we were looking for. A large clothing and accessory shop. We entered and the woman behind the counter beamed at us. She looked like she was about thirty-five, and had long, black hair in a simple topknot. Her clothing was simple, but stylish. "Welcome to my shop!" she greeted warmly. I could tell by pink tinge to her aura that she meant it. "My name is Yursi. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, ma'am," Mai said, bowing to the woman. "Most of our family's clothes were ruined in a house fire recently. We brought a list of their sizes. Most of them should be simple to shop for, but there are two that have…special conditions."

I was impressed that Mai came up with a lie that easily. Yursi's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry to hear that," she said sincerely. "Tell me, what are these 'special conditions'?"

"Well, there's our younger sister," I said. "She's twelve, and she just started, you know, growing." I said as subtly as I could. "She's also a bit of a tomboy. She likes to roughhouse, so we need something that'll…" I trailed off, trying to find the words.

"Hold them steady so they don't flap everywhere, but be comfortable enough to wear every day." Yursi finished with a knowing expression. "I was young once. I know how it is. Check the third aisle from the right. What about the other one?" She asked.

"Our brother," Mai said. "He lost control of his firebending and burned a lot of his body. He doesn't like people seeing his bandages or his scars. He got burned on most of his body from the neck down, and he has a burn on his forehead that he wants to cover up."

Yursi's eyes shone with sympathy. "The poor dear," she said. "I have just the thing for him." She walked over to one of the racks and pulled out what looked like a suit with a red jacket and black trimming. "It's based on school uniforms, but the colors are inverted and it doesn't need a belt." She pulled a strip of red fabric off another rack. "He can use this as a headband."

That sounded like a good idea. "Thank you, ma'am," I said appreciatively. "We can find the rest of what we need on our own."

"Would you like to see our selection of swimwear?" She asked.

That gave me an idea.


Alec POV

"What's taking them so long?" Sokka asked, lying on his back, throwing and catching his boomerang.

"They're shopping for clothes," Azula replied, leaning against the cave wall. "Supposedly, that takes a long time."

Suki noticed Azula's choice of words. "Supposedly?" she asked from her spot right next to Sokka.

"I don't know from experience," Azula admitted with a shrug. "All my clothes were made by the palace tailor."

"Me neither," Toph said, leaning against the opposite cave wall from Azula. "My parents and servants did all that shit for me."

"Language," Katara chided, sitting next to Aang and petting Momo.

"The monks made all our clothes," Aang said. "I'd never even used money until I started traveling with you guys."

That confused me. "I thought you'd traveled all over the world before you got frozen," I said, stroking Ved's scales. "How did you manage to travel the world without ever using money?"

"People saw us Air Nomads as bringers of good fortune," Aang said with a fond smile. "A lot of times, people would let me sleep in their spare room if I gave them a blessing or helped out with chores."

Zuko shook his head from his spot on the cave floor, petting Druk's head. "Hard to believe that Sozin managed to convince the whole Fire Nation that the Air Nomads were going to attack," he mused. "It sounds like the Air Nomads were just a bunch of peaceful monks."

I shrugged. "The people probably didn't think Sozin would lie to them about something like that." I scoffed. "After all, what kind of monster would start a genocide based on a lie?"

Azula nodded, and turned to the cave entrance. "I hope they come back soon," she said, wrinkling her brow. "It's unwise for us to split up."

"Aw, you do care!" I teased, making the others laugh. Azula shot me a glare that promised pain. "Besides, why didn't you go with them if you're so concerned? You already have your disguise."

"I don't know the first thing about shopping," Azula admitted. "A teenage girl in wealthy clothes with no shopping experience might raise suspicions."

"Were you always this paranoid?" Toph asked with a hint of humor.

Azula looked down. "The one time I let my guard down and trusted someone completely, I was almost killed," she said quietly.

Toph frowned, then walked over to Azula. "Sorry," Toph said with complete sincerity. Then she punched Azula in the arm.

"Ow!" Azula exclaimed, rubbing the spot on her arm. "What was that for?!"

"That's how I show affection," Toph explained with a smirk.

"We're back!"

I turned to the cave entrance and saw Mai and Ty Lee carrying a bunch of cloth bags stuffed to the brim with clothes, shoes, and accessories. I noticed Mai had a deep frown on her face as she struggled with the weight of five full bags. Zuko and I ran up to our respective girlfriends and took the bags from them.

"Woah!" I exclaimed under the sudden weight. "How much stuff did you two get?"

The knife-thrower glared at the acrobat, who rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, we were buying clothes for ten people…" she began with a hint of guilt in her voice.

"Ten?" Sokka asked. "But you, Mai, and Azula already have clothes," he pointed out in his confusion.

"I got swimsuits for most of us, including Mai, Azula, and me," Ty Lee confessed with a blush. "Summer in the Fire Nation can be pretty hot. We might want to go swimming sometime to cool off."

I was almost afraid of the answer, but I felt the need to ask. "How much did you spend?" I asked with a hint of fear.

Ty Lee couldn't look me in the eye. "All of what was in the bag," she whispered.

My heart nearly stopped. "But we gave you 1,500 ban!" I choked out, barely keeping my voice in check. I wasn't angry, just a little upset. She clearly felt bad, but I didn't want to make her feel worse.

"Did you not try to haggle?" Suki asked, more curious than upset.

"We did," Mai insisted. "We got ten percent off for buying so much."

"And, in her defense, these are excellent quality clothes," Azula said, rummaging through one of the bags. "I recognize this fabric. It's comfortable and durable. Fire-resistant as well. The same fabric that Mai and Ty Lee's clothes are made of."

That confused me. "But I was able to burn holes in their clothes when you chased us down in that tank," I recalled.

"I said they were fire-resistant, not fireproof," Azula clarified. "If you shoot a fireball at them, nothing will happen. But if you hold them in a fire, they will burn."

"I'm sorry I spent so much money," Ty Lee said guiltily, still looking down at her feet.

"We have some food from the ship, and we still have 3,500 ban left," Zuko said, trying to reassure her. "We should be fine."

I lifted up Ty Lee's chin with a finger to look into her radiant silver eyes. "I'm not mad," I assured her. "I was just surprised that clothes could be so expensive." Ved slithered over and nuzzled into her side to comfort her. She petted him on the head appreciatively and smiled at me.

"So, who gets what bag?" Sokka asked impatiently. Leave it to Sokka to ruin a moment.


We got dressed, one at a time, using a secluded spot hidden around a corner in the cave as a dressing room. Katara went first. She came out after a few minutes and I heard Aang gasp. I was impressed that Ty Lee managed to pick out an exact replica of Katara's Fire Nation disguise from the show. Aang stared at her for several long seconds. "Wow, you look beautiful," he said with complete adoration in his voice. Katara beamed back at him.

"Oogie," Sokka muttered. Katara glared at him, but didn't say anything. He stood up and walked into the changing area. He also had the same Fire Nation disguise he had in the show. Suki nodded appreciatively at his bare arms.

I turned to Ty Lee with a curious expression. "How did you pick out those clothes?" I asked.

She shrugged, "I'm not really sure, something about them just compelled me," she said, petting Ved, who was resting his head in her lap.

Well, that was vague and mysterious. Was some spirit making us pick out the same clothes for shits and giggles? I suppose it didn't matter.

Suki went next. Just like my siblings, she had the same clothes from the show. I could tell Sokka appreciated both her bare midriff, and the fact that he was wearing baggy pants.

Toph needed a little help getting dressed from Katara and Ty Lee. Something about 'girl stuff'. I figured it was best not to ask. Toph had the same outfit from the show. She walked out and frowned. "Hm, I should probably wear shoes," she said. "But then I won't be able to see as well." She sat down. "Sorry shoes!" She pulled on the shoe, launching the sole and making it smack loudly against the cave wall. She repeated the process with the other shoe. "Finally!" she said with relief. "A stylish shoe for the blind earthbender."

Aang took his turn next. His disguise was different. He wore a palette-swapped version of his school uniform, and the headband he wore on his head was a simple red sash. "Ta-dah!" he exclaimed with a pose. "Normal kid!"

Zuko frowned. "Is that a school uniform?"

Mai shook her head. "It's based on one, but the colors are swapped," she explained.

"At least the local truant officers won't think he's playing hooky," I said. I didn't want the anxiety of Aang being in school. Enough things had gone wrong without him getting an opportunity to blow his cover.

Zuko went next and came out in his disguise. He had the same outfit, down to the gold trim on his robe. "You look a lot better in red," Mai said huskily.

I walked into the dressing room to take my turn. Katara had frozen some water into a makeshift standing mirror for our benefit. I grabbed the only full bag remaining. My outfit consisted of a bright red sleeveless tunic that ended just above my knees with gold buttons, a pair of black pants, red boots with gold trim on the top and toe, a red belt with a gold stripe in the middle, and a gold hairpiece with a small, red flame accent. I was able to put on most of the outfit, except for the headpiece. After several minutes of futilely attempting to put my hair in a topknot, I uttered a sentence that I never thought I'd say out loud.

"Could someone help me with my hair?"

Ty Lee rounded the corner. She looked me up and down and licked her lips with no subtlety. "I love it!" she praised.

I rolled my eyes and grinned. "You picked out the outfit you wanted me to wear, of course you love it."

"Sit down," she instructed. I sat down in front of the mirror. She sat behind me, then pulled my hair into a ponytail and doubled it over, sliding the headpiece over it and locking it into place with the pin. She pressed her body against my back and put her lips against my ear. "If I picked out what I really wanted you to wear, you'd be shirtless," she whispered seductively, making my heart pound. She pulled back and stood up. "You're all done!" she said with a teasing grin I saw in the mirror.

I stood up and turned around. "Thanks," I said with a smile. "Let's go back to the others."


Azula POV

The disguises were more than adequate. Even Zuko looked like a different person with the makeup covering the scar. From a distance, you couldn't notice anything different about his face. He looked almost like he did before father burned him. I didn't like thinking about that.

While we ate our dinner around the fire, I turned my attention to Alec. "Where are you taking me tomorrow?" I asked. "What can I expect?"

Alec pulled out a map from Sokka's bag and pointed to a small island in the northern Fire Islands. "We're going there, and you'll find out when you see it," he said.

I glared at him. "You said that these firebending masters will kill me if they don't find me worthy," I growled. "I'd like to know what I'm up against."

"You'll be fine, Azula," Zuko tried to assure me. "I think they'll find you worthy."

I took a breath and tried to clear my head. "What do we do after?" I asked, trying not to think about my possible impending death.

"The communication hub we need is on an island pretty close to where we're headed," Mai noted. "We can go there right afterwards."

Sokka frowned. "Is that a good idea?" he asked. "We have a little under two months until the Day of Black Sun, would the records we take now still be up-to-date by then?"

Mai nodded. "Prisoner transfers are very rare in the Fire Nation," she said with a wry smile. "There's a lot of paperwork involved. So, most of the time the Fire Nation makes sure to send a prisoner directly to their final destination immediately when they capture them."

"Won't they capture more people between now and then?" Suki asked.

"Maybe a few, but the Fire Nation thinks that the war in the Earth Kingdom is over," I said. "Most of the heavy fighting is over. We'll still get a good idea of how many people we'll be breaking out."

Alec nodded. "Sounds good."


I barely slept that night. I didn't want to show it, but I was afraid. I barely said a word when we had breakfast or during the flight. I didn't want to die, not before I had my revenge against my father. But even if I got revenge, what would I do with my life afterwards?

I snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed that Appa was descending. I glanced over the edge of the saddle and saw the ruins of an ancient city through the clouds. I turned to Zuko. "Is this where the Sun Warriors lived?" I asked.

He nodded. "It is," he confirmed. "Aang, Alec, and I learned the true meaning of firebending here."

Alec turned to Sokka who held the reins. "Take us to the top of the temple in the middle of the city," he instructed.

Sokka nodded and took us down while Aang and Katara spun clouds around us. We landed on a stone platform with an elaborate round doorway. We got out of the saddle and stretched our limbs.

"Toph, could you open that door over there?" Alec asked, indicating the round door with a tilt of his head.

Toph stomped and spread her hands. The door split at the seam and slid open. Alec turned to me. "Something you need to know is in there," he said.

I slowly entered the chamber. The daylight from outside illuminated a circle of statues in firebending poses. When the others entered behind me, I realized something. I turned to Aang and Zuko. "I've seen you do these poses when you train," I said.

Aang nodded. "It's called the Dancing Dragon," he said. "You might want to learn it."

I frowned, but I turned around and looked at the statues. I followed their sequence for a few repetitions. It felt different from the firebending forms I was familiar with. It was more flexible, and more natural. Once I was comfortable with the sequence, I turned back to the others. "What now?"

Toph frowned and moved her foot. She turned towards the door and took a stance. "People are coming!" she reported urgently.

Most of the others took stances, except for Aang, Alec, and Zuko. Instead, they smiled. "Stand down," Alec said. "It looks like they're here early."

"Who?" I asked, cocking my head.

"Who is in there?" A male voice asked harshly.

Alec stepped forward, with Ved flapping his wings to keep himself aloft behind him. "It's us, Chief."

A man stepped into the chamber. He was dressed like an ancient Sun Warrior, but that didn't make sense. I thought they were dead. He saw Aang, Alec, Zuko, Druk, and Ved and his harsh face melted into a smile. "Ah, former students of the masters!" he greeted cheerfully with a bow. Aang, Alec, and Zuko returned the bow. "What brings you back to our island?"

Zuko stepped forward and indicated me with his hand. "We have a new student for the masters," he said. "My sister, Princess Azula."

The Chief stepped forward and examined me with a critical eye. "Tell me," he said. "What have they told you about the masters?"

I frowned. "Nothing except that if I'm found unworthy, they'll kill me on the spot."

He nodded. "And you still wish to take that risk?"

I swallowed. "Yes."

"Very well," he said. "Come with me."

I moved to follow him. Zuko grabbed my shoulder. "Good luck," he said warmly. "We'll meet up with you later."


The Chief led me to another temple. A large pagoda with a roaring fire underneath it. "If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the Eternal Flame," he said. He scooped up a piece and handed it to me. I accepted it and held it in my hands. "This fire is the very first one. It was given to man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."

The fire felt different than any fire I felt before. It felt…cleaner. "You must take this flame to the masters without letting it go out." He pointed to a pair of twin peaks in the distance. "That is your destination."


Alec POV

Team Avatar minus Azula flew over to the mountain. As soon as we got out of the saddle Toph gasped. "I can feel them," she said, turning towards the mountain. "They're amazing!"

"Don't give it away," I said.

Sokka grumbled. "Are we supposed to just wait until Azula gets here?"

Katara glared at him. "You're about to see something amazing and that's your attitude?"

I rolled my eyes. "He wouldn't stop talking about food at the Southern Air Temple," I recalled.

Ty Lee giggled. "Seriously?"

"How long should it take her to get here?" Suki asked.

I thought about it for a second. "Aang, Zuko, and I managed it in about four hours," I said. "But knowing Azula, I think she could do it in three."

Zuko shook his head and chuckled. "She's an overachiever."

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Ty Lee asked with pleading eyes.

I nodded. "I think so," I said. "The masters found Iroh worthy when he was still fighting on the Fire Nation's side."

I looked up at the platform between the peaks. "We'll find out soon enough."


The Chief and the rest of the Sun Warriors arrived about an hour after we got there. Two hours after that, Azula arrived, holding the flame in her hands. She approached the Chief. "Do you still want to do this?" he asked her.

"I do," she said firmly.

The Chief nodded and spread his hands. "Chanters!"

He took a piece of Azula's flame and spread it around to the other Sun Warriors. They made fire circles. Some of the other warriors beat drums in a chant. Azula slowly ascended the stairs up to the platform. Once she made it to the top, she shifted her head back and forth, looking at both caves.

"She who wishes to meet the masters will now present her fire!" The Chief roared.

Azula knelt down on the platform and held up her fire.

"Sound the call!"

The horn blew. We felt the mountain rumble. I grinned. "Here they come." I muttered.

We heard the roar. Ran flew out from the right cave, and Shaw followed from the left. I could see Azula tense up, but she didn't drop the fire. The others who hadn't seen Ran and Shaw before gasped.

Sokka glanced at Ved and Druk. "Is that how big they're going to get?" he whispered with wide eyes.

I grinned. "Yeah. Jealous?" I teased.

He crossed his arms and frowned. "Maybe a little," he grumbled.

Toph shook her head. "I can't see them, but I can feel the air move when they flap their wings."

Zuko looked up and saw Azula standing there, moving her head back and forth to look at the dragons. He tapped his foot anxiously on the ground. "Come on, Azula," he muttered. "You're smart. Figure it out."

A few seconds later, Azula began the Dancing Dragon. She, Ran, and Shaw moved as one. Twisting, turning, and dancing their way across the platform. Orange fire fueled by the Eternal Flame flew from Azula's hands. It was an amazing sight to see. Azula did the last pose and stopped. The dragons stared her down. She shifted her head back and forth to look at both of them.

"Judgment time," the Chief said grimly.

"Come on, come on, come on," I muttered to myself.

The dragons opened their mouths and breathed, engulfing the platform in a tornado of multicolored flames.

"Azula!" Ty Lee gasped in worry.

I grabbed her arm. "It's okay," I assured her. "They found her worthy."

She looked at me desperately. I smiled at her. "It's okay."

"No way," Zuko gasped.

I turned to him. "What?" He pointed at the platform. Ran had left back into his cave but Shaw was still there, staring down Azula. Shaw flew back into her cave, and Azula began following after her.

Aang turned to me and Zuko. "Does this mean she…" he trailed off.

My eyes widened. "I think it does," I breathed. "In hindsight, maybe I should've seen this coming."

"What are you guys talking about?" Suki asked.

"We're about to get another pet," Zuko said. Druk growled. "Partner!" Zuko corrected himself. Druk huffed.


Azula POV

So that's what true fire was: Energy, life, and creativity. I didn't know fire came in other colors besides orange and blue. I was shocked that full-grown dragons were still around, but I supposed that Zuko and Alec had to get Druk and Ved from somewhere. But why did this dragon, Shaw, want to speak to me? I followed her into her cave. I lit a fire in my hand, illuminating the cave in blue light.

"Why did you want to speak to me?" I asked her.

"I have something for you," Shaw replied. She lifted her body, revealing a large blue dragon egg. I was mesmerized by it. I felt like it was calling to me.

I gasped. "I'm supposed to partner with a dragon?" I whispered. I could hardly believe it. I read so many stories about dragons and dragon riders. I wanted that more than anything!

"You are," Shaw confirmed. "Touch the egg."

I stepped forward and placed my palm against the egg. It felt warm. The egg began to rattle and shake. It cracked, then it burst open. Inside the egg was a blue dragon, only about a foot long. She (I knew the dragon was a she) was perfect. She stretched her wings and flew onto my shoulder.

"Give her a name," Shaw instructed.

I looked at my dragon. "Shul," I said.

Shaw looked me in the eye. "Take good care of her."

I ran my fingers along Shul's scales. She was so beautiful and majestic. All the dragons were. I wanted to see more of them. I smiled.

I knew what I wanted to do with my life.


Alec POV

Azula walked down the stairs and joined up with the rest of us. She had a small, blue dragon on her shoulder. I shook my head and smiled. "I should have figured that the third egg was for you," I said. "How's your firebending?"

Azula worked through some forms, shooting powerful jets of blue fire. Then she moved her arms in an arc and shot a bolt of lightning into the sky.

"That's great, Azula!" Aang praised.

Azula stroked the dragon's head with her finger. "Her name is Shul," she said. "I know what I want to do with my life."

This should be interesting. "Oh?" I asked. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to help restore the population of the dragons," she said, looking at Shul. "Help breed more, and keep them safe from those who would hunt them."

"Not a bad idea," I said with a nod.

"That'll be a lifelong project," Zuko said.

Azula smiled. "At least I won't be bored," she said. "Now, let's get out of here."

AN: I made a minor correction to Chapter 37. Azula took off the armor and is just wearing regular clothes with her hair down and no makeup. Her clothes look like what she wore during The Search. If you read Chapter 37 on or after March 26, 2022, you've read the up-to-date version.

Also, the spirit that miraculously compelled Ty Lee to pick out the same Fire Nation outfits from the original story is the Spirit Of A Writer Too Lazy To Think Of Alternate Costumes. It's an obscure, but very powerful spirit.

Next time: Tower, Plans, and Surprises